BEAUTY

Dove Real Beauty Productions Teams with Shonda Rhimes for a Second Season of Inspiring New Women-led Content

ByNews Staff

May 04, 2018 06:48 AM EDT

With Shonda Rhimes returning as Chief Storyteller, Dove Real Beauty Productions releases its first film of Season 2, "An Hour With Her." Dove Real Beauty Productions launched in March 2017 to shift the power of storytelling from Hollywood into the hands of real women who are boldly expanding the definition of beauty in their communities. This year, Real Beauty Productions is showing the incredible journey of women and girls who have been impacted by the Dove Self-Esteem Project and the inspiring intergenerational connection each has made around beauty, confidence and self-esteem. The four-minute first installment, directed by iconic dancer, choreographer, and actress Debbie Allen, follows Chelsea Harris and Caralyn Singleterry whose shared journey of confronting appearance-related negativity inspires each to embrace their beauty, develop confidence and reclaim their power.

irls today navigate a 24-hour pop-culture, social media, always-on news cycle that can negatively impact their self-esteem. Dove research shows six in 10 girls believe that media and advertising set an unrealistic standard of beauty most women can't achieve.1 The result, 8 in 10 girls with low body confidence will opt out of important activities such as raising their hands to voice their opinion.2 The Dove Self-Esteem Project launched in 2004 to help change that. Leading experts agree that one hour spent talking to a girl about beauty, confidence and self-esteem can help change the way she sees herself for a lifetime. In "An Hour With Her," Chelsea Harris taps into the lessons she learned participating in the Dove Self-Esteem Project 10 years ago to mentor 17-year-old aspiring actress and student Caralyn Singleterry. During their hour together, they connect through similar experiences of low self-esteem and bullying that pulled them both back from pursuing their dreams. Through her experience with the Dove Self-Esteem Project, Chelsea overcame her self-doubt and now she's paying it forward to Caralyn.

"It was truly moving to see the powerful mentorship develop between Chelsea and Caralyn as we filmed," said director Debbie Allen. "My experiences working in Hollywood over the last few decades have allowed me to forge relationships like theirs - as both the mentor and mentee - that shaped the way I see myself. It was a privilege to bring their stories to life with a 100% female crew beside me, each with their own stories and perspective that helped shape this film."

The Dove Self-Esteem Project has become the largest provider of self-esteem education in the world, helping more than 20 million young people develop a positive relationship with the way they look by encouraging women to spend time talking to a girl in their life about beauty, confidence and self-esteem. From learning how to interpret destructive messages in the media to helping girls navigate toxic friendships at school, the Dove Self-Esteem Project provides free, accredited educational tools and resources addressing today's biggest barriers to a girl's self-esteem that anyone can use to have a positive conversation with a girl in their life.

"Dove has always been committed to creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety," said Amy Stepanian, Marketing Director of Dove. "As a global beauty brand, we have a responsibility to encourage the next generation to develop a positive relationship with their appearance in order to reach their full potential. We know that more than half of girls aged 10-17 are facing low self-esteem and it's leading them to opt out of important activities in life. In moments like seeing Caralyn overcome her struggles with confidence and get back on stage to pursue her dreams of acting we find our biggest inspiration."

Together, we can inspire the next generation to embrace their beauty, develop confidence and reclaim their power - join us to reach 40 million girls with self-esteem education by 2020. Tune into "An Hour With Her" at Dove.com/HourWithHer to change how a girl sees herself and imagines her potential - your #HourWithHer can improve a girl's self-esteem for a lifetime.