I love Dove products. But, what makes me a loyal fan of the brand is their stance on beauty and the impact of media on the self esteem of women and girls. A few years back they made a splash with their ad campaign featuring real women. Imagine that – the figures of real women in their undies was so shocking. And it wasn’t their state of undress that was shocking – it was that they weren’t anorexic stick figures! Yes, real women have curves. Dove made an statement that all women are beautiful, no matter their size: A statement that resonated and has empowered women to feel comfortable in their own skin.

Stills from the Dove Under Pressure Film

Now, they are taking their message down to women-in-the-making – young girls when they are at their most impressionable. I saw their most recent commercial, Under Pressure, and it really hit a chord. Girls are bombarded with media that tells them what is “beautiful.” I remember when I was a girl, I hated the way I looked because I was so different from the standard of “beauty” back in the hey day of Christy Brinkley. I had brown eyes and dark, curly hair – a very far cry from the crystal blue eyes and long, straight blonde hair of my Barbie doll that I looked up to as the epitome of beauty.

Dove is trying to educate girls (or rather, counter-educate them) about what beauty is and how to improve self esteem. They’ve partnered with the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A, Step Up Women’s Network and other organizations to create programs to raise self-esteem in young women. When you buy Dove products, you’re helping with the Dove Self-Esteem fund create programs and resources for young girls and to reach the targeted 5 million girls by the year 2010. I find their approach refreshing, and much needed, especially at the rate that we are exposed to media. I hope that more companies will follow Dove’s lead.

You can view Under Pressure here and there are a few more great videos about our distorted view of beauty after the jump.
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