Dove Self-Esteem Project, Shonda Rhimes launch Girl Collective
Dove and Shonda Rhimes are joining forces to launch the Girl Collective, which focuses on a multigenerational sisterhood that builds confidence and challenges beauty stereotypes through honest and authentic conversations between women and girls.
Inaugural members of the group include musician SZA, transgender activist Jazz Jennings, intimate apparel brand Aerie, viral dance group Syncopated Ladies and many others.
"Six in 10 girls believe that to do well in life they have to look a certain way and that just shouldn't be," Rhimes, who has been working with Dove for two years as Chief Storyteller in an effort to ensure every woman and girl sees herself represented in media and culture, said. "Last year I participated in my first-ever Dove Self-Esteem Workshop, and I was inspired by the power of women and girls connecting to tackle issues that impact so many of us. I'm proud to be a part of this remarkable community, which illustrates the magic we can unlock when we work together to inspire change and build confidence."
Dove marked the launch of the Girl Collective with an event in Los Angeles that included panels with Rhimes about young women and expanding representation; SZA and educator Dre Brown discussing the relationship culture and ethnicity play in defining beauty identities; Jazz Jennings and relationship expert Logan Levkoff challenging the ideas of gender, beauty and identity to create a new appreciation for beauty that is fluid; and Aerie and Dove and fashion editor Lauren Chan sharing actionable ways girls can be body positive champions in their schools and communities.
"We launched the Dove Self-Esteem Project in 2004 with the intent of helping the next generation develop a positive relationship with beauty, and provide parents and mentors the resources to impact the self-esteem of the girls in their lives," Amy Stepanian, director of marketing at Dove, said. "Since then, we are immensely proud to have reached more than 20 million young lives with self-esteem education and are working to reach 40 million by 2020. With Girl Collective, we're excited to offer an always-on, evolving resource for real women and girls to explore the issues that inhibit self-esteem and collaborate to find solutions and inspire one another."
Inaugural members of the group include musician SZA, transgender activist Jazz Jennings, intimate apparel brand Aerie, viral dance group Syncopated Ladies and many others.
"Six in 10 girls believe that to do well in life they have to look a certain way and that just shouldn't be," Rhimes, who has been working with Dove for two years as Chief Storyteller in an effort to ensure every woman and girl sees herself represented in media and culture, said. "Last year I participated in my first-ever Dove Self-Esteem Workshop, and I was inspired by the power of women and girls connecting to tackle issues that impact so many of us. I'm proud to be a part of this remarkable community, which illustrates the magic we can unlock when we work together to inspire change and build confidence."
Dove marked the launch of the Girl Collective with an event in Los Angeles that included panels with Rhimes about young women and expanding representation; SZA and educator Dre Brown discussing the relationship culture and ethnicity play in defining beauty identities; Jazz Jennings and relationship expert Logan Levkoff challenging the ideas of gender, beauty and identity to create a new appreciation for beauty that is fluid; and Aerie and Dove and fashion editor Lauren Chan sharing actionable ways girls can be body positive champions in their schools and communities.
"We launched the Dove Self-Esteem Project in 2004 with the intent of helping the next generation develop a positive relationship with beauty, and provide parents and mentors the resources to impact the self-esteem of the girls in their lives," Amy Stepanian, director of marketing at Dove, said. "Since then, we are immensely proud to have reached more than 20 million young lives with self-esteem education and are working to reach 40 million by 2020. With Girl Collective, we're excited to offer an always-on, evolving resource for real women and girls to explore the issues that inhibit self-esteem and collaborate to find solutions and inspire one another."