Dove is encouraging women to stop the ‘pursuit of perfect’ when setting New Year's resolutions.
This follows the publication of the body care brand’s The Real State of Beauty Report in 2024 – the largest research ever done by a beauty brand, featuring more than 33,000 respondents.
The research found that a third of women would give up a year of their life for the ‘perfect’ body, with 69% admitting to not attending social engagements because of low body confidence.
One in two women’s New Year's resolutions, meanwhile, are made because they feel dissatisfied with their bodies.
These, said Dove, frequently focus on new diets and weight loss, improving appearances and looking more youthful.
Alongside the findings, the Unilever-owned label announced it would be launching The Dove Self-Esteem Project for Women.
Featuring science-backed content, it will focus on commitments to ‘un-learn’ and reject harmful beauty ideals via dove.com.
The online programme will explore four core topics:
- Healing the relationship with your body in a time of complex body image pressures, such as new New Year's.
- What is body confidence and what does that look like in your life?
- What influences our body confidence and how do societal pressures impact the relationship with your body?
- Defining beauty on your own terms.
“As we enter a new year, we wholeheartedly encourage women to make resolutions that focus on their own happiness and joy, rather than these negative standards," commented Marcela Melero, Chief Growth Officer of Dove Personal Care North America and Dove Masterbrand.
“Through Dove's first-ever body confidence series for women, our aim is to support women in rejecting unattainable ideals, embrace authenticity and redefine beauty on their own terms.”
The brand is also encouraging women to set a #NewYearsUnresolution for 2025.
Participants can write a resolution on a sticky note and tear it up or use a digital sticky note on TikTok to share their pledge with their community.