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On 1 July, Dove launched a campaign called #MyBeautyMySay, and it was a sensation across all platforms of social media. The video features heart-wrenching stories of incredible women who stood up for their own beauty – a poignant piece of media to encourage women everywhere to appreciate their beauty and flaws, and most of all, to share their own stories using the Twitter hashtag #MyBeautyMySay. Being number 1 on this week’s Viral Video Chart with 10,575,885 views just this week, the video proved to be both moving and empowering for women worldwide.
#MyBeautyMySay delves into the differing stories of amazing women who stand up for their beauty. For example Heather, a boxer who is constantly told she is ‘too pretty to fight’, or Jessica, who is told that only skinny girls could dress well but stands as a fashion icon with a blog to prove that size has nothing to do with style.
As the video went viral on Twitter, we were able to read other women’s stories of discrimination, with one user sharing a screen shot of her own tweet reading: “I may not be stick thin but I am happy with my body. #EverySizeIsBeautiful” along with a user’s reply underneath it saying “shame. It looks like you could be cute if you didn’t eat for a year or two” – a prime example of the sickening judgement we have in this world when it comes to appearance.
Scrolling through the associated tweets with the #MyBeautyMySay hashtag, I felt saddened and also shocked. I feel as though when it comes to being a woman, we are often told “you shouldn’t do that, it’s not ladylike” or “you’re too pretty to do that”. We live in a world where it has become normal for people to judge others based on their appearance and limit their life choices based purely on their beauty. Even more shockingly, Dove recently conducted research and found that 7 out of 10 women agree that they receive more comments at work about their appearances than their actual achievements.
As disheartening as it is to hear of these stories, it’s equally as empowering to see them refusing to be held back by misogynistic comments based upon their appearance. Seeing women defining beauty on their own terms and going on to do the things they were told they couldn’t. A truly powerful campaign, I think #MyBeautyMySay has a lot to teach us all.
