ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., July 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- "I never saw myself as beautiful," says Kylee Howell, the subject of the latest film from Dove Real Beauty Productions, "because that was a word I only heard used to describe women who looked more traditional, who followed the 'rules.' Until recently, I didn't know that word applied to someone who looked like me." 

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Dove Real Beauty Productions and Creative Director Shonda Rhimes have come together to release a second film titled "Meet Kylee" to illustrate that many women cannot relate to traditional standards of feminine beauty. Since launching in March 2017, Dove Real Beauty Productions has aimed to shift the power of storytelling from Hollywood into the hands of real women to ensure all women and girls can see their #RealBeauty represented in media and culture. A 100% female crew joined Shonda Rhimes to create the new three-minute film following Kylee's journey to discovering her own beauty by bucking conventions and cutting her hair into a bold style that truly suits her.

"I spend my life writing women as we truly are – human.  That's why I'm proud to work with Dove Real Beauty Productions. We don't need to be told we can be smart or strong or flawed.  And we don't need to be told we come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. But we do need to see ourselves reflected that way," said Shonda Rhimes. "Every time you look at your screen and see a woman portrayed just as she is, sharing her humanity, being boldly herself, you are looking at someone beautiful. I thought of this when I met my new friend Kylee Howell.  Her beauty shines through in everything she is and everything she does. Which is why I was excited to work with her to bring her story to life in this new film."  

Meet Kylee
Living in a conventional town in Utah with a home that doubled as a beauty salon, Kylee grew up enveloped by traditional views of beauty. Kylee spent her adolescence feeling a disconnect between the femininity she saw around her and the styles she felt better represented who she was inside. In her 20s, Kylee decided to literally take beauty into her own hands. Kylee cut her hair daringly short for the first time and finally felt she was being true to herself with a style that expresses her #RealBeauty.

Kylee's Impact
74% of women believe more needs to be done to redefine beauty to be more inclusive.¹ Many gay and lesbian women feel excluded altogether – in fact, 3 out of 4 gay and lesbian women believe society suggests they do not care about their beauty.² Kylee was denied the short, barber-style haircut that made her feel most confident by beauty salons who didn't agree with her desired look. When she turned to barber shops, set was met with "men's only" signs in windows.  Wanting to spare others from these experiences, she created a safe space for herself and others in her community at Friar Tuck's Barbershop – a place where women can explore their own notions of beauty. At Friar Tuck's, Kylee gives more than haircuts; she listens to those who may feel ignored, and she cuts through beauty standards to reveal the #RealBeauty underneath.

"69% of women agree that they don't see themselves reflected in media and advertising – as a global beauty brand, we feel a responsibility to address this," says Nick Soukas Vice President of Marketing for Dove.³ "For 60 years, Dove has listened to and cared for real women like Kylee Howell, who boldly share their experiences with the hope that we can inspire women and girls everywhere to redefine beauty together." 

Dove has championed #RealBeauty since 1957 and, true to our pledge, the brand is committed to only feature real women, to never digitally alter their appearance, and to help the next generation develop a positive relationship with their beauty. Watch the full film "Meet Kylee" at Youtube.com/DoveUS and share it with the women and girls in your life – together, we can change the way women and girls are seen for the next 60 years.

Learn more about the campaign and share your #RealBeauty story at Dove.com/RealBeauty.

About Dove
Dove®, manufactured by Unilever, is the No. 1 dermatologist recommended personal wash brand nationwide. One in every three households uses a Dove® product, which includes beauty bars, body washes, face care, anti-perspirant/deodorants, hair care, styling aids and Dove® Men+Care™, developed specially for men.  Dove® is available nationwide in food, drug and mass outlet stores.

About Unilever United States, Inc.
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Food, Home Care, Personal Care and Refreshment products with sales in more than 190 countries and reaching 2.5 billion consumers a day. In the United States, the portfolio includes brand icons such as Axe, Ben & Jerry's, Breyers, Caress, Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy, Country Crock, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Dove, Good Humor, Hellmann's, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Magnum, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond's, Popsicle, Promise, Q-tips, Seventh Generation, Simple, St. Ives, Suave, Sir Kensington's, Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, TIGI, TONI&GUY, TRESemmé and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies.
Unilever employs approximately 8,000 people in the United States – generating more than $9 billion in sales in 2016.

The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan commits to:

• Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being by 2020.
• Halving the environmental impact of our products by 2030.
• Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020.

The USLP creates value by driving growth and trust, eliminating costs and reducing risks. The company's sustainable living brands are growing 50% faster than the rest of the business and delivered more than 60% of the company's growth in 2016.

Unilever was ranked number one in its sector in the 2016 Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In the FTSE4Good Index, it achieved the highest environmental score of 5. It led the list of Global Corporate Sustainability Leaders in the 2017 GlobeScan/SustainAbility annual survey for the seventh year running. Unilever has pledged to become carbon positive in its operations by 2030.
For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands visit: www.unileverusa.com 

¹ Dove Global Beauty and Confidence Report, 2016
² Dove Real Beauty Report: Examining Beauty Standards and Representation of Lesbian and Gay Women
³ Dove Global Beauty and Confidence Report, 2016

CONTACT:
Sherria Cotton / Edelman
917.344.4761
Sherria.Cotton@Edelman.com

SOURCE Dove