Dove spotlights women's achievements, not their looks, in new ad
It's a struggle many women can relate to: being judged for how they look, rather than who they are.
That's the focus of Dove's new campaign, which profiles nine real women and their experiences. The campaign, called #mybeautymysay, was created to inspire women of all ages, shapes and colors to elevate their self-image beyond physical appearance.
“Somewhere along the way, it has become the norm to judge women based on their appearance,” Jennifer Bremner, director of marketing at Dove, said in a statement.
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“Instead, her beauty should be celebrated on her terms. We want women to challenge this behavior that has unfortunately become commonplace in our society. We are giving all women a platform to speak out and join us to change the conversation.”
According to a study conducted by Dove Hair and Edelman Intelligence, seven out of 10 women say they receive compliments on their looks rather than their accomplishments.
That perspective is what every woman in the film has overcome. Although they are from different backgrounds and in different fields -- among them are a boxer, a blogger, a lawyer, and a model -- each has struggled with being told they couldn't accomplish something because of their physical appearance.
"They said I was too pretty to fight," says Heather, a professional kickboxer. "You're going to mess up that beautiful face."
"They said my nose was too prominent," says Grace, a burlesque dancer.
"They said I was too masculine, boyish and ugly," says Rain, a New York-based model.
The film describes how each woman has empowered herself to transcend the stigmas held against them.
“Now is the most important time to communicate the #MyBeautyMySay message because this is the time where we can be a force of change and be more inclusive moving forward," Rain told Mashable. "We are the generation that is going to raise the next generation of politicians and marketers so right now it’s important that people are more open than ever before. We can raise the next generation to not hate themselves and ensure that there’s a better future for people everywhere."
It's uplifting to see how these women are transcending their looks and defining themselves not by what they look like, but what they do. And we stand by that.
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Topics Beauty
David joined the Mashable team as its first fashion hire. He's written for the Wall Street Journal, Elle, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire, Details, Nylon, Refinery29, Fashionista, and covered the men's market at Women's Wear Daily. David has appeared on E!, Vh1, the Style network, and was a stylist at Capitol records.
