Press releases.

Turning words and images into action: Dove announces the Dove Self Esteem Fund

Thursday 30 March 2006: As part of its "Campaign for Real Beauty" in 2006, beauty brand Dove today announced the inauguration of the Dove Self-Esteem Fund in Australia. The fund is intended to act as an agent of change, educating and inspiring young people to embrace a broader definition of beauty. The Dove Self-Esteem Fund will contribute time, money and expertise to support educational awareness projects in the area of self-confidence and body image, executed in close cooperation with Australia's leading Eating Disorder prevention and support organisations.

The link is clear. Research from around the globe has repeatedly demonstrated the effects of stereotypical beauty imagery on some women's perception of themselves. Dr Susie Orbach (Psychotherapist, London School of Economics and author of Fat is a Feminist Issue) has discovered that spending just three minutes looking at fashion magazines lowers the self-esteem of 80% of women.

We have also learnt that girls learn about body image and beauty ideals from a very early age and consequently often struggle to build a healthy self-esteem. Low self-esteem leads to introversion, a withdrawal from normal life and a waste of potential and increasingly commonly, can develop into an eating disorder.

The Dove Self Esteem Fund Australia is part of an ambitious global brand initiative to raise 10 million US dollars worldwide and make a direct difference to the lives of at least one million young people by the end of 2008. "We want to increase their level of confidence and happiness, enabling them to reach their full potential in life.

"Being a global beauty brand, we strongly believe that it is our responsibility to make more girls, and of course women as well, feel more beautiful every day," explains Candice George, Brand Manager, Dove Australia.

Here in Australia exciting plans are already in place for the Fund. Stage One is a new partnership with Victoria's Butterfly Foundation, one Australia's foremost organizations working to prevent eating disorders and support sufferers and their carers. "Eating Disorders continue to affect increasing numbers of young Australians. These complex disorders affect both physical and mental health and, after asthma and obesity, are now the third most common disease in females aged between 15 - 24 yrs," explains Claire Vickery, Founder and CEO of The Butterfly Foundation.

"The Butterfly Foundation is thrilled that Dove is actively campaigning against the false and misleading media images that feed into the insecurities of young people. What a difference it would make if more companies joined them. We are very excited by the partnership program planned for this year and on behalf of every boy and girl who might have otherwise suffered an Eating Disorder, we thank them for daring to speak out and for supporting this vital cause."

Enabled by an initial contribution of $A50,000 from the Dove Self Esteem Fund, The Butterfly Foundation will implement a ground breaking education program that helps young people put the beauty world in perspective so that they grow up with an informed, balanced viewpoint. The program, entitled 'BodyThink' is a specially created workshop designed to educate girls and boys about the reality behind the 'perfect' images of beauty to which they aspire.

The program was originally created by the Eating Disorders Association in the UK, under advisement from internationally-renowned experts in the area, Dr. Nancy Etcoff (Harvard University) and Dr. Susie Orbach (London School of Economics/ Sociology Department).

During 2006, The Butterfly Foundation, supplemented with funds from other supporters, will roll-out an Australian version of the educational program to educators in Victoria, with the aim to make a real difference to 5,000 young people aged 11- 14 years*. 'BodyThink' will also be implemented through the Girl Guides network Australia-wide with the potential to reach over 8,000 girls. It is intended that the program's success will provide a blue-print for expansion into other States over the next few years.

"This is a really important and exciting initiative," explains Claire Vickery. "Last year's Parliamentary Enquiry into Body Image and Eating Disorders clearly revealed the urgent need for prevention programs though schools and community groups. There is nothing like 'BodyThink' currently in existence here so the potential for it to make a difference is enormous."

As the Dove Self Esteem Fund matures, supplemented by fundraising initiatives from product promotions and marketing programs, the Fund will also expand its program of contributions to support other Eating Disorder organizations and broaden the scope of its educational outreach activities.

"This is a long-term commitment from Dove," explains Ms George. "We will be setting new goals for the Fund each year, reviewing past activities and assessing their effectiveness in building the body image self-esteem of young Australians. The Fund has already made a big impact in other countries, and we are tremendously excited about the potential for it to become a positive influence here."

If you require further info on the Dove Self-Esteem Fund or if you would like to make a donation to The Butterfly Foundation please visit www.campaignforrealbeauty.com.au

For further information, images or an interview, please contact:

Lisa Solomons	Kate Mulcare
Zing	Zing
P: 02 8303 6464	P: 02 8303 6464
M: 0416 175 518	M: 0414 419 510
E: lisa@zing.net.au	E: kate@zing.net.au

* Full details of the 'BodyThink' program will be announced on May 27, 2006 at The Butterfly Foundation's major fundraising event, The Butterfly Ball 2006 presented by Dove.

Back to top Back