For many of us, self-isolation has felt like an emotional rollercoaster. One day we're up — confident, thankful, and happily baking banana bread — and the next we barely make it out of bed. Chances are you've also experienced pressure to maintain a certain level of normalcy or productivity at-home as you watch others find new hobbies or work out on social media. But perhaps the biggest pressure is felt in how we look — especially on work Zoom calls or FaceTime with family and friends.
In a new ad tackling the pressure we face to look our best on video calls, Billie — a personal care brand that sells razors, lip balms, dry shampoo, and tons of other products — says you shouldn't apologise for looking like you.
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According to the brand, the idea for the new campaign was inspired by the Billie team, which is 80% women. "With many of us working from home, we're suddenly coming face to face with our own faces several times a day via video chat," a representative for the brand says. "Too often, our knee-jerk reaction is to scrutinise the face staring back at us and immediately apologise for it, often without even realising we're doing it. Maybe it's for our unwashed hair, shiny foreheads, or grown-in eyebrows — but in reality, we're just apologising for looking like ourselves."
The brand hopes that the video helps viewers shake the need to give disclaimers for how they look in isolation — and we couldn't agree more.