Ten-year-old Anetta Harris used to think everyone who looked her way was thinking something bad about her.

“I used to think people were talking about me and it made me feel bad,” she said.

Jala Williams experienced some of the same things at school.

“Boys used to talk about the girls in my class saying mean and nasty things. It makes me so mad and ready to fight back,” she said.

Young girls today face many obstacles in maintaining confidence and a positive attitude. Harris and Williams are just like many of the girls who attended the Girl Scouts of Metro Detroit’s “Photographing Real Beauty” camp.

The five-day camp, which took place July 7-11, focused on health, style and self-esteem. The girls also got a chance to learn about the basics of camera use and photo manipulation while visiting the photography studio of Michelle Smith in Redford. There they were shown how many stars look picture perfect in many of their photos. They learned that photos can be digitally enhanced to make a person look better.

“The purpose of this program is to help the girls feel better about themselves,” said Marsha Mack-Smith, program director of “Photographing Real Beauty.” “We want to teach them how to not let other people negatively effect how they feel about themselves.”

Along with learning how to combat the emotional and mental side of low self-esteem, the girls learned other techniques and exercises to make them feel more confident. They learned fun ways to exercise and get in shape by doing aerobics and were taught how to eat healthier.

The Girl Scouts also made journal entries. allowing them to write their experiences from the camp. The book, “Uniquely Me: The Way to Be!” was created to combat negativity at home, school, in the community and the media.

The camp is a part of the Girl Scouts “Uniquely Me” campaign and was funded by a grant through the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. The campaign was designed to create positive self-esteem for girls 8-17. The Girl Scouts of Metro Detroit is the largest mentor of girls in metro Detroit. The Girl Scout experience empowers young women to discover, connect and take action through activities and cooperative learning.