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ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. – New Year's is often a time for reflection and change but unfortunately, for many millennial women, it's also a time when societal pressures and unattainable beauty ideals can come to the forefront. This year, Dove – the world's largest self-esteem education provider – is inviting women to rip up the rules and let go of the 'pursuit of perfect' when setting their new year's resolutions.
In 2024, Dove conducted the largest research ever done by a beauty brand, The Real State of Beauty Report. This global study found that millennial women have the lowest body confidence compared to previous generations and as a result are over indexing on health conditions linked to body image.
The research also found 1 in 3 women would give up a year of their life for the 'perfect' body and 69% admit to not attending social engagements because of low body confidence. This is especially heightened around the new year, with 1 in 2 women's New Year's resolutions being made because they feel dissatisfied with their bodies1, frequently focusing on new diets and weight loss, improving appearances and looking more youthful.
Women have long been subjected to toxic beauty pressures, often growing up learning to hate their bodies. After 20 years of building the body confidence of young people, Dove launches its first-ever body confidence program for women, empowering them to start their own journey of body confidence.
Starting from January 01st, 2025, The Dove Self-Esteem Project for Women will launch with an online learning experience on Dove.com.
The science-backed content will focus on commitments to un-do, un-learn, and reject harmful beauty ideals. The online program will explore four core topics:
1. Healing the relationship with your body in a time of complex body image pressures – New Year's.
2. What is body confidence and what does that look like in your life?
3. What influences our body confidence and how do societal pressures impact the relationship with your body?
4. Defining beauty on your own terms.
"For 20 years Dove has equipped young people with resources to improve their self-esteem and body confidence, and now we're expanding our focus to women, many who have grown up under the weight of unrealistic beauty standards reinforced by social media. As we enter a new year, we wholeheartedly encourage women to make resolutions that focus on their own happiness and joy, rather than these negative standards," says Marcela Melero, chief growth officer of Dove Personal Care North America and Dove Masterbrand. "Through Dove's first-ever body confidence series for women, our aim is to support women in rejecting unattainable ideals, embrace authenticity, and redefine beauty on their own terms."
Dove also invites women to break free from limiting beauty standards by setting a #NewYearsUnresolution for 2025. Participants can write a resolution on a sticky note and tear it up or use a digital sticky note on TikTok to share their pledge with their community.
"Many women set New Year's resolutions to change their bodies, but they're often unfulfilling goals driven by society's narrow beauty standards. They shift our attention from what truly matters," says Professor Phillippa Diedrichs, a body image expert at the Centre of Appearance Research at the University of West England. "Dove has been a trailblazer in redefining real beauty and this new content series is a powerful invitation for millennial women to break this cycle and redefine their relationship with their bodies."
The Dove Self-Esteem Project has reached over 114 million young people across 153 countries, offering education on body confidence and self-esteem. Dove is dedicated to ensuring that women of all generations are equipped with the resources and tools they need to build lasting body confidence and self-esteem.
