Katherine Schwarzenegger explains why all women should love their bodies

The child of one of the world’s most famous body builders might seem like an unlikely champion of body acceptance.

But Katherine Schwarzenegger, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 20-year-old daughter, recently released a book about self-esteem, titled “Rock What You’ve Got: Secrets to Loving Your Inner and Outer Beauty.”

“Beauty comes in all different shapes and sizes,” Schwarzenegger said Saturday at “Conversations on Beauty, Health & Wellness,” the daylong event sponsored by LA, Los Angeles Times Magazine. “There is no such thing as the perfect body.”

Schwarzenegger, who was recently named an ambassador for a Dove self-esteem campaign, explained to author and emcee Samantha Dunn that her attitude about body image was instilled in her at a young age by her famous parents (her mom is former NBC correspondent Maria Shriver). But over the years, she came to realize that not everyone heard the same messages she did.

“Only 2% of women in the world consider themselves to be beautiful,” she said, citing a statistic from her book. “Young girls compare themselves to images in magazines.”

In addition to doing her own research and learning from her mother, Schwarzenegger revealed that she also gets advice from the governor, who tells her to look for the positive in herself.

“We as women are so critical of ourselves,” she said. “We look in the mirror and we focus only on the things that we hate about our bodies. My dad taught me to build yourself up rather than tear yourself down.”

When Schwarzenegger mentioned that she could talk to her father about anything, Dunn was quick to clarify: “You talk to the Terminator about boyfriends?” she asked.

“I do,” said Schwarzenegger.

-- Jessica Pauline Ogilvie / Special to the Los Angeles Times