The crucial issue of women and girls’ self-esteem is once again top of the agenda, as Dove uses its new global platform to highlight the widespread damage caused by the trend for heavily edited selfies in Ogilvy’s new campaign for the brand.
The advertisement by Dove visually contrasts the natural and digitally retouched appearance of a young girl's face to highlight the impact of beauty retouching apps. The left side of the image shows her natural look, while the right side displays her enhanced features through these apps, emphasizing the unrealistic beauty standards imposed by digital editing. The accompanying text warns against the harmful effects these practices have on self-esteem and societal perceptions of beauty, urging viewers to help reverse the damage by promoting authenticity. The tailored message targets the pervasive issue of young girls using beauty apps and the resulting distortion of self-image, suggesting the Dove Self-Esteem Project as a resource for building true confidence.