Mum shares powerful message to promote body positivity in young girls

Mum Allison Kimmey's was inspired to write a post insisting on the importance of body positivity in young girls after learning why her daughter threw away her Barbie.

Taking to Instagram, Allison Kimmey relayed the conversation she had with her five-year-old concerning the discarded doll.

'My daughter threw away her curvy Barbie,' the post starts.

The caption then sees Allison ask her little girl to explain the reason why the plastic figurine was relegated to the bin.

'Because I don't like her. Her arms aren't right. Her legs are too big. She doesn't look like my other Barbies,' the youngster replied.

'And she doesn't fit into any of the clothes except this one outfit.'

Allison went on to tell her followers that the exchange left her at a total loss for words.

'I paused. I was speechless. I honestly felt some tears start welling in my eyes. I related to this inanimate object. It was as if curvy Barbie's life was a reflection of the way I felt for SO long being a plus size woman in a thin woman's world,' she admitted.

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[/instagram] 'I always felt like my arms weren't right, my legs were big, and anywhere I went, nothing fit. For a very long time I allowed those perceptions and the constricts of society make me feel as if I was the trash. Much like myself, Curvy Barbie is still living in a thin Barbie world.'

Keen to get her point across to her little one, Allison continues by sharing more of the pair's dialogue.

The chat ends with the little girl agreeing to wash and dress the Barbie after understanding that it's important to 'be kind to everyone', regardless of their appearance.

Allison concludes: 'Each time I am put in a position where I can ignore these early signs for body image issues and pass them off as 'Oh she's just a kid playing with her Barbies, maybe she really just doesn't like this one, it doesn't REALLY matter', OR I can make a conscious effort to help her dissect how she's feeling, allow her to explain her discomfort, and give her a new loving perspective.'

Unsurprisingly, the upload gained a great deal of traction on the social networking site - many were quick to praise Allison's efforts.

'Good parenting. Instead of ignoring the situation you took this opportunity and used it as a teachable moment and you let her express herself,' commented one.

Another added: 'Good for you for having these tough conversations with your little one! Better to have them now than later.'