Say Goodbye to being Camera Shy

Tips from Jess Weiner, 
Dove Global Self-Esteem Ambassador

New Delhi July 18, 2013: A new study by Dove reveals that Indian women are missing out on some of life’s most memorable moments because they are not happy with the way they look. A sense of anxiety about their appearance prevents them from capturing precious memories on camera, including those of their own wedding or the birth of their child or special family holidays.

In a global survey conducted in February 2013, 3 out of 4 Indian women interviewed, felt that they are not beautiful. 69% of women from the subcontinent admitted to being camera shy, citing that they often feel self-conscious or uncomfortable having their photo taken because they do not feel they are beautiful. 

Dove is committed to creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. In response to the survey findings, Dove created a short film, Camera Shy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGngKsEm6CM to raise the question about why adult women hide from the camera, but loved the camera when they were little girls. Women should feel confident to smile for their next photo, so they do not lose out on capturing their precious memories. Dove encourages women to celebrate their own beauty with tips to help them “say goodbye to being camera shy.” 

“We know that women are very self-critical when it comes to their looks and that this can have an impact on self-esteem, confidence and happiness,” said Mr. Srinandan Sundaram, General Manager, Haircare, Hindustan Unilever Limited. “This study shows that women, who are their own worst beauty critic, have anxiety that stops them from feeling confident in front of the camera and causes them to miss out on capturing important moments in their lives. We want that to change.”

Women struggle to see the beauty in themselves. Dove wants to inspire women to reconsider their beauty and recognize that they are more beautiful than they think. Encouraging women and the next generation to develop a positive relationship with beauty can help raise their self-esteem and thereby enable them to realize their full potential. 

Girls mirror their mother’s behavior about beauty, confidence and self-esteem. It is important that mothers recognize the beauty in themselves and set positive examples for their daughters.

Dove wants to remind women to recapture the feeling they had when they were young and fearless in front of the camera, embrace their own beauty without reservation and pass those lessons on to a girl in her life. The brand has set a global goal of reaching 15 million young lives with self-esteem programming by the end of 2015 and has reached 11 million so far. Together we can create a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety for women and girls of all ages. 

Here are some tips to help women boost their spirits and say goodbye to a camera shy mindset by Jess Weiner, Dove Global Self-Esteem Ambassador:

• Ban beauty-bashing comments such as “I look so fat” or “I’m having bad hair day.” Negative talk makes everyone feel anxious about their looks. The more positive affirmations you make about her own beauty, the more her self-confidence will soar.
• Nobody is perfect. Remember that those “perfect” images of celebrities have been styled and retouched by a team of professionals from start to finish. There is no such thing as perfect beauty.
• Women should not get caught up about how they look in a photo, but rather think about when they are 70 and remember how great it will be to have captured that time in life.
• Finally, Focus on Making Memories. Instead of stressing about looks in a photo, women should think about how they will FEEL when looking back 5, 10 and 50 years from now remembering the joy they had at the beach with family or the celebration shared with friends. When women focus on the type of memory being made, they will find that their face and body will relax, resulting in more natural, genuine smile and true enjoyment.