We have some major problems in the country. One of them is affecting us as women like never before. That problem is that somewhere, someone decided they get to define what real beauty is, and what they decided on was asinine.
Every once in a while you come across a person or an organization that will challenge asinine ideas like this, that company is Dove, and that person is me, campaigning for real beauty.
One of the most surprising emotions I had while reading Barrack Obama's book "Dreams From My Father" was when he described the self-hatred the black community had for themselves. How they hated their skin, their hair, their looks, they felt so ugly. This made me cry, because somehow an entire race, for generations was lied to, and it affected them to their core. And then I started to think about my race, my gender, and how we have fallen into the same trap. We have bought into the same lie. It makes me so angry that once again, the wrong people in leadership and the loudest voice is the most destructive and non-productive.
It's time for a revolution! It's time for a movement of self-love, self-acceptance, and a new definition of beauty. I call out the photographers to start capturing beauty in all sizes and colors. I call out to the advertising company, to start appealing to the majority of people, who look nothing like the people in your magazines and ads. I call out to the mothers...stop criticizing yourself in front of your daughters. Love yourself and accept yourself and your daughters will follow suit. I call out to the fathers, tell your daughters how amazing they are every day, and tell them you are captured by their beauty!
I included an article from Dove's website at the bottom of this page. It is very enlightening and very informative. Dove's website has an action plan for those who want to get involved in this cause. I encourage you to spread the word, start talking about it in your circles of influence. Use your voice to change and shape our culture. We can make a difference, and we will.
www.campaignforrealbeauty.com
Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem
Commissioned: June 2008
Key Findings:
Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem, commissioned by the Dove® Self-
Esteem Fund, reveals that there is a self-esteem crisis in this country that pervades every aspect of a girl’s life
including her looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members
• Seven in ten girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including
their looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members
• 62% of all girls feel insecure or not sure of themselves
• 57% of all girls have a mother who criticizes her own looks
• More than half (57%) of all girls say they don’t always tell their parents certain things about
them because they don’t want them to think badly of them
• The top wish among all girls is for their parents to communicate better with them, which
includes more frequent and open conversations about what is happening in their own lives
• Reality vs. Perception: Low self-esteem significantly impacts girls’ overall feelings about their own
beauty
• 71% of girls with low self-esteem feel their appearance does not measure up, including not feeling
pretty enough, thin enough or stylish or trendy enough (compared to 29% of girls with high self-esteem)
• 78% of girls with low self-esteem admit that it is hard to feel good in school when you do not feel good
about how you look (compared to 54% of girls with high self-esteem)
• A girl’s self-esteem is more strongly related to how she views her own body shape and body
weight, than how much she actually weighs
• Girls with low self-esteem are significantly more likely to engage in negative behaviors
• 75% of girls with low self-esteem reported engaging in negative activities such as disordered eating,
cutting, bullying, smoking, or drinking when feeling badly about themselves (Compared to 25% of
girls with high self-esteem)
• 61% of teen girls with low self-esteem admit to talking badly about themselves (Compared to 15%
of girls with high self-esteem)
• 25% of teen girls with low self-esteem resort to injuring themselves on purpose or cutting when
feeling badly about themselves (Compared to 4% of girls with high self-esteem)
• 25% of teen girls with low self-esteem practice disordered eating, such as starving themselves,
refusing to eat, or over-eating and throwing up when feeling badly about themselves (Compared to
• 7% of girls with high self-esteem)
• The self-esteem tipping point: Transition to teenage years results in loss of trust and
communication with adults
• 67% of girls ages 13 – 17 turn to their mother as a resource when feeling badly about themselves
compared to 91% of girls ages 8 – 12
• Only 27% of girls ages 13 – 17 will turn to their father for help when feeling badly about themselves
compared to the 54% of girls ages 8-12. (At 16, girls become more likely to seek support from male
peers than from their own dads)
• 65% of girls ages 13 – 17 refrain from telling their parents certain things about themselves to
prevent parents from thinking badly about them, compared to the 49% of girls ages 8 – 12
• Parents’ words and actions play a pivotal role fostering positive self-esteem in girls
• Girls with low self-esteem are less likely to receive praise from either parent and more likely to
receive criticism than girls with high self-esteem
• More than one-third (34%) of girls with low self-esteem believe that they are not a good enough
daughter (Compared to 9% of girls with high self-esteem)
• 93% of girls with low self-esteem want their parents to change their behavior towards them in at
least one way (Compared to 73% for girls with high self-esteem)
This includes:
• Wishing to be understood better (Low: 60%, High: 14%)
• Being listened to more (Low: 52%, High: 18%)
• Spending more time with them (Low: 43%, High: 15%)
About Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem
Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self Esteem, commissioned by the Dove Self-Esteem Fund, was
conducted online among 1,029 girls 8 – 17, and is representative of the U.S. based on census indicators (region, ethnicity and parental
education.) An additional 3,344 girls 8 – 17 were surveyed in a targeted study that was conducted in 20 major U.S. cities representative
of each DMA based on ethnicity and parental education. The research was conducted by StrategyOne, an applied research consulting
firm, in collaboration with Ann Kearney-Cooke, PhD.
Methodology: Interviews averaged 15 minutes and were conducted between May 6 and May 28, 2008 using the online field services of
ResearchNow.
About the Dove Self-Esteem Awareness Measurement
The Dove Self-Esteem Awareness Measurement was developed to provide an indicator of self-esteem encompassing an overall sense
of self-acceptance, confidence and emotional orientation among American girls. Each girl surveyed was assigned a score based on
how she rated herself in each of these areas. Based on their individual scores, girls were classified into three groups: high, average and
low self-esteem. The high self-esteem group was comprised of girls whose scores fell within the top third of the distribution, the average
self-esteem group included girls whose scores fell within the middle third of the distribution and the low self-esteem group included girls
whose scores fell within the bottom third of the distribution.
