Dove (D)evolution

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And every girl knows that even that coveted, Dove-endorsed, natural look takes some skill and effort! Is that vanity? Try talent. Don't underestimate the dexterity and precision it takes to do a great updo or to color your hair with uniformity.

Onslaught

If I get a nose job, does that make me a loser? This is what Onslaught seems to be implying. It feels mean and judgmental. Participating in fashion, cosmetics, exercise, or even plastic surgery doesn't necessarily make a girl unhealthy. Her nose job could be an act of courage, her fashion pure play, and the makeup an important artistic outlet. This video confronts us with images of obsessive behaviors, from extreme dieting to compulsive plastic surgery. But obsessions are symptoms, not the problem itself. And most self-image illnesses have little to do with the beauty industry. The beauty industry is not inherently bad: It is a person's relationship to the beauty industry and the motives behind her choices that matter. Whatever the situation, judgment is not helpful or enlightening. Instead, it is alienating and hurtful.

The Bigger Picture

Despite the negativity in these films, Dove can't believe the beauty industry is all evil. It sells everything from soaps to hairsprays to anti-aging creams. If it isn't trying to have its cake and eat it too, then Dove must see a place where self-love and self-care can live together healthily. As a group committed to improving girl marketing, we applaud anyone who makes an effort to elevate self-esteem, and that includes the Dove Self-Esteem Fund.

But could Dove have done it better? Yes, by not reinforcing the age-old bias that says girls are weak. We need to teach the world not to judge girls but rather to respect them as equals.

True evolution would elevate the image of young females by focusing on the universality of esteem issues. Every human struggles with self-esteem; the only difference is that people express it in distinct ways. Hair, cars, shoes, stereos, diet bars, protein powders, couture bags, elite country clubs: These are all tools people use to elevate their sense of self.

The only problem is that hair, shoes, or diet bars are looked down on. When playing with your hair is seen as just as valid a habit as souping up your car, then we will have begun the journey to a real self-esteem evolution.

By Rosaura Lezama, Sarah Henry, and Heidi Dangelmaier.

3iying is an all-girl creative and strategic think tank that helps mass-scale brands become more relevant to new millenium girls. Founded by Heidi Dangelmaier, 3iying has contributed to everything from ground floor product development, branding, commercial storybarding, to interactive application design.