A few weeks ago, I watched a movie on TV with my family that got me thinking about the issues of self-esteem that young girls and women face. Interestingly enough, this train of thought wasn’t brought about by the movie; instead, it had more to do with the main sponsor of the film – Dove, the personal care products brand. Instead of simply airing commercials, Dove presented short segments at each commercial break that featured mothers and daughters talking about ideas or activities they do to feel good about who they are and how they look. As a man, I have to admit I found these conversations reasserted the notion of men and women being from different planets, the ideas and concepts verging almost on being alien in nature. But as a father of young girls, I found the mere idea that such measures were useful or even necessary for improving self-esteem in girls, as well as women, troubling to say the least. And yet, the idea that caught my mind’s eye most was not so much the message, but the messenger itself.

I’m sure everyone has seen examples of Dove’s recent ad campaign “The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty“, which essentially presents the idea that all women are beautiful in their own way. It’s a great message of self-esteem and empowerment and their ads certainly put forth a compelling case. To wit, Dove produced an advertisement called “Evolution” which helped to demonstrate how fabricated those images of alluring models on billboards actually are – Click here to continue reading »”Why Self-Esteem Shouldn’t Come From A Bottle”