For a long time, external beauty standards have affected women’s self-esteem, now the scourge has spread to young girls as young as 10-years-old who are purchasing and consuming anti-ageing skin products.
And it’s all because of social media.
Dove is launching an online campaign #TheFaceof10, that seeks to deter this growing trend in countries such as the United Kingdom, America, France and Brazil; it is a trend that is slowly creeping in to South Africa as well.
The campaign does not only want to deter this trend that robs children of the innocence of childhood, but aims to promote real beauty, self-esteem, cast a spotlight on the absurdity of young girls being manipulated to the consumption of anti-ageing products. It also seeks to educate and empower parents to lead positive conversations about beauty, confidence and self-esteem, as they bear the responsibility to instil confidence in their children.
Dove Masterbrand Marketing Manager, Lerato Dumisa, said the campaign will provoke conversations about what a 10 year-old child should look like.
“Dove has championed the idea that beauty should be a source of happiness, not anxiety. It’s alarming that children are now exposed to the same trends as adults. It’s time to highlight the absurdity of young girls buying and using anti-ageing products before they’ve even begun to grow up, and help parents and caregivers have healthy conversations with their kids about what 10 should look like,” she said.
According to Dove, young girls were increasingly worrying about their self-image: over a quarter of girls aged between 10 and 17 feel judged based on their skin’s appearance, while nearly half expect to become more concerned about their looks as they age, and one in three consider cosmetic or plastic surgery to alter their appearance.
This is evident with the rising trend of Brazilian Butt Lifts (BLLs) on social media.
To address this trend, grow the confidence of young girls and celebrate the innocence of being a 10-year-old, Dove will collaborate with TikTok influencers who align with the campaign, dermatologists, academic experts and body positivity activists to create and disseminate content that stresses the innocence and joy of childhood.
Users are encouraged to share pictures and videos of themselves as 10-year-olds, with glitter and paint on their faces instead of anti-ageing skin products, and by raising awareness of the negative effects the anti-ageing products have on children’s delicate skin.
Dove, also, plans to launch, “The Gen A Anti-ageing Talk”, a guide to help parents, featuring experts such as mental health and body image specialist, Professor Philippa Diedrichs, and Dr Marisa Garshick, a renowned dermatologist from America.
“The premature exposure of young girls to adult skincare content is creating societal pressure for them to adopt unnecessary anti-ageing skincare regimens before they’ve even grown up. If young girls feel pressure to apply these anti-ageing products as young as 10, what’s next? We believe a 10-year-old’s face should be a canvas for carefree fun, not anti-ageing products,” said Dumisa.
“As women’s beauty standards continue to soar online, quite similar to the beauty rating scale popular on social media: the scale rates a woman’s beauty from 1 to 10; thus, Dove has always been at the forefront of promoting real beauty and self-confidence among the youth.”
A campaign similar to #TheFaceof10, The Dove Self-Esteem Project was launched in 2004, and has since reached millions of women globally, educating and empowering them to embrace and love their natural beauty, also boosting their self-esteem.
The Star
Hope Mafu
hope.mafu@inl.co.za