Mum says she showers in front of teenage daughter to normalise bodies
A British mum says she showers in front of her teenage daughter in order to show her “what a real body looks like”.
Angela Karanja, 48, has been showering and bathing with her daughter Dee, 18, since she was a baby. "Our bodies are the vessels that we have to live in. This is what we have, we should be happy and proud of it," the psychologist from Banbury says.
"Especially for girls, I think if we don't show them what is real when they grow older they will get subjected to a lot of photoshopped pictures and think they are not enough. My idea is to show them as much as what is real and when they see an edited picture it doesn't threaten them and they know they are enough."
Dee, a student, says she appreciates that her mum has taken this approach as "now I know what reality is like".
"We may not always love our bodies but even so we should respect it because we only get one body," Dee adds. "If we love our bodies then no matter what anyone says you won't feel bad about yourself."
Angela says showering in front of her daughter from a young age has helped her daughter become ‘confident’ and ‘happy’ in her body.
"We should help our young people be comfortable with who they are," she continues. "It is so nice to see the confidence in her own self as she has grown.
"We know that people have different body shapes and all sorts, don't forget I have things falling to the south. It is important to show people do change."
Angela also reveals that she will often walk around the house naked, and that Dee isn’t fazed by this.
"First thing in the morning, I will wake up and walk out naked to the bathroom," Angela says. "This is me, this is who I am before I wear clothes. When we come to terms with who we are nothing out there threatens you. Confidence is not about the clothes I am wearing or the make-up I have.
"Don't get me wrong, I wear nice clothes but it is not to conceal or make people think I am someone else."
Angela adds that she is often called ‘brave’ for her choices, and that some people will question why she does it – but that she chooses to ‘educate’ people rather than argue with them.
"People tell me that I am subjecting children to something they shouldn't see," Angela says. "I am like 'OK, you're telling me that my children should not know I have breasts or a bum'.
"When I am naked it is not like I am opening myself up, it is me being me. Those who object say I should not show them my parts but children should know how to feel comfortable in themselves."
Additional reporting by SWNS.
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