As part of their Self Esteem project, Dove launched its latest campaign today that aims to further educate women about their inner beauty. The brand launched a first-of-its-kind social experiment conducted by Dove. Carried out in response to research revealing that an alarming 80 per cent of women feel anxious about the way they look, the study highlights how the right state of mind can unlock a powerful feeling of beauty that lives inside all women. The results are documented in the short film (shown below):
The experiment was guided by psychologist and best-selling author, Dr. Ann Kearney-Cooke (Ph.D., Counseling Psychology) who has spent thirty years conducting scientific research around women’s body image and self-esteem. During the experiment, Dr. Kearney-Cooke invited the participants to wear a custom-made “beauty patch” for two weeks, which would help them feel more beautiful. The women were asked to keep a personal account of their life-changing experience throughout the two week period. All participating women agreed that wearing the “beauty patch” helped to improve their self-esteem and to change their personal lives in ways that they had not imagined. At the end of the experiment, however, it is revealed that the “beauty patch” contained nothing and that the power of believing in their own beauty influenced feeling beautiful.
“When a woman feels beautiful, she radiates happiness and confidence, which inspires her life in a significant way,” said Dr. Kearney-Cooke. “These women, like so many others, struggle to recognize their own beauty and it severely affects their daily lives. This ground-breaking experiment was designed to illustrate that beauty is a state of mind and that the power to feel beautiful comes from within.”
“We hear from thousands of women every day about how their complicated relationship with beauty affects their overall confidence and happiness,” said Sharon MacLeod, Vice President, Unilever North America Personal Care, Dove Spokesperson. “By illustrating through the Dove: Patches film that a positive state of mind and openness can help them feel more beautiful, we hope to inspire all women and help change the way they see themselves.”
While creating the film, it became quite clear to the team how low self-esteem affects many elements of the women’s lives. As the women become more confident about the way they look, personal relationships flourish and they develop a more optimistic outlook on their daily routine. The Dove brand hopes that all of the women’s inspirational stories featured in the Dove: Patches film will serve as powerful examples and encourage all women to develop a stronger relationship with their own beauty.
