Dove® Proves That Beauty is a State of Mind

New Social Experiment Illustrates the Ongoing Conflict Women Have with Recognizing their Beauty

TORONTO, April 9, 2014 /CNW/ - 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 per cent 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 documented in the short film Dove: Patches on YouTube.com/DoveCanada

The experiment was guided by psychologist and 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 asked to keep a personal account of their life-changing experience throughout the two week period. All participating 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. The Dove brand 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 Sharon MacLeod, Vice President, Unilever North America Personal Care, Dove Spokesperson. "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 worldwide with self-esteem programming by the end of 2015 and has reached over 12 million to date.

Watch the Dove: Patches film at YouTube.com/DoveCanada and join the conversation at www.facebook.com/DoveCanada and on Twitter @DoveCanada using #BeautyIs.

About Dove and the Dove Self-Esteem Project
Dove, manufactured by Unilever, is the No. 1 personal wash brand nationwide. The Dove Self-Esteem Project is a global Dove initiative that was first established as part of The Campaign for Real Beauty. Its mission is to educate and encourage the next generation of girls to build a positive relationship with beauty and to help raise self-esteem, enabling them to realize their full potential in life. It is one of the only projects in Canada dedicated to the self-esteem of women and girls. Dove encourages Canadians to be part of the conversation at www.Facebook.com/Dove. For more information visit www.dove.ca and for self-esteem resources visit www.selfesteem.dove.ca.

About Unilever Canada Inc.
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with operations in over 100 countries and sales in 190. Working 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. In Canada, our portfolio includes brand icons such as: Becel®, Ben & Jerry's®, Breyers®, Clear®, Degree®, Dove® personal care products, Hellmann's®, Nexxus®, Q-Tips®, Simple®, St. Ives®, TRESemmé®, Vaseline® and others. All of the preceding brand names are owned or used under license by Unilever Canada Inc.

¹ Global Dove Research: The Real Truth About Beauty: Revisited (2011)

Video with caption: "Dove® Proves That Beauty is a State of Mind". Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGDMXvdwN5c

SOURCE: Dove

Melanie Filipp / Harbinger
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