There is no "wait til you're older" about this message. Because these days I focus on the older cohort, that was the point of the article- however, these were the women who modeled behavior for their daughters, which taught their daughters to be insecure about their bodies ( along with plenty of help from the patriarchy). So of course that's the implicit message. Finding a way to be one's best friend and ally is very easy to say, and can be for many very hard to do, especially for older women who have lived those lies all their lives.

Also right up front I state "We never did." That was a very clear statement that this statement applies to us all the time, all our lives.

We live in a world which blithely says "love yourself," with the implicit message that if you don't then you are faulty. All that does is underscore the judgement and put self-hate on steroids. I don't take issue with your point. I do indeed take issue with what comes across as (all you have to do) is "be your very own best friend etc." It's vastly more complex and difficult than that. Such simplistic memes are what add to the problem. It can take years, decades to reach any kind of self-acceptance, depending on one's upbringing.