New Social Experiment Illustrates the Ongoing Conflict
Women
Have with Recognizing their Beauty
Mumbai, April 10th 2014: Inside every woman is the power to
feel beautiful, confident and radiant, according to a first-of-its-kind social experiment conducted by Dove.
Carried out in response to research revealing that an alarming 80% of women feel anxious about the way they look1, the study highlights how
the
right state of mind can unlock a powerful feeling of beauty that lives inside all women. The results are
The experiment was guided by psychologist and New York Times best-selling author, Dr. Ann Kearney- Cooke (Ph.D., Counseling Psychology) who has spent thirty years conducting scientific research around
women’s body image
and self-esteem.
During the experiment Dr. Kearney-Cooke invited the participants to wear a custom-made “beauty patch” for two weeks, which - would help them feel more beautiful.
The women were then invited to keep a
personal account of their life-changing experience throughout the two week period. All the women agreed
that
wearing the “beauty patch” helped to improve their self-esteem and to change their personal lives in ways that
they had
not
imagined.
At the end of the experiment, however, it is revealed that the
“beauty
patch” contained nothing and that the
power of believing
in their own beauty influenced feeling beautiful.
"When a woman feels beautiful, she radiates happiness and confidence, which inspires her life in a
significant way,” said Dr. Kearney-Cooke. “These women,
like so many others, struggle to recognize
their
own
beauty and it severely affects their
daily lives. This ground-breaking experiment was designed to illustrate that
beauty is a state of mind and
that the
power to feel beautiful comes from within.”
Beauty is a State of Mind
Throughout the Dove: Patches film, it becomes clear how
low
self-esteem affects many elements of the
women’s lives. As the women become
more
confident about the way they look, personal relationships
flourish and they develop a
more
optimistic outlook on
their daily routine. One
of
the women who
participated shared that she felt ashamed of her arms and had always avoided shopping. A few days into the experiment, she started
to
feel more beautiful and invited her daughter to go shopping for the
first time. The two of them spent an unforgettable day together and they tried on dresses that she
had never dreamed of wearing. Dove hopes that all of the women’s inspirational stories featured in the Dove:
Patches film will serve as powerful examples and encourage all women to develop a stronger relationship with their
own
beauty.
“We hear from thousands of women every day about how their complicated relationship with beauty affects
their overall confidence and
happiness,” said George Koshy, General Manager- Skin
Cleansing.
“By illustrating through the Dove: Patches film that
a positive
state of
mind and
openness can help them
feel
more beautiful,
we hope to inspire all
women and help change the way they see themselves.”
Dove invites all women to create a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety.
When
women look and feel their best, they feel happier, and Dove believes it is important for women to see the
beauty in themselves
so that they can inspire the next
generation. The brand
has
set a goal of reaching
15 million young lives with self-esteem programming by the end of 2015 and has reached over 12 million to
date.
About Dove
Dove, manufactured by Hindustan Unilever Limited, provides a range of products that include beauty bars, body washes, shampoos, conditioners, body lotions, face washes,
hair oils & antiperspirant/deodorant. Since 1993, Indian women have relied on Dove for beautiful skin and beautiful hair from 2007. Dove is one of the fastest growing brands in India.
Dove is available nationwide in modern trade, drug and mass outlet stores.
Mission: To invite all women to realize their personal
potential for beauty by engaging them with products that
deliver superior care. Dove believes that beauty should be for everyone because looking and feeling your best
makes you feel
happier.
Explanation of
the mission: Dove is committed to helping
all women realize their personal beauty potential
by creating products that deliver genuine improvement to the condition of your skin and hair. Dove believes
that beauty should be for everyone, because
when you look and feel your best, you feel better about yourself.
About Hindustan Unilever Limited
Hindustan Unilever
Limited (HUL) is India's largest Fast Moving Consumer
Goods Company touching the lives of
two
out of three Indians. HUL 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.
