If you're on social media, you've more than likely fallen victim to the "Like"-chasing game. Relying on the validation you get from seeing multiple hearts appear on the bottom of your Instagram page is a masochistic thrill, but one we all partake in. According to Dove, this fixation is doing our self(ie) esteem more harm than good — particularly among teenagers.
A survey conducted by the brand in the United Kingdom shows that six out of 10 girls feel prettier online than they do in real life. This is directly affected by the number of "Likes" they receive on images they post online. "The consequence is that a girl’s presence and participation in social media can become so carefully constructed that it no longer represents the reality of her life, with the average girl taking 12 minutes to prepare for a single ‘selfie,’" a statement from Dove reads. And this obsession spills over into the non-teenage crowd, too: Girls ages 18 to 23 say they aspire to get three times more likes on social media than girls in the 13 to 17 bracket.
In response, Dove
is launching a new initiative in the U.K. to help young people develop a positive relationship with beauty. In addition to its latest Change One Thing campaign in the U.S., the brand's U.K. #NoLikesNeeded campaign is designed to help boost confidence by reminding us that the only "Like" that counts is our own. "Today’s research enables us to better understand the relationship between social media and girls’ self-esteem, and the importance of talking to girls about body confidence before they turn 18," Dove U.K. brand director Lucy Attley told The Telegraph.
An initiative that helps nip the insecurity bug in the bud is bound to be a good thing. Watch the video above to learn more.
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