Viral Ad Campaign Has Powerful Message About Body Image & Social Media’s Effects on Young Girls [Video]

TW: Sensitive content. This post features real stories about body appearance that may be upsetting to some readers.

Dove has been known for years for it’s body-positive branding, including slogans such as “Changing the Face of Beauty” and spearheading efforts like the Self-Esteem Project. Their latest stunning PSA is another example of their commitment to making beauty standards more diverse and less harmful to the children who consume beauty content online. In this mega-viral 3-minute video, the Dove Self-Esteem Project shows the harm that long-term exposure to certain social media content can do to children consuming it every single day.

The ad starts out focusing on a cute little girl named Mary. We watch her grow as the song “You Are So Beautiful to Me” plays in the background. We see a silly, excited, creative young girl blossom into a tween before our eyes. Then, we see Mary receive her first smart phone.

Soon, Mary begins to change. As she grows …