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Each of us can probably rattle off a part of our appearance we wish was different. So it may not surprise us that the latest research from Dove reveals 9 out of 10 girls want to change at least one thing about the way they look. Where this becomes problematic is that we know 60% of girls will stop doing something they love based on how they feel about the way they look. We can change this by shifting the way we speak, think, and act around the concept of beauty.
This is the foundation behind Dove’s latest campaign #ChangeOneThing. We’ve been conducting self-esteem workshops and helping women and girls think more critically about beauty stereotypes. I’ve spent the last month kicking off workshops from Minnesota to NYC, Cincinnati to Arkansas.
Our main message: It’s not girls who have to change, but our culture!
At our NYC launch event, I’m joined by Franchesca Ramsey (host of MTV’s Decoded), Sarah Hammer (Dove Brand Manager), and Dr. Jen Hartstein to help lead an inspiring workshop for girls and their mentors.
Before the event, I was interviewed about how we can change our culture by changing the way we post and share on social media.
Here I am leading the workshop! We also announced Dove’s partnership w/ Pinterest to reveal 80 new self-esteem pins designed for Moms, Mentors and Educators. Dove has reached over 17 million girls with self-esteem programming with workshops just like this.
We had the girls and mentors make real-life Pinterest boards to share their positive messages with the world.
This wonderful girl standing next to me is 10-year-old Olivia Allen. She is the founder of the “I Can Be” Girls Confidence Conference – an event for girls and their parents to develop higher self-esteem. Can you imagine creating a conference like this when you were 10?
The next day, I flew out to Cincinnati to film a news segment with Good Morning Cincinnati !
Then we hosted two back-to-back workshops with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Cincinnati.
Their wisdom and energy had me thinking about this:
We can help redefine what is beautiful by using our social media platforms to spread positivity and acceptance. Within our families, friends, classrooms, and communities, we’re constantly shaping the world by what we post online.
It could be one word or comment.
One image or video.
Being mindful about what we communicate is what creates opportunities to shift our culture in big and small ways.
We all have the power to #ChangeOneThing.