New research, released by the Dove beauty brand, reveals that women are frustrated with the gap that exists between their definition of beauty and society’s.The Dove Report: Challenging Beauty finds the majority of women (90%) in the United States are somewhat to very satisfied with their looks. In fact, nearly half of the women surveyed (44%) are more comfortable with their looks today than they were ten years ago. Women are comfortable with their appearance and do not feel compelled to change their looks. These findings provide a thought-provoking contrast to America’s seeming obsession with makeovers and cosmetic procedures.
Aware of women’s struggle with their beauty, Dove commissioned a year-long, groundbreaking study to gain deeper insight into women’s true feelings about beauty and, in doing so, question myths about the quest for “perfect beauty.” In releasing these findings, the Dove beauty brand hopes to fuel societal discussion and give voice to women who are redefining beauty in their own terms.
“Is this claim, driven by marketers, that most women live in despair about their appearance real or hype?” asks Naomi Wolf, co-founder of the Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership and author of The Beauty Myth and three other non-fiction books dedicated to women’s issues. “Women are engaged in a watershed act of reinterpretation of the ideal of beauty. They are defining beauty for themselves as something they can own and celebrate on their own terms when they look in the mirror.”
Women Are Redefining Beauty
The Dove Report discloses that women define beauty in terms that go beyond physical traits. Seventy-five percent of women believe that beauty comes from a woman’s spirit and love of life, not from her looks. Nearly three-quarters (73%) agree that beauty can be achieved through attitude, spirit and attributes that have nothing to do with genetically inherited physical traits. In fact, many women feel most beautiful when engaged in activities that involve the world that surrounds them. Forty-six percent said that they feel beautiful when they achieve success, help others (54%) or do something artistic (39%). When asked when they feel the most beautiful, women share that spending time with their children (53%), someone thanking them for their help (50%), enjoying a hobby (39%) or simply dancing (35%) were moments that mattered.
“Clearly what women think is important, what they value, and what makes them happy is more than skin deep,” notes Dr. Toni C. Antonucci, Professor of Psychology, Research Scientist and Program Director, Life Course Developmental Program, Survey Research Center University of Michigan. “This is good news and speaks to the psychological health and well-being of American women.”
Fifty-nine percent of women say that beauty “changes over time” because it directly correlates to experiences and life moments that create and promote feeling beautiful. When asked to rate various life values, women consistently rated relationships (love, marriage, friendship, spirituality) as most important and beauty (feeling attractive, feeling beautiful, dressing well, etc.) as least important. Nearly three-quarters of women (70%) report they feel most beautiful when they feel loved.
Look Like A Supermodel? No Thanks.
The Dove Report offers clear evidence of women’s frustration with the difference between how they view beauty and how it is typically portrayed. Women eschew stereotypical images and, as a result, have started to redefine beauty on their own terms. Seventy-one percent of women said they wish the media and advertising could appreciate the different physical types of women as looking beautiful. More than half (66%) say media and advertising set unrealistic standards of beauty that most women can’t ever achieve. Fifty-one percent resent that media and advertisers place so much emphasis on beauty. Importantly, only seven percent of women surveyed stated they do not like how they look. In other words, for every woman who is unhappy with her looks, there are eight who are happy.
In findings that signal a movement against stereotypical depictions of beauty, The Dove Report makes widely known what many American women have been speaking about among themselves – they want to be valued for more than their looks. Being appreciated honored and respected for their character, accomplishments, intelligence and sense of self is what really makes them beautiful. The results are in: 79 percent of women said they wished a woman could be considered beautiful even if she is not physically perfect.