Dove’s #MyBeautyMySay Campaign Wants Us to Embrace Our So-Called Flaws

Dove has encouraged us to love our hair — curly and otherwise — change the way we talk and tweet about our bodies and now, in its latest #MyBeautyMySay campaign, the beauty brand wants women to rise above the stereotypes and criticism we attract solely based on our appearance.

The campaign sticks to Dove Self-Esteem Project’s tried and true formula: gather a group of diverse women who’ve overcome the barrier in question and share their success stories. In this case, the antagonist is the focus on women’s looks. The case studies include Heather Hardy, who was dismissed as “too pretty to fight” and is now one of the top female professional boxers in New York, Jessica Torres, a curvy fashion blogger who was told she was “too fat to dress well” and genderqueer model Rain Dove, who was called “boyish and ugly.”

 

FINALLY I can announce that I am in the new DOVE Beauty Campaign which came out TODAY! #MyBeautyMySay features 9 diverse humans who have things about them that society deems as “flaw” or “ugly” and they talk about how they own those things and embrace them as beautiful. Who would’ve thought that two years ago I was homeless working construction and now am doing a beauty campaign? Haha! To read the reason I decided to partner with @dove see my Facebook page. (Hint: it wasn’t to sell soap- we all know I prefer dirt and sweat). Ps There are two videos- a personal one and the worldwide commercial. To see my full commercial see link in bio. #ftw #lovewins #thespicegirlthatwasactuallynotaspicebutasauce #dove #raindovedoesdove #notachocolatecommercial #diversity #lgbt #hetero #replace”girl”with”person”

A video posted by Rain Dove (@raindovemodel) on

“I hope this campaign encourages all humans (not just ones who are societally deemed “boyish”/ “girlish” comparatively to their sex) to realize that beauty is more than the way your looks are perceived by others,” Rain Dove shared in an interview.

Jennifer Bremner, Dove’s director of marketing, echoed Rain Dove’s sentiments: “Somewhere along the way, it has become the norm to judge women based on their appearance. Dove created #MyBeautyMySay because we believe a woman’s beauty should not be used to belittle her achievements — instead, her beauty should be celebrated on her terms,” she told WWD. “We want women to challenge this behavior that has unfortunately become commonplace in our society. We are giving all women a platform to speak out and join us to change the conversation.”

While the line between body positive, feminist campaigns and clever marketing strategies is often blurred, Rain Dove attests that #MyBeautyMySay is simply a call to action. “When Dove approached me about working on this, they never once asked me to sell their products or promote their wares,” she said. “They just wanted to share my story so that no matter if you are a Dove product lover or not — you can at least have these anecdotes which will help you love yourself. I really respect that and I’m proud to stand with the other eight amazing people featured in this film.”

No matter the label on your lather and suds, check out the full video above and, if so inclined, share your story on social media using the hashtag #MyBeautyMySay.

[ via WWD ]

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