This just in - a media outlet gives women advice on how they can feel confident by making their body look better! Oh wait - it was actually a magazine for girls - Discovery Girls - running a story on finding the "best bathing suit for your body type."

Because 9-12 year old girls (their audience) need advice on how best to feature their assets, draw they eye away from their thick middle, or hide their curves or add some, depending on what their particular body malfunction happens to be. What?

Don't worry, in case your young daughter hasn't taken the necessary time for body self examination, each body type has a convenient "shape" in a child friendly color to help them understand if they are an upside down triangle or a rectangle.

Because that is pretty much what we are.

As women.

Shapes.

So why shouldn't our daughters be the same?!

In all seriousness, how does this happen? How does a magazine whose claimed purpose is to "empower" little girls, make such an obvious snafu?

I googled, "Best swimsuit for your body type" and had millions of hits with half a second.

Tween Magazine Helps Girls Choose The Right Bathing Suit

This topic is obviously big business - and don't tell me it's just big business because the media wants us to hate ourselves - it's big business because women WANT to know how to look better, hide their "embarrassing" flaws, and otherwise appear more airbrushed in real life.

People, I know this stuff is pervasive and dumb.

I know I am worth so much more than my body.

I feel like I am confident and intelligent, capable, and talented.

But you bet I clicked on that first link about finding the best bathing suit for me.

(In case you are interested, since I am a little heavy around the middle, I would do best with something that is high waisted, has gathered fabric, or wraps to hold things in for me.)

Did you know that being curvy, being athletic, being small breasted, being large breasted, and being pear shaped are all things that should be hidden?? It's true.

We are all pretty much screwed.

Don't worry - they have a bikini body workout ready for me - and you!

I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of the "body positive" movement for a lot of reasons. Sometimes it seems like nice high five for eating croissants, which I do, but know I shouldn't. Sometimes it just seems like...well, even MORE focus on the female body as our only sense of self worth. And sometimes it just feels angry and dumb.

But the "find your right swimsuit" spread in a little girl's magazine is pretty gross.

Tween Magazine Helps Girls Choose The Right Bathing Suit

I will also admit that I have been thinking all week about where I can get some awesome shapewear to wear under those knit dresses I have that tend to cling to leftover baby pooch.

The truth is, if we don't want magazines to focus on the shape you have and ways to fix it, we need to stop buying them.

We need to stop clicking on them (like I just did) and we need recognize that we are actually so much more than our waist to hip ratio.

If you are upset about little girls getting swimsuit advice, try this - don't go searching for it for yourself. Don't give those people your money or attention.

Did I mention that the adult versions of "perfect swimsuit for your body type" are usually selling something? They are.

These clickbait links tell you how J Crew or Victoria's Secret sell the perfect swimsuit for your body type.

Convenient, yes?

This tells me something big, and I hope you caught it too:

Women have IMMENSE consumer power. We are 70-80% of the buying power out there. We buy for ourselves, our kids, our husbands, and everybody else. You are the person in your house who buys gifts for everyone, groceries, supplies and most everything else, right?

I know I am.

Tween Magazine Helps Girls Choose The Right Bathing Suit

I'm off to get my firm butt in 22 minutes. Ta-ta!​

Marketing companies and anybody selling anything KNOWS this about us. Sure, they may try to use it against us with not-so subtle, "You're kind gross/imperfect, and you need shapewear," messages.

We do not have to listen.

I know people like to act (women included) like we are totally influenced by these messages, and I am sure we are. Personally, I hate the victim mentality that this encourages among women. It seems to say, "Media tells us what to think about ourselves and we are too weak and silly to defend ourselves! Where's my push-up bra!"

Not so.

Media knows we are powerful, that doesn't mean they get to decide what we like. WE decide that.

If you find magazines with "body type" recommendations and swimsuit tips offensive for girls - don't buy them. In fact, take it one step further and don't buy them for adult women, like yourself! Don't click on those links!

Instead of reading up on how your skin/breasts/flab/tummy etc could be improved by a certain product, read a real book. Do something intelligent. Serve someone in need. Hug a child.

Women have lots of incredible gifts that have zero to do with their shape.

We have a lot of power in the world as consumers and otherwise.

If something is telling you that you need to eradicate your stretch marks or any sign you ever carried life in order to feel beautiful...click away. Don't buy it.

And please, don't wait for the media to empower you with an image of a fit or otherwise female body part - they aren't in the business of empowerment.

They are in the business of sales. Those two things are different.

Empower yourself.

If we manage to do this, I am absolutely sure that our daughters will do the same. If however, our girls watch us obsess about grey hairs, arm flab, and waistlines, I promise they will do the same to themselves and in a few years will also eagerly buy copies of shiny magazines that promise them perfect hair and the handsome man they can earn by seductively swinging it, and other things, around.

I won't be buying any of those types of magazines for my three daughters. Plus, I am going to take this one step further and not buy them for myself.

I choose to be more than a target for product sales. I choose to be so much more than a "flawed" body. I choose the same for my girls. Because I am powerful in my home, and what I show my children, they will likely imitate.

Photo credits: Jenn Durfey via Foter.com / CC BY, jessica mullen via Foter.com / CC BY, Ray Sawhill via Foter.com / CC BY