LET GIRLS BE GIRLS
What makes mJa member Lizzie Kroon boil with rage...

There was outrage recently when it was discovered that a high street clothing store was selling "sexy" padded bikinis for girls as young as seven. Shocking! But, really, is it so surprising?

The whole advertising machine revolves around airbrushed, cabbage diet-induced, abnormally slim supermodels. (And this is how you, too, can look! - if you'll just buy this, do this, go here, wear that).

The commercial industry preys upon a young girl's insecurities, destroying any respect for what God has made her.

No film, no music video - and certainly no TV ad - is complete without the presence of a "flawless goddess". From a very young age, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, girls are introduced to their life's assignment: "to 'make it' in society, be impossibly beautiful".

I'm an instant write off: short, brown-haired - and clumsy, too! Fortunately, I was blessed with a healthy, happy environment to grow up in. It brought security, but it doesn't make me immune to such pressures. In homes where there is no such protection, it's all too easy for girls to be crushed, constantly striving to be someone else.

What happened to being free to be who we are and enjoy life as it is?

Real confidence comes from the beauty of a contented spirit. Sure, take care of yourself physically, but we should be promoting the cultivation of a beautiful character.