The way women feel about their looks has an impact on the self esteem of the girls around them, research has shown.

It has also been found that a girl child has an average of 3 women she looks up to and her mother is chief amongst these women. 71 percent of girls feel pressure to be beautiful but are less likely to let anxiety about looks hold them back if they have a positive beauty role model.

Research done by personal care brand Dove shows that eight out of ten women do not like at least one aspect of their physical appearance.

The company has now launched a new campaign in which they ask women to leave a positive beauty legacy for future generations.

They also have a film for this positive beauty legacy campaign.

The film focuses on the influence of mothers and shows the direct effect their feelings about beauty, both positive and negative, have on their daughters.

The moms and daughters (7-10 years old) in the film were invited to write two lists each: what they like and do not like about the way they look. 

The film shows how important it is for women to see the beauty in themselves, so that they can pass those positive feelings on to the girls in their lives.  

Watch the film here

Here are some tips to help with leaving a positive beauty legacy.

Dr Colinda Linde’s tips for Dove #BeautyLegacy

• You can choose the body image legacy you leave for your daughter, by actively choosing your relationship with your own body.

• The positive can be passed down just as easily as the negative; influence goes both ways.

• How I treat my body today - how I feed it, dress it, move it, talk about it- has a profound effect on how my daughter will treat her own body in the future.

• She is watching and listening; when I see myself in the mirror, when I talk about my body, am I sending out a message of self-acceptance or disappointment? She will model her own conversations with her body and beauty, on what I demonstrate in my daily actions.

• How she feels about the way she looks, has a direct effect on how she feels about who she is. 
• Make your daughter media literate. Watch TV or read a magazine with her and talk about what you see. Help her gently to develop a critical eye, to be able to filter and decode media messages.
• Steer clear of competition with other mothers about how either you, they, or any of your daughters look. Celebrate uniqueness.

• Shift away from talk that disparages other girls’ looks, whether it’s you, your daughter or others who have fallen into this trap. Even if the person never hears what was said, it’s not a good idea to get into the comparison habit.

• If girls hear nasty comparisons being made behind others’ backs, they will wonder who is talking about them in the same way! This all leads to insecurity.

• Challenge yourself to match every compliment you give about your daughter's appearance with at least two compliments about something non-appearance based, and do the same for other girls who cross your path—your daughter's friends, nieces, etc.