According to sociological research, the happiest people live in Denmark and Norway. One of the most compelling arguments is that women in these countries can afford … imperfection. It would be funny if it weren't so sad. In fashionable world capitals, the dictatorship of standards and stereotypes is so strong that it has been feeding more than one generation of psychotherapists. The Dove company, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, decided to change the situation and prove that natural unique beauty is the main source of self-confidence. It is a rare case when changes begin not with loud slogans, but with the internal policy of the brand. For example, Dove never attracts models to participate in commercials - only real people, while a minimum of retouching is allowed. Trying to instill in young people a positive attitude towards their appearance and through this to fully realize themselves in life, the brand cooperates with prominent experts in the study of body perception and conducts a great educational work. A new undertaking was a creative alliance with renowned photographer Mario Testino, who shot 30 portraits of ordinary women of different ages, nationalities, weight and height for Dove. The result is a unique gallery of characters rather than images. The result is a unique gallery of characters rather than images. The result is a unique gallery of characters rather than images.
By the way, among the project participants there is also a designer from Russia, Maria, who, after an accident that happened to her at the age of 18, had every reason to lose self-confidence. But even the paralysis of the right side of her face and partial loss of vision did not stop her on the way to her dream. Today Maria is the owner of her own brand Inshade, stylist, teacher … Such examples are inspiring. At the presentation of the # TrueBeauty project in New York, journalists met with plump girls who clearly do not fit into the model parameters, but at the same time have millions of subscribers and boldly demonstrate their own style. One of them was asked: “Okay, you yourself are not worried about being overweight. But surely there will be people who will call you fat … How do you react to this? " She replied: “Yes, it is. What's next?..”Indeed, there should be no continuation. Another participant in the Real Beauty program is saber fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first American woman to compete in the hijab at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, which in no way prevented her from winning the bronze medal.
"In fact, today we are talking about new standards that allow us to be proud of ourselves, and not try to meet someone's expectations."
“We want every woman to feel comfortable the way she is, and to rely on her uniqueness in all situations,” says Sophie Galvani, international vice president of the Dove brand. - Today the world is changing very quickly. Hopefully the next generation will take individuality and difference for granted. When choosing women to participate in the campaign, we first of all looked for an interesting story behind them.
In fact, today we are talking about new standards that allow us to be proud of ourselves in the present, and not try to meet someone's expectations. And here a very important point arises! Dove in no way encourages people to drop cosmetics, forget about salons and stop taking care of themselves. Our goal is not to make a woman “slob”, but to help her find individuality and “cultivate” her, enjoying and having fun. Frankly, I'm a little sorry that in the pursuit of independence and masculine positions, we have lost the ability to enjoy communication with purely feminine things. Not so long ago we had a very interesting experience with sketches. At first, the artist drew the participants in the experiment from their own words (well, you know - all those "full hips", "short legs", "narrow lips" …), and then he did the same, but from the words of their friends and relatives. When compared, the results showed that the harshest and even ruthless critics are ourselves. In the eyes of those who love us, imperfections in appearance do not matter.
I have a daughter who recently turned eight years old. I was convinced from my own experience how difficult it is to cultivate self-confidence in a small person and not nourish the inner egoist. Therefore, I developed this strategy: never discuss her appearance, but talk exclusively about human qualities. I hope this approach will justify itself in the future."
Photo: archive of press services