Mom on a mission to help teen girls raise self-esteem

Teen girls are bombarded with negative images these days. Peer pressure and the emphasis on looks can be hard on their self-esteem.

But a mom from Howard County is on a mission to change that.

Shawn Stratmann has two daughters and knows how hard it can be to teach girls to have a healthy self image. 

She says, "I think it's really important that they don't attach to the outward, they attach to the inward, and it's a constant battle when you're raising girls."  

That's why this Shawn has started a program called Pretty Extraordinary Girl or PEG.

The goal is to build self-esteem by focusing on qualities that really matter. Shawn says, "I think girls have a very difficult time picking role models that actually exude self-esteem. They often choose role models that are very fame based and not character based.”

To build on that character, Shawn has started creativity classes using art to inspire girls to think about their uniqueness.

Shawn says, "I want them to start attaching to how do they feel about their character within, activities they're choosing to do day-to-day, in their friendships and in their homes. It's all important to know their character is a piece of who they are."   

Shawn includes her inspirational messages in her fashion line called Pretty to Boot.

Shawn says, "I believe that the best way to have self-esteem is to be happy in what you're doing and to have passion in your uniqueness."

You can learn more about PEG by going to Shawn’s website at http://shawnstratmann.com/