About Dove
The Dove mission is to make women feel more beautiful every day by challenging today's stereotypical view of beauty and inspiring
women to take great care of themselves. Dove, manufactured by Unilever, is the No. 1 personal wash brand nationwide. One in every
three households uses a Dove product,1 which includes beauty bars, body washes, face care, anti-perspirant/deodorants, body mists,
hair care and styling aids. Dove is available nationwide in food, drug and mass outlet stores.
1
AC Nielsen (2004)
Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem
Commissioned: June 2008
Key Findings:
Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem, commissioned by the Dove® Self-
Esteem Fund, reveals that there is a self-esteem crisis in this country that pervades every aspect of a girl’s life
including her looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members
• Seven in ten girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including
their looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members
• 62% of all girls feel insecure or not sure of themselves
• 57% of all girls have a mother who criticizes her own looks
• More than half (57%) of all girls say they don’t always tell their parents certain things about
them because they don’t want them to think badly of them
• The top wish among all girls is for their parents to communicate better with them, which
includes more frequent and open conversations about what is happening in their own lives
• Reality vs. Perception: Low self-esteem significantly impacts girls’ overall feelings about their own
beauty
• 71% of girls with low self-esteem feel their appearance does not measure up, including not feeling
pretty enough, thin enough or stylish or trendy enough (compared to 29% of girls with high self-esteem)
• 78% of girls with low self-esteem admit that it is hard to feel good in school when you do not feel good
about how you look (compared to 54% of girls with high self-esteem)
• A girl’s self-esteem is more strongly related to how she views her own body shape and body
weight, than how much she actually weighs
• Girls with low self-esteem are significantly more likely to engage in negative behaviors
• 75% of girls with low self-esteem reported engaging in negative activities such as disordered eating,
cutting, bullying, smoking, or drinking when feeling badly about themselves (Compared to 25% of
girls with high self-esteem)
• 61% of teen girls with low self-esteem admit to talking badly about themselves (Compared to 15%
of girls with high self-esteem)
• 25% of teen girls with low self-esteem resort to injuring themselves on purpose or cutting when
feeling badly about themselves (Compared to 4% of girls with high self-esteem)
• 25% of teen girls with low self-esteem practice disordered eating, such as starving themselves,
refusing to eat, or over-eating and throwing up when feeling badly about themselves (Compared to
• 7% of girls with high self-esteem)
• The self-esteem tipping point: Transition to teenage years results in loss of trust and
communication with adults
• 67% of girls ages 13 – 17 turn to their mother as a resource when feeling badly about themselves
compared to 91% of girls ages 8 – 12
• Only 27% of girls ages 13 – 17 will turn to their father for help when feeling badly about themselves
compared to the 54% of girls ages 8-12. (At 16, girls become more likely to seek support from male
peers than from their own dads)
• 65% of girls ages 13 – 17 refrain from telling their parents certain things about themselves to
prevent parents from thinking badly about them, compared to the 49% of girls ages 8 – 12
• Parents’ words and actions play a pivotal role fostering positive self-esteem in girls
• Girls with low self-esteem are less likely to receive praise from either parent and more likely to
receive criticism than girls with high self-esteem
• More than one-third (34%) of girls with low self-esteem believe that they are not a good enough
daughter (Compared to 9% of girls with high self-esteem)
• 93% of girls with low self-esteem want their parents to change their behavior towards them in at
least one way (Compared to 73% for girls with high self-esteem)
This includes:
• Wishing to be understood better (Low: 60%, High: 14%)
• Being listened to more (Low: 52%, High: 18%)
• Spending more time with them (Low: 43%, High: 15%)
About Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem
Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self Esteem, commissioned by the Dove Self-Esteem Fund, was
conducted online among 1,029 girls 8 – 17, and is representative of the U.S. based on census indicators (region, ethnicity and parental
education.) An additional 3,344 girls 8 – 17 were surveyed in a targeted study that was conducted in 20 major U.S. cities representative
of each DMA based on ethnicity and parental education. The research was conducted by StrategyOne, an applied research consulting
firm, in collaboration with Ann Kearney-Cooke, PhD.
Methodology: Interviews averaged 15 minutes and were conducted between May 6 and May 28, 2008 using the online field services of
ResearchNow.
About the Dove Self-Esteem Awareness Measurement
The Dove Self-Esteem Awareness Measurement was developed to provide an indicator of self-esteem encompassing an overall sense
of self-acceptance, confidence and emotional orientation among American girls. Each girl surveyed was assigned a score based on
how she rated herself in each of these areas. Based on their individual scores, girls were classified into three groups: high, average and
low self-esteem. The high self-esteem group was comprised of girls whose scores fell within the top third of the distribution, the average
self-esteem group included girls whose scores fell within the middle third of the distribution and the low self-esteem group included girls
whose scores fell within the bottom third of the distribution.
About Dove
The Dove mission is to make women feel more beautiful every day by challenging today's stereotypical view of beauty and inspiring
women to take great care of themselves. Dove, manufactured by Unilever, is the No. 1 personal wash brand nationwide. One in every
three households uses a Dove product,1 which includes beauty bars, body washes, face care, anti-perspirant/deodorants, body mists,
hair care and styling aids. Dove is available nationwide in food, drug and mass outlet stores.
1
AC Nielsen (2004)
No comments:
Post a Comment