While Dove has been behind a “movement” to help women feel better about themselves since 2004, new global research from the Unilever-owned brand suggests there is still lots of work to be done.
The Real Truth About Beauty, a follow-up to similar research conducted in 2004, explores the key issues shaping the development of self-esteem in girls and the relationship women have with their own beauty.
This time out, Dove included pre teens in its research, says Sharon MacLeod, brand director for Dove Canada. The brand wants to look more closely at the pressures that are facing girls as they grow up, and what prevents them from participating in every day social activities, she says.
The research found that by the age of 14 more than half (55%) of Canadian girls already feel pressure to be beautiful. By the time they are 29, this number increases to 96%.
While 13% of Canadian girls (10-14) are comfortable calling themselves “beautiful,” only 6% of girls 15-17 and 3% of women 18-64 feel confident doing the same.
Additionally, 47% of Canadian girls between the ages of 10 and 17 have avoided social activities or giving an opinion because they feel badly about the way they look.
Even as Dove continues its efforts to change perceptions of beauty in advertising, Canadian girls cite media as their main source of pressure to be beautiful.
However, they are more aware than their American counterparts when it comes to the use of air-brushing and digital re-touching. According to the research, 71% of Canadian girls are aware that images of women in the media are digitally enhanced, compared to 58% of American girls.
This is the fourth global study conducted on behalf of Dove since launching the “Campaign for Real Beauty” seven years ago, and supports the work of the Dove Self-Esteem Fund and the Dove Movement for Self-Esteem.
While the research won’t be utilized for marketing purposes, it will be applied to the tools and resources used by teachers, mothers and mentors as part of the Fund, says MacLeod.
MacLeod will share additional findings from the 2010 Real Truth About Beauty global research and explain how the brand continues to use the “Real Beauty” platform to engage female consumers at Marketing’s Marketing to Women Conference.
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