Girls Get Tips, Autographs at Teen Esteem Tour

Clara Sturak
Associate editor

   The Teen Esteem Tour, sponsored by the Secret Deodorant Self-Esteem Program, hit the Santa Monica Place on the afternoon of Friday, March 15. Several dozen pre-teen and teenage girls attended the two-hour event, which was held in the center courtyard of the mall.
   The Tour featured interactive activities that emphasize emotional, physical and mental strength, including a 20-foot vertical climbing wall, a “mind/body/soul zone” featuring yoga, relaxation and tae kwon do, and a self-expression wall -– a 10x5-foot magnetized board with words written on large magnets that could be rearranged to express thoughts, feelings and opinions.
   Recording artist Christina Millen was on hand to autograph photos for the young women, many of whom seemed to feel more comfortable chatting with a pop singer than climbing a vertical wall in front of hundreds of strangers.
   The young women who participated were sent home with goodie bags, a pamphlet entitled “My Strength Guide,” and a nomination form for “Secret Sportsgirl of the Year,” which will be awarded to girls who excel at sports, and who “embody characteristics of healthy self esteem,” including “cultivating a healthy body image…forming healthy relationships… setting goals…and managing stress.”
   Proctor and Gamble, manufacturer of Secret deodorant, sponsors the “Secret to Self Esteem” program, which includes the contest (co-sponsored by the Women’s Sports Foundation), mall events and seminars held at public middle schools around the country. Earlier in the day, girls at Burbank Middle School heard from psychologist Dr. Ann Kearney-Cooke and L.A. Sparks player Tamecka Dixon about ways to develop healthy self-esteem.
   For more information about the program or the contest, visit www.secretstrength. com.