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Real Beauty Catches On

Posted: January 9, 2015, 1:11 p.m.
by Jean Faircloth.

Kudos to Dove as it celebrates a decade of success in its determination to empower women through its Campaign for Real Beauty! There has been a domino effect of companies wanting to take part in celebrating the “real beauty” of women.

How did it begin?
Dove found in a 2004 worldwide study that only 2 percent of women around the world described themselves as beautiful. Dove states, “The goal of the campaign was, and is, to celebrate the differences in women’s bodies and inspire women to be comfortable in their own skin.”

The study showed that many young girls lose much of their confidence during the time of puberty. This change in confidence does not only impact young women as they complete their school years, but it also affects their drive and determination in entering the workforce.

The Campaign for Real Beauty has been wildly successful by not only creating such a strong brand loyalty in celebration of its honesty and humility to women, but also because its mission to redefine the negative self-portrayal of women is catching on with other companies.

From Always’ #LikeaGirl to Pantene’s #ShineStrong  and #NotSorry to GoldieBlox’s The Princess Machine and Under Armour’s #IWillWhatIWant, women are given outlets to boost their inner confidence.

Let’s expand
This past summer, Proctor & Gamble’s Always brand posed the question of what doing something “like a girl” actually entails. It completed a social experiment this past year that confirmed many girls lose confidence during puberty.

Always created this video and invited girls and women around the world to share what they do #LikeaGirl. This trending hashtag would hopefully create a continued conversation.

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You throw like a girl…
You run like a girl…
You fight like a girl…

 

In the video, men, women and young boys are asked to act out the phrases such as “run like a girl” or “fight like a girl.” The stereotypical reaction of flimsy arms swinging, prissy stomps and silly facial expressions are the immediate impersonations.

Then the same question is posed to young girls. It is inspiring to watch as they do not hesitate. They quickly move their feet with determination and model the athletic stance. When asked, “What does it mean to run like a girl?”, their answer is to run as fast as they can. These young girls are confident.

But why does it suddenly change with puberty? Girls are trying to decide who they want to be, and many fall for the false idea that they must fulfill the stereotype to be weak. Always concludes the video by asking if “like a girl” can be a positive description.

Women across the globe are inspired as they watch this video and answer to themselves:
Yes, I can do this, and I am proud to do it like a girl!

Everyone has an opinion
Some have had negative responses to the Dove’s beauty campaign because they believe that it places too much importance on beauty in judging women. Dove wanted to create a conversation, and the buzz from these campaigns are simply undeniable.

So, whether it is the success in the created buzz or the empowering mission of all companies working together to change the stereotypes, companies are catching on and taking part as women are buying the products.

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