Recent research from the Dove Self-Esteem Project shows the impact of idealised beauty content online
and how it can cause low self-esteem in young NZ girls
Dove’s new campaign, #DetoxYourFeed, aims to empower girls and teens to define their own beauty standards and choose their own influences by inviting them to unfollow anything that doesn’t make them feel good about themselves.
Through a series of films, educational content, and partnerships with inspiring voices, the campaign encourages necessary conversations between parents, caregivers, and girls/teens about the dangers of toxic beauty advice.
New research undertaken by Dove shows that social media has become the go-to medium for beauty advice, with more than half (61%) of Kiwi girls using the platforms to learn new skills through ‘how-to’ videos, and 61% using them to watch or follow beauty related content.
Data from the research reveals the impact of idealised beauty content on social media, with almost half (43%) undertaking at least one procedure, such as eyelash extensions (24%), teeth whitening (18%), and tanning (11%) as a result of influencer advice.
Some young girls have taken even more drastic measures such as lip fillers, rhinoplasty, Botox, and skin bleaching or lightening to achieve the ‘perfect look’ or to look like someone else.
Almost half (41%) of girls agree that seeing this content negatively affects their self-esteem, while only eight percent of Kiwi girls believe they have a ‘good’ body. Forty-six percent report being always or often upset by the way that they look. Furthermore, 61% agree that the influencers they follow on social media set the standard for how they should look.
To accompany the launch of the #DetoxYourFeed campaign, Dove has released a proactive video that highlights the dangerous advice some young girls are receiving from social media influencers and how this advice might be perceived if it was elicited by a parent.
Navigating the conversation
Kate Westgate, Dove Marketing Manager in Australia and Aotearoa, says that as a mother she is proud to be a part of the important work that Dove is doing to help mothers and their children navigate social media.
“Our research showed that 75% of girls would like their parents to talk to them about how to manage idealised beauty posts so, the Dove Self-Esteem Project has developed academically validated resources and tools to help parents navigate important conversations with their kids and empower teens to #DetoxYourFeed,” she says.
The Dove Self-Esteem Project has two helpful key resources to help adults and young people on this journey:
- Detox Your Feed: The Parents’ Guide – a four-step guide for parents, caregivers, and mentors on facilitating conversations with young people about the harms of social media.
- The Confidence Kit – free Dove Self-Esteem Project workbook and tool featuring a new section, Detox Your Feed: Talking to Your Kids About Toxic Social Media Advice.
The four-step guide
Prep: Young girls would love for their parents to talk to them about how to manage idealised beauty content. Spend some time on popular social platforms and familiarise yourself with built-in safety functions and have a discussion with your kids.
Chat: Discuss those pieces of idealised beauty content by finding examples for your kids like searching for hashtags on Tik Tok or Instagram and ask what they think about the impact the content could have on young people’s idea of beauty and self-esteem.
Detox: Spend 10 minutes together scrolling through their social media feed, showing them how to hide, unfollow, or click not interested on accounts that make them feel bad.
Repeat: To encourage new habits, speak to other parents, mentors, and guardians to discuss ways to help and encourage weekly social media feed tune-ups
About the research
The Dove Self-Esteem and Social Media Report was conducted online by Toluna Survey. The research surveyed 168 Kiwi mothers and girls aged 10 to 17 from October to November 2022.
Image supplied