Dove® Launches Unprecedented Movement to Make Beauty a Source of Confidence, Not Anxiety

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- When girls feel bad about their looks, 70 percent disconnect from life—avoiding normal daily activities like attending school or even giving their opinion—which can put their dreams on hold, and jeopardize their potential as future leaders, decision makers, and role models.(1) The Dove brand believes beauty should be a source of confidence, not anxiety, which is why the Dove brand is bringing together the nation's most influential women, and girls' organizations to launch the Dove Movement for Self-Esteem. Everyone can make a difference in a young girl's self-esteem, and this new initiative invites all women to inspire and encourage the next generation to reach their full potential. Katie Couric, Lea Michele, and newly appointed Dove Movement for Self-Esteem Youth Ambassador, Katherine Schwarzenegger, are among those influential women showing their support by sharing their messages of inspiration. Women have many opportunities to get involved, including the Dove Self-Esteem Weekend (October 22-24), by taking simple actions that build self-esteem in young girls.

Dove started a global conversation about the need for a wider definition of beauty with the Campaign for Real Beauty. The Dove Movement for Self-Esteem sets out a bold new vision for the brand, and provides women everywhere with opportunities to mentor the next generation and celebrate real beauty.

"Dove is committed to inspiring all women, and girls to reach their full potential by caring for themselves, and each other," said Rob Candelino, Marketing Director, Dove U.S., Unilever. "The Dove Movement for Self-Esteem invites all women to join us in making our vision a reality by encouraging girls to build a positive relationship with beauty."

Inspire a Girl, Change Her World: Everyone has the Opportunity to Make a Difference

There are many ways for women to make a difference in a young girl's life.  It could be as simple as sending a word of encouragement to a girl, spending an hour on a self-esteem building activity, or supporting self-esteem education in her town.

• Watch our vision and share with others: The new Dove short film, A New Vision, showcases how we can all help to build self-esteem in the people we love the most.
• Share an inspiring message: Dove is inviting women to kick off the movement by sharing their inspiring message with the next generation, and simply answering the question: What do you wish you had known at 13? Dove has gathered some of the nation's most influential women to answer this question, and will share these messages as a source of inspiration for women and girls everywhere in the weeks leading up to the Dove Self-Esteem Weekend. Among the first to share their words of inspiration are:
  • Katie Couric: "Confidence is about the road to competence. The experience that comes from hard work results in confidence at the end of the road. But also have the confidence to know you'll be able to cope with whatever falls in your path on the journey to your ultimate goal."
  • Lea Michele: "Be proud of who you are. Don't ever feel the need to conform to look or act like anyone other than yourself to fit in. Love the person you are no matter what color, shape, or size you are. It's the things that make you unique that are the best and most fun."
  • Katherine Schwarzenegger: "I knew that beauty starts on the inside and confidence is key, but believing it and acting on it was something I didn't know how to do. I wish I'd known at 13 that nobody else is noticing all the nit-picky things that you feel so self-conscious about. If I could go back, I would tell my 13-year old self that, no matter what size or shape you are, you have to own it. In essence, you've got to rock what you've got!"
• Join us for the Dove Self-Esteem Weekend, October 22-24: Dove encourages women everywhere to commit to spending one hour on a self-esteem building activity with a girl in their lives during the Dove Self-Esteem Weekend. One hour spent engaging a girl in a conversation about self-esteem is a meaningful start to help change her perception of herself and ultimately form a positive relationship with beauty. Women can show how amazing things can happen when we all come together by registering their weekend activities on the interactive Dove Self-Esteem Weekend Map on dovemovement.com. The map will serve as a visual representation of support for this cause, and can also be used to locate activities open to the public. There are multiple ways to get involved:
  • Our national partners - Girl Scouts of the USA, The Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Girls, Inc. are hosting public events all over the country.
  • Local girls' organizations can download free tools and register their own public or private self-esteem building events.
  • Individuals can download free tools and activities and spend an hour making a difference with a girl in their life. Women can also show their support and get involved at facebook.com/dove, Meetup.com, and Twitter through the hashtag #dovedifference or by following @Dove.

Inspirational and educational tools for improving self-esteem in girls can be found at dovemovement.com. These free, downloadable resources include scrapbooking projects, suggested reading with discussion questions and an online self-esteem workshop video series.

"If you spend the time helping a girl build a positive relationship with beauty, identifying her strengths, and creating an open and supportive dialogue, you really can make a world of difference," said Jess Weiner, Dove Global Self-Esteem Ambassador. "The Dove Self-Esteem Weekend is an opportunity for all women across the country to get involved and be part of a movement that promises to open up a world of possibilities for the next generation."  

The Women's Conference

The Dove Self-Esteem Weekend will culminate at the Women's Conference, October 24-26, hosted by First Lady of California Maria Shriver. During the conference, Dove will host a panel discussion on mentorship, self-esteem and real beauty with celebrity panelists Jessica Simpson, Gayle King, Lisa Leslie, Jess Weiner, and Katherine Schwarzenegger in her new role as Dove Movement for Self-Esteem Youth Ambassador. Katherine became aware of how prevalent the issue of body image is for young girls in America while interning for the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. The experience inspired her to write her new book, "ROCK WHAT YOU'VE GOT: Secrets to Loving Your Inner and Outer Beauty from Someone Who's Been There and Back," which guides young girls through their turbulent teens to womanhood, while encouraging them to love their bodies, love themselves, and stay healthy. The Women's Conference shares Dove's commitment to inspiring all women to become agents of change in their lives, and provides a unique opportunity to invite delegates from across the country to become role models for young women and girls in their own community.

About Dove

Dove, manufactured by Unilever, is the No. 1 personal wash brand nationwide. One in every three households uses a Dove product(2), which includes beauty bars, body washes, anti-perspirant/deodorants, body mists, hair care and styling aids. Dove Men+Care™ is the newest range of products from Dove, developed specially for men. Dove is available nationwide in food, drug and mass outlet stores. Dove is committed to inspiring all women and girls to reach their full potential by caring for themselves and each other. The Dove Movement for Self-Esteem invites all women to join the brand in creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. For more information visit www.dove.com, www.dovemovement.com or www.facebook.com/dove

About Unilever North America

Unilever works to create a better future every day. We help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others. Each day, around the world, we serve over two billion consumers. In the United States, Canada and the Greater Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico) the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Becel, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Blue Band, Breyers, Caress, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Hellmann's, Klondike, Knorr, Lipton, Omo, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Suave, Sunsilk and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more than 13,000 people across North America – generating nearly $10 billion in sales in 2009. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com, www.unilever.ca, or www.unilevercaribbean.com.

(1)  Dove Research: Rebuilding the Foundation of Beauty Beliefs

(2)  AC Nielsen (2004)

SOURCE Dove