Parents who can‘t help but tell their children they are beautiful may actually be harming their confidence， according to women’s minister Jo Swinson。

　　The senior Lib Dem warned mothers and fathers who repeatedly praise the looks of their child could be fuelling insecurities about their looks。

　　Ms Swinson says seemingly innocuous comments about the hair， looks or outfit of one of their children could be reinforcing the negative message that looks are the most important thing in life。

　　The 33-year-old， who does not have any children， said mothers should also be wary of moaning or boasting about their looks in front of their children for the same reason。

　　Instead， Ms Swinson MP for East Dunbartonshire， said parents should praise their children‘s intelligence and other positive attributes to help them succeed in life。

　　In an interview with The Daily Telegraph， the Liberal Democrat said： ‘I know as an aunt， you fall into the trap of turning to your neice and saying， “you look beautiful” - because of course all children do look beautiful - but if the message they get is that is what is important and that is what gets the most praise， then that’s necessarily the most positive message you want them to hear。‘

　　She added that instead praising them for skills like an ability to do a jigsaw， or positively commenting on their inquisitive nature was a healthier way to bolster their self-esteem。

　　She was speaking ahead of the launch of the Government‘s campaign on body confidence。 She quoted statistics that show a quarter of all children aged 10 to 15 are unahppy about their appearance， while more than 70 per cent of girls feel that there is too much of a focus on the attractiveness of female celebrities。’

　　She added： ‘It’s not like saying looks don‘t matter at all。 If you’re going for an interview， you will dress smartly and look the part， that is absolutely fine， but its just the level to which this becomes the ultimate focus of everything。‘

　　She added that when children see their parents bemoaning their weight or asking their children‘s opinion on their appearance it teaches them that appearance is disproportionately important

　　据英国《每日邮报》5月28日报道，英国女议员乔·斯文森称，父母一味夸赞孩子长得漂亮可能在伤害孩子们的自信心。

　　她说，那些关于头发、长相或者穿着的貌似无关痛痒的评论，可能在给孩子强调一种负面信息，即长相是一生中最重要的东西。

　　她还说，妈妈们也应该小心点，少当着孩子的面抱怨或者炫耀自己的长相。相反，父母应当表扬孩子的聪明或其他一些积极的有助于孩子成功的品质。比如，赞扬孩子们玩拼图的能力，或者对他们的好奇心给予积极评价。这些都是增强孩子自尊心的好方式。

　　数据显示，10到15岁的孩子中，四分之一对自己的长相不满意，而超过70%的女孩认为对女明星的外表关注过多。

　　乔·斯文森补充说：“长相并不是不重要。比如你接受采访，得穿得漂亮点，看上去要得体，这当然好，但是要有度，长相不能成为唯一的关注点。”

（编辑：何莹莹）