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If any of us look back at our pubescent and teenage years, we’ll all remember how self-conscious we felt at one time or another. As young, impressionable girls we were liable to notice every aspect of ourselves; especially what we didn’t like. We wanted to be either taller or faster, have curly hair or shiny blonde locks and cover up those freckles – the list was endless, and the pressure got worse when school came around. Suddenly, there was competition and a need (for most of us) to fit in with whatever was deemed fashionable at the time. Who else remembers crying because the spots just kept multiplying or lamenting that they would never be the first choice on the sports team? All these things, the things that make us uniquely beautiful, go unappreciated as we battle our hormones and begin growing up.
A new campaign by Dove wants to help change all that. According to research girls as young as 10 feel beauty anxiety, and nine out of 10 girls want to change at least one thing about their physical appearance. Unrealistic expectations of what people “should” look like are embedded into our brains as soon as we’re old enough to pick up a magazine or flip on the TV and thanks to the social media explosion, this is more apparent than ever.
And while these kinds of insecurities may not necessarily disappear as we get older, Dove is attempting to nip the issue in the bud with its latest Self-Esteem Project initiative. The brand has created a Pinterest page filled with inspiring advice and imagery to help young girls feel better about the skin they’re in and boost their self-esteem.
In addition, they’ve also created their ‘Change One Thing’ advert which highlights the increasing pressure girls feel to change themselves. Dove are hoping to change this via campaign awareness and the video should resonate with more than a few ladies.
Watch it above and feel free to spread its empowering message.