Steps Toward Confidence

By all accounts, the young woman who inspired the Self-Criticism Box at is a beautiful, slender young woman — yet when she came in to shop for a prom dress over the winter, she couldn’t help indulging in some negative self-talk in front of the dressing room mirror.

Her words, typical of the way many women and girls talk about their bodies, , sisters Corinne Chapman, Danna Lane and Monica Needle, to take action. The Self Criticism Box has sat out on their counter throughout prom season — collecting a dollar from offenders and reminding women in the shop that criticizing their bodies has consequences.

“It’s about reminding them, the dress is made for a mannequin, not a human,” Chapman said. “Instead of saying 'I hate my knees' — we say, 'Let’s try a longer dress.'”

When Patch first spoke with A Step Ahead in February, the sisters had planned the box as part-critical message and part-fundraiser. With prom season drawing to a close, the proceeds will go to Kids in Crisis — an area non-profit that A Step Ahead has partnered with in the past, donating a prom dress to a girl there this year.

“We found that people weren’t that willing to put money in the box, but they stopped talking badly about themselves,” Chapman said. “My sister’s laughing because she says it’s when she finds out it’s costing her money — but I think it’s about making her mindful. It may not have had a huge financial impact, but its changing things."

A Step Ahead has many repeat customers, girls who come in several times in search of the perfect dress or come back for each of their special occasions. The owners have been encouraged to see how they have grown more aware since the box first went out on the counter.

“A lot of the same girls [including the same one who inspired the box] — come in often, we’ll hear them saying 'Shh! Don’t say that!' to their friends,” Chapman laughed. “They’re a lot more careful."

That doesn’t mean negative self-talk doesn’t still happen in front of the dressing room mirror, but the owners are quick to correct it.

 “The minute we tell them, when we say 'You can't say that here!' — girls perk up, they stop condemning themselves,” Chapman said. “A lot of the mothers, even though they’re some of the worst offenders, were very approving. They thought it was a great idea.”

With the 2011 prom season behind them, A Step Ahead plans to keep the Self-Criticism Box out on their counter year-round.

 “We feel that it’s going to become an integral part of our store,” Chapman said.