This week’s work experience student, Victor from SJB, wrote the article below.Enjoy!
Influence
Valued at approximately $5.1 billion in 2021, Dove has built a global reputation for its advertising since 2004. The Unilever brand has championed women’s body positivity for over 15 years, starting with its Campaign for Real Beauty. It’s clear to see that this message continues to be at the forefront of the brand’s ethos following Dove’s recent film: ‘Toxic Influence’.
The film features 5 mothers and their daughters scrolling through a typical Instagram feed. “Botox is amazing, you’re never too young to start” and “if your teeth are uneven you can always file them down with a nail file” are just some of the messages delivered by beauty influencers across social media, to girls of all ages.
The mothers look visibly concerned by what they’ve heard so far, but the real shock comes a little later. Using face-mapping technology, these words begin to come out of their own mouths…This part of the film particularly interested me as a teenager. It addresses a relatively well versed topic from an original and thought provoking perspective. How would you feel if your own mother told you that your appearance defined your self-worth?
Conversation
The film also highlighted the stark contrast between the mothers’ views on social media’s impact on their daughters’ mental health. Some initially stated (somewhat naively) that social media “can build [their] confidence” to being on the verge of tears by the end of the film. This contrast highlights how little some parents understand the potential harm these platforms can cause and what their children may be exposed to. How then can we do something to prevent this harmful content reaching girls online?
Following on from ‘Toxic Influence’, Dove presented another video on how to ‘Detox Your Feed’, which offers useful advice to parents on how to help their daughters rid their social media feeds of this type of content.
However, in the first video, many mothers admit they “can’t prevent their daughters seeing these things but [they] can talk to them about it” which also sheds a light on the importance of openness in tackling these issues.
Detox
With over 1.5 million YouTube views, ‘Toxic Influence’ goes beyond traditional advertising to spark a conversation our society needs to have. What impact does toxic beauty advice have on the mental health of teenage girls?
I believe Dove have done a brilliant thing in using their platform to shine a light and expose such a relevant issue that plagues countless girls across the globe. My hope is that other influential companies use their voices to inspire these conversations, creating a better world for the future.
