Women鈥檚 self-criticism harmful, unnecessary
In a study done by Dove, only 4 percent of women in the world describe themselves as beautiful. It鈥檚 clear that low self-esteem lingers in a large percentage of our population.
A three-minute ad made by Dove takes a glimpse into how low women鈥檚 self-esteem really is. Gil Zamora, a professional sketch artist, did a series of drawings of women describing themselves to him from behind a curtain while he sits on the other. Then, he has people who have met the subject come in and describe these same women and draws a second picture. The difference is breathtaking.
In every case study, the first drawing accentuated minor flaws that one would not initially notice. The second drawing is truer to form, displaying the woman鈥檚 natural appearance.
In 2004, Dove started a campaign for real beauty to 鈥淐hallenge beauty stereotypes and invite women to join the discussion about beauty.鈥� Some people have criticized Dove鈥檚 campaign for being a marketing scheme and sending the message to girls that beauty is everything. Despite these claims, the overall reason for the campaign 鈥� to ignite a conversation about beauty 鈥� has been successful. This is a message to women of any age to stop criticizing themselves.
Living in a time when we are bombarded with advertising from every angle showing flawless women, we tend to idolize them, hoping to embody their looks and lifestyle. Dove has become a maverick in the fight against conforming and traditional beauty standards to show women that they are all beautiful.