Why Kourtney Kardashian Won’t Use the Word ‘Fat’ in Front of Her Daughter

If you're a fan of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, you won’t hear Kourtney Kardashian use the word "fat" in front of her daughter any time soon. In an interview for the October issue of Cosmopolitan, the mother of three said she tries to be careful about what she says around her children—Mason, 6, Penelope, 4, and Reign, 1—because she wants to protect them from developing insecurities about their bodies.

“There are so many conversations that we have without thinking the kids are listening,” Kardashian said. “I just don’t want to start getting anybody self-conscious. They say if a mother is confident about her body that the daughters are way more likely to not have eating disorders."

Research backs up the idea that a woman's own body image can have a powerful impact on her kids: A 2014 Australian study revealed that sons and daughters of moms with a current or past eating disorder were more likely to engage in emotional eating and have symptoms of eating disorders than other kids.

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Kardashian considers herself fairly body confident but, like all of us, she has her moments: “I'll notice little things," Kardashian said, and those judgments don't escape Penelope. "If I'm like, 'Ugh, I hate this outfit! I'm changing!' My daughter will try on tons of outfits before she's happy.”

While Penelope's copycat act is pretty darn adorable, it's also a powerful reminder that girls tend to adopt their mother's perspectives and patterns, which is why it's so important to model a body positive attitude, and ditch deeply ingrained self-critical habits. Vowing not to call yourself the 'F' word is a really good place to start.