Dove’s New Confrontation with Toxic Beauty

Since its launch in 2004, Dove’s Self-Esteem Project has been dedicated to helping young people, especially females, build body confidence and encourage individuals to embrace their own unique beauty. From the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty in 2004 to the Toxic Influence film in 2022, Dove has always committed to challenging toxic beauty through different channels.

Authenticity is in right now

Stepping away from the new Bold Glamour filter is the purpose of Dove’s Dove’s latest #TurnYourBack campaign.

Dove believes TikTok’s “Bold Glamor” filter is another appearance-enhancing social media tool that perpetuates unrealistic beauty standards. Especially for young women, it can lead to the pursuit of morbid beauty. In this video, we can see women truly ditch the filters and stand up for their natural beauty. The hashtag has been viewed more than 365M times in the first seven days.

POV to #TurnYourBack

I have been using Dove shampoo for a long time, so I suddenly thought of it as a research object for my blog while taking a shower.

The double-entendre slogan of #TurnYourBack intrigued me. Women in ads don’t have to feel appearance anxiety by turning their backs to the camera because no one can judge them. It also hints and calls on people to turn off Bold Glamour. You don’t have to hide behind filters and can show your truest self. Turning back also means turning off. We should recognize the harmful effects of digital distortion on young people’s self-esteem and mental health.

When I took the photo with my fourteen-year-old niece during this summer vacation in my hometown, I was surprised by what she reminded me after I pressed the shutter button. “Uncle, you forgot to turn on the beauty filter!” Faced with the social phenomenon that teenagers have defaulted to requiring filters when taking photos, #TurnYourBack once again attracted my attention to this psychology.

Praise for Persistence

Influencer-led campaigns like #TurnYourBack can be very effective in reaching young people and inspiring them to think critically about the information they see online. For example, when I shared this video with my niece, she started a discussion with me and asked me how we took photos before the filters appeared. I think this campaign is very meaningful.

It is Dove’s unremitting sense of social responsibility and focus on customers that have contributed to its inevitable brand success.