Message for today’s girls: Define. Strengthen. Own

September 8, 2018
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We’re thrilled to be featured in the following article by Hattie Bernstein in The Boston Globe! The story details how Fashion Focus and our Powerhouse Program help children build self-confidence, resilience and inner strength.

(This article originally appeared on Saturday, September 8, 2018).

Looks matter. Perfection is possible. And she who gets the most likes on her Instagram photo is a better person than you will ever be

These are among the messages that barrage children and teens daily, confirming that a girl’s value depends on what she can’t control: physical traits; the judgment of peers; and the unattainable standards of beauty and competency reserved for models, actors, and other famous people.
Enter Maria Wood, a model who 18 years ago founded the Fashion Focus Program in Pembroke, which uses the tools of fashion and modeling to raise self-awareness, promote self-confidence, and replace the currency of self-promotion with kindness and altruism.
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It’s an approach to self-acceptance launched with old-fashioned charm school exercises such as learning to walk with a book on your head. It also incorporates skin care, nutrition, exercise, manners, and even runway training.
But Wood’s goal is as far from the fashion world as you can get.

“These are tools to empower girls, challenge the status quo,” said the 54-year-old mother of three young-adult children.

Five years ago, Fashion Focus was adopted by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, which hired Wood to teach “Fashionably Fearless,” a class related to several badges. The next year, the program was rebranded as “Confident in Your Own Skin” and included more classes related to badges Girl Scouts could earn: Social Butterfly for Juniors; Making Friends for Brownies; and Business Etiquette for Cadettes.

“The parents were just blown away,” said Lu-Ann Souza, manager of program partnerships and member benefits for the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, who told Wood she felt that boys also could benefit.

Wood’s mission also inspired Kim Trapilo, operator of the Norwell Athletic Club, who offered her facility for the Powerhouse Program that Wood held for the first time earlier this year. The free, three-session program for girls and boys is scheduled to run again on Sept. 17, Sept. 24, and Oct. 1 at the gym.
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“Bullying is an aggressive word. What Maria is talking about happens to everybody,” said Trapilo, the mother of three teens. “Especially with kids. One bad play [in sports] and they lose confidence. One conflict with a friend. One bad post on Instagram, their friend gets 500 likes. . . . you get 100.”
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Wood’s classes cover everything from yoga and skin care to finding your personal style. She also offers birthday party packages, and private lessons.

But the basics are the same, no matter the class: Define. Strengthen. Own.

► Define what makes you who you are.

► Strengthen those characteristics. Are you athletic? Creative? Develop what’s inside of you.

► Make those traits your own. Don’t apologize for who you are. Believe in yourself. Stand up for yourself.
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Sergeant Wendy LaPierre, a 20-year member of the Pembroke Police Department, was a volunteer at Wood’s first Powerhouse program, started in response to the suicide of a 12-year-old girl in Florida who had been bullied.

This month, she’ll be returning to volunteer at the second program.

“The timing is perfect with back to school,” said LaPierre, a former middle school liaison who investigates domestic violence and sexual assaults for the police department.

Souza, the Girl Scout council manager, said she initially balked at the idea of bringing Fashion Focus to the council, which serves 32,000 girls in 178 cities and towns across the state.

“I’m not the type of person interested in fashion. But I have a firm policy of looking at girls’ diverse interests, and this is how we get hidden gems all the time,” Souza said.

Her appreciation for Wood’s program has only grown.

“This is a program every girl should have to go through,” she said.

For Trapilo, who runs the Norwell Athletic Club, Fashion Focus and the new Powerhouse program are a lifeline for teens growing up in a world where the illusion of perfection is everywhere.

“Life for kids is one big contest. [Maria] teaches them confidence,” she said. “How you hold yourself. How you react to other people. You can’t control how others act. You can control how you react.”

Hattie Bernstein can be reached at hbernstein04@icloud.com.

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