A furious mum has hit out a her daughter's school after they offered her free Spanx to help with body image.
Ashley Wells Heun was fuming to receive a letter from her daughter's school offering free body shape wear for all female students who are struggling with their self image.
The angry mum shared the letter on Facebook saying she was outraged the school seemed to be telling young girls about the importance of not feeling pressured into having the "perfect" body - but then giving out Spanx to help them 'look slimmer'.
Ashley's post was then shared to Twitter by Courtney Morgan who explained the letter had been given to Ashley's 8th grade daughter - who would be aged 13 to 14-years-old.
The mum, from Mississippi, shared a snap of the letter which said: "Girls are more likely than boys to have a negative body image. This may be because many women in the United States feel pressured to measure up to strict and unrealistic social-cultural beauty ideals, which can lead to a negative body image.
"Girls with a positive body image are more likely to have good physical and mental health.
"Girls with negative thoughts and feelings about their bodies are more likely to develop certain mental health conditions, such as eating disorders and depression," reports The Daily Star.
It went on to say that the school - Southaven Middle - wanted to "help our girls develop a healthier body image".
Then, the letter went on to offer shapewear, bras and other "health products" alongside "healthy literature" on maintaining a "positive body image".
Shapewear, often referred to as Spanx because it is the most well known brand - is tight fitting, elasticated underwear that helps to hold in the stomach, legs and bum and smooth out a woman's figure.
The shape wear tops and bottoms were offered to schoolgirls in sizes small to XXX-large.
Ashley said she was "beyond p****d at the school, saying: "So this is what my 8th grade daughter brought home from school today. I am beyond p***ed, though I'm not sure if I'm more p***ed at the fact they sent this home, or the very ignorance of the counsellors at the school.
"You begin this masterpiece by detailing how damaging a negative body image is for girls, and then OFFER TO GIVE THEM SPANX SO THEY CAN BETTER FIT THE PERCEIVED IMAGE?!? What. The. Very. F@$&.
"How in the hell are you promoting a positive body image by saying, 'Here, you're too fat. You need shapewear to make you look thinner.' Are you kidding me?"
The school also faced a barrage of criticism online from others pointing out that young girls shouldn't have to think about their body image.
Ashley added: "I had to read it a few more times, to make sure I was actually reading what I was actually reading.
"I mean, I was shocked, I was absolutely shocked. And honestly, I was angry.
"I have worked really hard to not project my own body images, my own negative body image, to my daughter. I've tried really hard not to bad mouth how I look in front of her, so that she would putting those words in her own head about herself."
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