Celeb mums talk body confidence
Mums in the spotlight reveal what body advice they’ll be passing down to their daughters
Love your body
As a woman, body confidence is no doubt something most of us have struggled with at some point of our lives. Wobbly bits, wrinkles, orange peel and a fear of the bathroom scales – all sound familiar? Well, we’re not alone, as celebrities deal with the same body hang ups and more worryingly, so do our children.
A large percentage of children below the age of 18 have issues with their image, with many saving their pocket money for cosmetic surgery, botox and nip tucks, many striving to look like their favourite celebrity.
Celebrity mums including Sadie Frost and Tamara Beckwith, who have faced their own demons with their body image in the past, spoke to Grazia magazine about how they are providing healthy role models for their young daughters.
Sadie Frost
Mum to Finlay, 19, Raffety, 14, Iris, 9, and 8-year-old Rudy
After admitting that she battled an eating disorder when she was trying to break into show business, 44-year-old Sadie is determined not to pass this trait down to her 9-year-old daughter Iris.
“As a mother, you want to nurture your daughter to be this whole, happy, complete being,” Sadie told Grazia. “While I want to preserve her innocence, I also want to make sure she’s strong, sassy and confident enough not to buy into the idea that she has to look a certain way. That’s a gift I want to pass on.”
Tamara Beckwith
Mum to Anouska, 22, and 10-month old Violet
The former socialite is no stranger to being the spotlight with her 20s spent attending glamorous parties. However, now a happily married mum of two, 39-year-old Tamara would rather have “an extra sausage at dinner" than starve.
“It’s pretty terrifying having daughters – I have two from different generations and worry that by the time Violet reaches her teens, the pressures on her will be greater.”
However, Tamara is determined to drum in healthy eating habits as early as possible. “What a lot of women don’t understand is that if their children see them skipping meals, they’ll follow suit, therefore I’m big on family mealtimes.”
Aside from body image advice, Tamara is keen to teach her girls how to look after their skin as well. “Always, always remove your make up before going to bed, and regular sleep and water are better than Botox or fillers. Oh and don’t smoke!”
Pearl Lowe
Mum to Daisy, 20, Alfie, 13, Frankie, 10 and Betty, 4
39-year-old Pearl Lowe has battled her own drug-related demons and is using her life experience to help her eldest daughter Daisy grow up on the straight and narrow.
“I’m going to nurture my daughter so she doesn’t experience that awful sense of being misunderstood."
When Daisy made her debut as a model, Pearl was quick to give her advice. “I always say dress size is no indicator of health or happiness. However, she doesn’t have issues with food and is a size 8 in a sea of size 4s.”
Meg Matthews
Mum to 9-year-old Anais
Living under the spotlight in the 90s Britpop era with her then Oasis singer partner, Noel Gallagher, 43-year-old Meg felt under enormous pressure to look her best. Even if it meant dabbling in fad diets and eventually, cosmetic surgery.
“It’s taken me 43 years to accept my body," she revealed. "I’ll tell Anais that diets don’t work. I’ve done every fad diet known to man but, as soon as I stopped, the weight piled on again.”
“I hope that giving Anais the foundations of a healthy lifestyle it will save her years of destructive behaviour, like starving herself."
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