“You’re too fat”
“Why don’t you diet?”
“You’re too short”
“Why don’t you eat something”
“You’re too dark”
“Why don’t you do something about that acne?”
“Hey, use this oil for better hair”
“Your skin’s too dry”
“You got to reduce that fat off your waist”
“Oh! Wipe that grease off your oily face”
“Those dark circles are showing, don’t you even sleep?”
.
And the list of people commenting on appearance is never ending. This issue is further intensified and encouraged by the beauty standards set by fashion enthusiasts, magazines and most importantly Social Media.
DOVE – A brand that’s about ‘Real Beauty’ & ‘Self Confidence’
Dove, from the house of Unilever, is well known for its skin and hair care products. What has set them apart from a sea of thousands of other skin and hair care companies is their vision and their realistic approach to beauty. Over the years, Dove’s advertising campaigns have made their philosophy and vision clear. From selecting women of every size, age, and ethnicity as their faces over industry-approved models to narrating real-life stories, Dove has always promoted the idea of confidence, beauty, and comfort within oneself.
The Cost of Beauty : A Short Film
In 2004, Dove launched “The Self-Esteem Project“. The main aim behind the project was to alter how young girls perceive beauty by promoting self-esteem and positive body image.
This April, they released the short film “The Cost of Beauty” as part of this project.
What’s the idea behind the film?
The main idea behind the short film is to bring attention to how social media is affecting the mental health of teens and young women by promoting toxic beauty standards.
How did DOVE make the idea impactful?
Dove’s short film was developed by Oglivy in collaboration with the National Alliance for Eating Disorders and Project HEAL.
They brought to light the well-documented real-life story of Mary, a girl who suffered from an eating disorder, thanks to the social media content she consumed in order to look textbook beautiful. In addition to Mary, Dove shared glimpses of the stories of a lot of other teen girls who fell victim to the toxic beauty trap and suffered from various other issues like depression, self-harm, anxiety, and body dysmorphia.
Five Things that made the Film a Total Winner
- The challenge of Appearance Hate and Discrimination related to it brought to light by Dove is well-known to all but mostly ignored. It is actually urgent that the matter receive attention and be taken seriously. This movie served as a wake-up call because there are so many cases of recently discovered ailments, including depression, trauma, and disorders, that have no effective treatment or cure.
- The song – You are so beautiful by Joe Cocker and sung by artist that goes by the name Self-Esteem, lightly being played in the background as well as Mary’s mother soulfully singing for her daughter stirred up strong emotions of the viewers in all the right ways.
- The real life documentation of Mary’s childhood – starting with her cute childhood pictures and videos followed by her 12th birthday celebration when she finally receives a phone as a gift which turned out to be the villain in her hero’s journey. Mary watching tik-toks and videos of influencers promoting unrealistic beauty like extremely slim waist and thighs, writing down about her weight, exercising and eating habits in her diary and calling herself ugly by comparing it with everything shown on social media is the story of so many teens around the globe.
- Further, Dove made sure to share pictures of other teens who succumbed to a similar trap and were diagnosed with multiple other ailments, making the story even more of an eye-opener.
- Lastly, a simple and impactful message of Social Media harming 1 in 2 kids stated clearly makes the purpose even more clear.
“TRUTH, HONESTY, and AUTHENTICITY” were the main factors that contributed to the film’s success, as evidenced by its millions of views across various platforms.
The cost of toxic beauty standards is unbelievably high, and it’s not restricted to just money. Sacrificing mental health, happiness, and lives is not worth anything. It’s time to bring about a real change.
Check out more about the film here.
ALSO READ : 23 Things to be Mindful of This Year for a year with a Better Mental Health.