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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Program helps girls see beauty in a new light

Keely Eschenbacher coordinates the Girl Scouts’ “uniquely ME!” program in Spokane schools.Courtesy of The Fig Tree (Courtesy of The Fig Tree)
Mary Stamp The Fig Tree

As coordinator for the Girl Scouts’ “uniquely ME!” program in Spokane’s schools, Keely Eschenbacher has deepened her awareness of the impact that media images of women have on teenage girls.

Eschenbacher grew up in Ione in northeastern Washington in a stable home with two parents who sheltered her from some TV programs.

A course on gender communication during her study of psychology at Carroll College in Helena stirred her awareness of media messages and ads that make women and men feel bad about their appearance.

“A teenage girl looks at TV and thinks it shows how life should be or how she should look. Most girls think they do not look good enough,” Eschenbacher said, describing the media ideal as a skinny, 5-foot-7, 110-pound, blond woman.

“I used to enjoy looking at magazines, but now I see the negative effect the messages can have on girls,” she added. “Looking at wedding magazines before I was married last October, I could see how easy it would be to think I needed a $35,000 wedding dress and a huge wedding.”

Media also affect expectations about relationships. For example, Eschenbacher said her mother did not let her watch the TV show “Friends” because everyone was sleeping with everyone – sending the message that such behavior was OK.

“Girls see news about Britney Spears and think that’s how they should be,” she said. “Middle-school girls are obsessed with celebrities who party and do stupid things. Girls receive mixed messages about what is acceptable.”

Eschenbacher, who is earning a master’s degree in organizational leadership at Gonzaga University, has worked with the Eastern Washington Northern Idaho Girl Scouts Council since September 2007.

The “uniquely ME!” program began five years ago with a grant from Unilever and its Dove Self-Esteem Fund.

“Dove, which produces beauty products, created the program as part of its Campaign for Real Beauty, an effort to communicate that everyone is beautiful in her own way,” Eschenbacher explained.

Out of 350 U.S. Girl Scout councils, the local council was one of 11 to receive grants. In the region, 500 girls participated last year, up from 350 the year before.

The program helps girls from 8 to 17 years old “embrace a wider definition of beauty” than they absorb from the culture. It focuses on mentoring, education and activities to foster self-esteem, with four programs geared to different ages.

Activities led by volunteers from Gonzaga University and Whitworth University help girls recognize their strengths and attributes; handle peer pressure; identify their values and interests; develop positive body images, healthy eating habits, personal hygiene, general wellness and physical fitness; and engage in community service.

Although the three-year grant ended in 2008, the program “was so successful that the local council decided to fund it,” Eschenbacher said.

In the fall, she trains the volunteers who lead groups at different schools. Groups form by January and run officially for 12 weeks, but most continue to the end of the school year.

The “uniquely ME!” effort reaches at-risk girls who are not typically in Girl Scouts. It involves girls in Spokane’s middle schools: Chase, Garry, Glover, Sacajawea, Salk and Shaw.

There are also groups at Finch Elementary School and at Rogers and Ferris high schools. Some of the Girl Scout troops also use the resources.

Lacking funds to send staff to outlying communities, the program offers to train rural volunteers to use the curriculum.

“The college women volunteers – often majors in education or psychology – serve as role models and are easy for the teens to relate to,” Eschenbacher said.

“One girl expected she would have a baby by the time she was 16. To dispel that expectation, her 23- and 24-year-old student mentors were role models. They did not have babies.”

Alone or with a partner, volunteers lead weekly meetings at the schools. Eschenbacher helps facilitate some of them.

She also connects with volunteers when they come to the office to pick up supplies and asks how their groups are going. Sometimes she hears of abuse and other concerns, and makes referrals for counseling.

Coming from Ione, where families helped others in need, Eschenbacher has been surprised that three or four families may share a house, so girls may sleep on a couch or share a room with five others.

Some have told of being raped or abused by a relative.

“How can we expect children to learn if they are hungry or abused?” she asked. “It’s not abstract that people are living in rough situations. It’s people I know.”

The “uniquely ME!” program addresses eating disorders, teenage pregnancy, smoking and suicide. For a few, feeling that they cannot meet expectations might lead to depression or suicide.

It tells girls that everything about them is beautiful and their differences make them beautiful. Dove provides videos showing how movies and ads make normal women look like models with makeup, lighting, camera angles and digital editing, making their bodies look up to two inches thinner.

Eschenbacher said girls are asked how they feel about themselves when they start the program: How do they feel about how they look? How do they behave?

How well are they doing in school? How do they relate with other girls, with boys and with their families?

They learn about manicures, skin care, makeup and hygiene. They also learn self-defense, rock climbing, dancing, yoga and nutrition.

“Looking good helps them feel good,” Eschenbacher said. “We also encourage positive self-talk to break the habit of negative self-talk.”

Most participants attend out of interest and choice, but some are encouraged by school counselors. Most groups meet after school, except the Ferris and Finch groups that meet during school.

The girls report doing better with parents, siblings, friends and at school as they gain confidence, take responsibility for their actions, feel pride in their accomplishments, gain self-motivation, accept challenges and begin to feel in control of their lives, Eschenbacher said.

“If they gain confidence as they learn friendship and coping skills, they can let criticism blow off,” she said. “I tell them they can’t change the past, but can apologize and change their behavior in the future.”

Condensed and reprinted from the November issue of The Fig Tree, a monthly newspaper that covers faith in action in the Inland Northwest. For more information, call (509) 535-1813 or visit www.thefigtree.org.