Mama, am I beautiful?

This is something my 4 yr old daughter asks me on a daily basis. I always reply with "Yes, of course you are!" I am sad that she asks me this question so often. What has happened to her that made her doubt her beauty at such a young age? Is it because she watches too many "Princess" movies? Has someone at her preschool told her she was ugly? Did I do a bad thing by letting we watch me put on makeup? Or is it just a normal phase for a little girl to go through at this time?

She has been on a dress wearing kick for about 3 months now. She won't wear anything else but a dress and tights, and if I am lucky, I can convince her to wear a long sleeved shirt underneath. We have fought over this many times. And she broke my heart when she said, "If I don't wear a dress, I will not be beautiful!!" With tears in her eyes, I told her she could wear her dress. And then I sat her down and explained that she is beautiful not matter what she wears. What else can I do?

What happens when she is 13 and is worried about her body image? How can I balance telling she is beautiful every day and make sure she doesn't become selfish or too self involved?

I can only hope that it is a phase. I can only reassure her every day that she is beautiful. Because I believe with all of my heart, that she is.