Dove partners Getty Images to 'shatter' beauty stereotypes in ads

Unilever’s Dove brand and Getty Images have partnered to launch an initiative called Project #ShowUs. This project includes a stock photo library created by women and non-binary individuals to “shatter” beauty stereotypes by showing women as they are, and not as others believe they should be.This new project aims to drive a “more diverse and inclusive” visual landscape through media and advertising. The stock photo library will be available for the media and advertising industries to view, license and use in their next project or campaign.Both Dove and Getty came together to put an end to the narrow definition of beauty consistently portrayed around the world, and to set a new standard for the “authentic, diverse and inclusive” representation of women across the world. Along with ad agency, Girlgaze, both Dove and Getty calls upon creative and media professionals to join in redefining how women are represented in the images, to celebrate a more diverse and inclusive portrayal of beauty and to support the confidence of women around the globe by showing them as they want to be seen. A press statement released by Getty Images said 70% of women revealed that they still do not feel represented in the images they see every day. Despite the decades of work by Dove, Getty Images and others to liberate women from limiting stereotypes, many images continue to impose unrealistic beauty standards.Project #ShowUs features individuals from 39 countries and each image created are by women and non-binary photographers. Claimed to the first time on Getty Images that every individual of the 179 photographed has personally defined their own search descriptions and tags for their images.Rebecca Swift, creative insights director at Getty Images said that while there has been a positive shift in the popularity of photography that realistically represents women, there’s a lot more to be done. Project #ShowUs looks to break visual clichés on an “unprecedented scale”.According to Sophie Galvani, global vice president, Dove, liberating women from narrow beauty ideals and showcasing beauty diversity in its advertising is not enough. The images in Project #ShowUs have been created and self-tagged by women and Dove is also offering women around the world the opportunity to become part of the change and add their images to the library. Amanda de Cadenet, founder and CEO of Girlgaze, said that Project #ShowUs is a game changing initiative.Project #ShowUs is also part of Unilever’s commitment to UN Women’s Unstereotype Alliance – a cross-industry global initiative which uses the power of advertising and media to free the world from harmful stereotypes that hold back people and society.(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)