This commercial from Dove is one of the most powerful, heartbreaking, and touching ads that I’ve ever seen. And, as the mother of 4 young women, and a clinician who works with struggling clients every day, I want to thank Dove for shining a light on this epidemic.
As difficult and painful as it might be to watch, though, please don’t turn away — because this is our world and our reality as it really truly is in 2023.
Body image issues are, unfortunately, nothing new — particularly among women. What Dove’s ad so masterfully highlights, though, is the devastating effect that social media has had on body image issues and mental health — particularly among girls and younger women.
To put a finer point on this, statistics from Dove’s Self-Esteem Project Research for Kids Online Safety should terrify all of us, whether or not we have children of our own:
80% of young people believe that people their age are addicted to social media;
More than 50% of young people say social media makes them and their peers feel anxious;
7 in 10 young people (ages 10-17) have been exposed to content encouraging weight loss/body transformation on social media;
76% of young people in the U.S. say social media can make young people want to change their appearance;
51% of young people (ages 14-17) have been exposed to content encouraging restricted eating or disordered eating behaviors; and,
Over half of youth mental health specialists say exposure to harmful beauty content on social media can lead to physical consequences like disordered eating or self-harm.
If you’re struggling with emotional or disordered eating, or you know someone that is, please recognize that you’re not alone and there’s a world of support around you. Helpful resources include the following: