All you need is Dove

Did you know that 95 percent of Filipinas do not feel beautiful and want to change their looks? Dark-skinned women want to be mestiza. Plump girls want to be thin. Short teens want to be tall. Curly-haired tweens want to have straight hair.

Sadly, all these negative body images affect girls at the most crucial stage of their lives, which is from six to 17 years old, and will eventually impact their long-term self-esteem.

A brand that has been successful in broadening the standards of beauty for years is Dove. Known for its moisturizing cream bar, Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty has been a global initiative for women to be inspired to take good care of themselves. Besides, there’s nothing more sexy than being comfortable in your own skin.

"All over the world, a lot of young girls suffer from hang-ups about their looks and consequently fail to reach their full potential in their lives. They become unsociable," says Stephanie Lim, Dove’s brand manager. "We created the Dove Self-Esteem Fund to educate young girls on a wider definition of beauty and inspire them to be confident to reach their full potential in life."

Dove chose equestrian and actress Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski as the official ambassador for the Self-Esteem Fund. Mikee believes that having self-confidence can make any woman glow. She enthuses, "I agreed to support the Dove Self-Esteem Fund because I want to share with young girls my own experience so that even in a small way I can empower young kids – especially young girls – to look into themselves and see that beauty is more than a glamorous face on TV."

In order to address the self-esteem problem that women have to go through each day, Dove introduced BodyTalk, a series of confidence-building workshops that aim to help young girls develop a positive self-image. The Girl Scouts of the Philippines lends its endorsement to this activity and will incorporate BodyTalk as part of its enrichment programs for members. Also, if you buy Dove, a portion of the sales will go to the fund as well.

Even local celebrities agreed to take part in Dove’s Self-Esteem Fund as guest speakers in order to reach out to girls and women and share their personal experiences in overcoming a negative self-image. Here are a few wise words:

Model, writer and yoga instructor Raya Mananquil shares the classic story of a pubescent girl on the road to womanhood as a stick-thin teenager. Raya says, "Any girl can be beautiful just as long as she takes care of herself. I care for my body by eating right and I practice yoga not only for its physical benefits but also because it nourishes my spirituality."

Fashion designer with kaleidoscopic signature style Kate Torralba thought that she was ugly, short, too pale, and thin. She explains, "I eventually discovered a way to hide my insecurities. I found solace in clothes and dressing up."

Nicole Fonacier won the MTV VJ Hunt in 2005 and that just proved that success did not depend on her size. She shares, "There is a lot more to me than my plus-sized body."

In Patricia Hizon’s case, she was called pango in her childhood years. Now, as a host and PBA anchor, she says, "You have to shine in one way or another and I was given the spotlight because of my brains. I care for myself in so many ways, both physically and emotionally. I believe that self-care is the first step to beauty."

Writer and singer Pam Pastor didn’t think she was on the heavy side, but people were trying to convince her otherwise. She explains, "I never saw my size as a disadvantage. I never let it stop me from doing what I wanted and discovering what I was good at."

Editor-in-chief Liza Ilarde-Cuenca was once insecure about her dark complexion in this fair-skin-obsessed society. She advises, "The most important step to being beautiful is having a positive self-image."

As they say, different strokes for different folks. But the truth is, women are not alone because we go through the same thing but with different experiences. To borrow a few lines from Christina Aguilera, "You are beautiful, no matter what they say, words can’t bring you down."

Dove is all you need to see the real beauty that counts.

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For more information about Dove’s Self-Esteem Fund and BodyTalk, log on to www.campaignforrealbeauty.com. E-mail love-hate whatever things to becca_rodriguez@yahoo.com or visit www.myspace.com/beccacrodriguez.