New Body Appreciation Program
August 13, 2025
[Fort Wayne, IN] — Today, Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana, in partnership with women’s personal care brand, Flamingo, is launching a new Body Appreciation Program, which is designed to help girls appreciate their bodies for what they can do, rather than how they look. The program draws on new research from GSUSA, which highlights the significant impact of body image pressures on girls. The findings reveal that more than one third (36%) of girls ages 5–13 hear negative body image messages from the women around them. While 96% of girls say they like the way they look, 37% still wish they could change something about their appearance — a number that increases to 50% for girls ages 11–13. These mixed messages can erode girls’ self-worth, making it essential to shift the focus toward valuing bodies for their abilities, not their appearance.
Co-developed with expert advisors, including leading mental health and youth development organizations, and shaped by insights from a national pilot with troop leaders and Girl Scouts, the new badge curriculum lays the foundation for the Body Appreciation Program. The program guides Girl Scouts to appreciate the many functions and abilities of their bodies — from breathing and thinking to running, dancing, and creating. Through fun and age-appropriate activities, Girl Scouts in grades K–12 will build confidence, practice self-care and develop lifelong habits that support both physical and emotional well-being. They’ll learn to move for fun, celebrate what makes them — and others — unique and embrace their authentic selves. Along the way, they’ll explore how to set boundaries and respond thoughtfully to pressures from society, media and peers — all while learning how to lift others up and create a culture of kindness and respect.
Other findings from the research include:
· Girls ages 5–7 receive the most comments about how they look.
o When asked if girls get more compliments on their appearance or their abilities, half of girls ages 5–7 said they receive more compliments about how they look, a pattern that reverses as girls get older, with 66% and 64% of girls ages 8–10 and 11–13, respectively, reporting that people focus more on their abilities than their appearance.
· Girls want to be called smart, not pretty.
o When asked what words girls most want others to use to describe them, girls of all age groups said smart (36%), funny (17%) or creative (17%).
· Girls pay attention to negative self-talk.
o Girls as young as 5 years old report hearing the women in their lives talk negatively about the way they look, something that becomes more prominent as they get older, with 52% of girls ages 8–10 saying they hear it a lot or sometimes, and 41% of 11–to 13-year-old girls saying they hear it all the time or sometimes.
The program is supported by more than $1 million in funding from Flamingo to help ensure wide access, continued curriculum development and long-term program sustainability.
“At Flamingo, we believe self-care goes beyond products — it’s about showing up for yourself with confidence and compassion,” said Vikki Williams Cornwall, VP of Flamingo. “Partnering with Girl Scouts to launch the Body Appreciation Program is a natural extension of our mission. Together, we’re supporting girls at a formative time in their lives, helping them build self-worth and celebrate what makes them, and others, uniquely powerful.”
By transforming the way girls think about their bodies, the Body Appreciation badge line builds a foundation of confidence, self-respect and compassion. It’s more than a badge — it’s a powerful step toward lifelong well-being and self-acceptance. Learn more at girlscouts.org/bodyappreciation.
About Girl Scouts® and Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana
Today, as when founded in 1912, Girl Scouts® helps cultivate values, social conscience and self-esteem in young girls, enabling them to succeed as leaders today and tomorrow. Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana provides leadership experiences for approximately 3,800 girls ages 5-17. They are guided by more than 2,000 adult volunteers who mentor them and work behind-the-scenes to support Girl Scouts and our mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place
Survey Methodology
The Girl Scouts Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research to 1,000 U.S. girls ages 5 to 13, with an oversample to a total sample size of 500 African American girls ages 5–13 and 500 Hispanic girls ages 5–13, between June 3 and June 16, 2025, using an email invitation and an online survey. The data has been weighted.
Flamingo
Flamingo believes body care should feel anything but dull. The women’s personal care brand creates high-performance essentials designed for women who embrace the unexpected in the everyday. From innovative razors to elevated self-care, Flamingo combines thoughtful design with refreshingly accessible pricing. Since launching in 2018, the company has also proudly supported nonprofit organizations that help women build healthy, empowered relationships with their bodies. Through a commitment to action, education, and healing, we hold our brand promise to champion women, their bodies, and their choices at the center of everything we do.
