In what has been nicknamed "generation selfie" social media is a dangerous tool that can increase the likelihood of low esteem.
This rings especially true for many young girls, who are growing up exposed to unrealistic beauty standards, with augmented reality tools on mainstream platforms commonly used to alter their natural features. From hair color to skin texture and face shape, such tools are normalizing the tendency to alter selfies and photos.
Known for its impactful beauty campaigns, Dove aims to fight the potentially harmful impact of social media and image augmentation on young girls. 'Reverse Selfie' is a short video from the personal care brand, which depicts the selfie editing process, but backwards. An image of what looks to be an adult woman turns out to be a young girl that's heavily augmented her appearance with an app.
While the campaign aims to shock viewers, the message behind it shares hope, with the idea that there is room to take action and prevent this from continuing to be a reality for young girls.
Selfie Editing Awareness Campaigns
Dove's 'Reverse Selfie' Short Highlights the Impact of Editing
Trend Themes
1. Beauty Standards Disruption - Opportunity to disrupt the beauty industry by promoting natural beauty and self-love messages to reduce dependency on altering tools.
2. Reverse Image Editing Tools - Opportunity to develop innovative tools that reverse the image editing process and promote realistic representation of individuals.
3. Self-esteem Boosting Social Media - Opportunity to create positive and empowering social media platforms aimed at boosting self-esteem by highlighting diverse beauty standards.
Industry Implications
1. Beauty and Personal Care - Opportunity to promote natural beauty and self-love messages through marketing campaigns and product development.
2. Augmented Reality Technology - Opportunity to develop and promote augmented reality tools that enhance natural beauty and reduce dependency on altering tools.
3. Social Media Platforms - Opportunity to create social media platforms aimed at shifting beauty standards to be more inclusive and diverse through positive and empowering content.