Ogilvy: Dove’s Reverse Selfie

Based on research claiming that by the age of 13, 80% of girls distort the way they look online, beauty brand Dove is on a mission to tackle the issue of real beauty standards in a digital era.

Dove’s Reverse Selfie, created in partnership with Ogilvy and Mindshare, highlights the widespread damage caused by the trend towards heavily edited selfies.

At the heart of the campaign is a 60 second film which features a young girl locked into the artificial world of social media. We are introduced to her in the form of a highly edited photograph that she has posted with the caption "my new look."

As the name suggests, the campaign is a story told in reverse, revealing which digital effects were used to alter the image. We see the image transform from one of an adult woman with perfect hair, fuller lips and rounded eyes, to one of a young girl. The reverse journey ends with her staring at the mirror, obviously discontent with the way she looks.

The ad reads: “The pressure of social media is harming our girls’ self-esteem. Let’s reverse the damage.”

Reverse Selfie is a sequel to Evolution, an ad Dove released in 2006, which highlighted the false and unrealistic nature of the beauty ideals perpetuated by the advertising industry and the media.