To mark the 25th anniversary of Y2K, Dove is launching its #UnseenBeauty social campaign, inviting Millennial women to unlearn the toxic beauty standards perpetuated by the culture of the early 2000s. The campaign encourages women to share a photo from girlhood—one that, in many cases, has never been seen before. These images are sometimes hard to look at, and even harder to share due to the lasting impact of harmful language and impossible beauty standards that shaped this generation’s self-esteem. By empowering women to embrace and share their #UnseenBeauty moments, Dove strives to help women see their real beauty.
A new study from Dove, The Weight of Words, reveals that 3 in 4 Millennial women in Canada say harmful beauty messages from the early 2000s still shape how they feel about their bodies today. Among the most recalled terms by Canadian women are “bikini body” (71%), “love handles” (66%), “muffin top” (62%), “size zero” (58%) and “thunder thighs” (56%). Three in four Canadian women (74%) say the media from that time continues to shape how they feel about themselves today, and one in two believe this influence will always be a part of how they feel about their bodies.
“As the generation with the lowest self-esteem, it’s clear Millennial women are still recovering from decades of unrealistic beauty expectations around how their bodies should look,” said Divya Singh, Head of Unilever Personal Care, Canada. “At Dove, we believe that there is no one version of beauty. #UnseenBeauty invites women to be seen and celebrate their beauty, and is part of our overall mission to make a positive relationship with beauty accessible to all.”
To help change the narrative, Dove is collaborating with Olympic gold medalist, World Champion and professional hockey player Sarah Nurse, who is among the first to share her own #UnseenBeauty photo and story. Growing up, Nurse felt self-conscious of her athletic, muscular legs—or what she saw as “Thunder Thighs”—simply because her body didn’t look like the girls in magazines or on TV. She will be joined by a collective of Millennial creators from across Canada, each offering their own personal reflections and images shaped by the media pressures of Y2K.
“I partnered with Dove to help challenge Y2K standards of beauty so we can start seeing ourselves differently,” said Sarah Nurse. “There are so many parts of us we used to hide that we deserve to celebrate! I hope Canadians join me in sharing their #UnseenBeauty photos, so we can write a more body positive future for the next generation.”
As part of Dove’s ongoing mission to support women’s self-esteem, the brand recently introduced its first-ever body confidence tools for women through the Dove Self-Esteem Project. Resources include a Confidence Journal; The Real Beauty Talks video series and workbook; and Why2k? Podcast episodes and journals, designed to help women unlearn harmful messages and build self-worth.
Join Dove in changing the conversation around the unrealistic beauty standards and harmful language that shaped a generation. Share your #UnseenBeauty photo and Y2K beauty story to reclaim the narrative, because words from the past shouldn’t define who we are today.
