Girls today are fixating on their flaws, causing them to belittle themselves and even take destructive action. The onslaught of messages and images they constantly receive sets an unrealistic standard of beauty. The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty ispartnering with the entertainment industry to address this issue by giving girls a reality check educating them about what images are real versus Hollywood magic. This global program is especially relevant as girls today are measuring themselves against impossible beauty ideals.
The new campaign was developed to help girls realize what they see in movies and magazines represents an unrealistic standard of beauty, not an everyday achievable look. As part of its commitment to build self-esteem in girls, the Dove Self-Esteem Fund is sponsoring self-esteem building workshops with inspirational celebrities and new online tools in an effort to educate moms, mentors and girls. The program also features "Onslaught,"an attention- grabbing viral film that dramatizes the barrage of images and messages girls constantly face. As with all Dove Campaigns, the impetus for the program is grounded in startling new research about the factors that influence girls' body image.
Girls Fixate on Flaws, Self-Esteem Suffers
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According to a recent survey conducted by the Dove Self-Esteem Fund and Seventeen magazine, more than four in 10 girls and young women only see their flaws when they look in the mirror. This is not surprising considering more than half of girls and young women say they get ideas for the way they want their bodies to look from celebrities and media, and 56 percent of girls and young women believe celebrities tend to have perfect bodies.
"Girls are increasingly looking to celebrities as their role models because they are widely celebrated in media and society," commented Ann Kearney-Cooke, Ph.D., licensed psychologist and distinguished scholar for the Partnership for Women's Health at Columbia University. "Girls take away the message that these images represent a societal norm, and as a result punish themselves for not living up to impossible beauty ideals. The cycle continues to intensify as these perceived flawless images further inundate their world in overwhelming quantities."
Images Surround Girls
Girls are being besieged with all types of media in nearly every corner of their lives:
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Comments
#1 Self-esteem Activities
Good stuff! I’m gonna try these self esteem activities every once in a while..Thanks!
http://www.selfmademiracle.com/self-confidence/self-esteem-activities-how-do-you-gain-self-esteem-for-free/
#2 The Dove Campaign
I think that what Dove is doing is great! So many girls will see that it is okay to be themselves instead of trying to be someone else all the time. The way they portray "beauty" in the media is rediculous more things should be done to change it
Ariel, PA
#3 Remember when?
Remember when Marilyn Monroe was the epitope of beauty? By today's standards she would be considered fat. She wore a size 8, which today would be numbered a size 14. These skinny girls on television and in the movies are hurting everyone.
#4Re: Remember when?
The problem is not that the standard has changed, it is that there is one standard and one size to fit all. If I was living in the fifties I would probably be worrying about my figure for different reasons.
I'm tall, naturally slim and no matter what I do I will never have Marilyn Monroe's breasts or figure. I just don't have that build. Instead of my weight I many other issues with my appearance. It's nearly impossible for one woman to have everything according to the standard of the day, no matter what that standard is.
What we need is some more variation in the natural builds and facial features of those in prominence.
#5 Why do they act this way?
I think that if the television people would quite showing half-naked girls who look almost perfect then young girls wouldn't have to feel the way they do.
Julia Farmer Hardin, Mt.
#6 Re: Why do they act this way?
THANK YOU! this is the story of my life! everyday i see an ad for porn or a movie with naked women everywhere and my insecurities are becoming extremely out of control. Especially sitting in a theater with my boyfriend or trying to watch a movie together and then it turns out to be a porn movie(because now every movie has a sex scene or half naked women or a lesbian scene in it). Honestly, why can;t it just be kept on the internet for people who search for it. That way people can choose to see a nude person or not... instead of it being shoved in our faces every single second of our lives. It's annoying not to be able to watch a decent movie with my family because every movie has a sex scene or nudity,