“The Cost of Beauty”: Dove’s New Ad That’s Based on A True Story Left Viewers in Tears With Its Powerful Ending

Dove’s groundbreaking ad campaign is set to revolutionize the way we view social media and its impact on our children’s self-image. In a powerful and thought-provoking ad, Dove exposes the hidden dangers behind the screens, shedding light on the detrimental effects social media can have on young minds.

Enter Mary, a brave and resilient young woman who embarks on a journey of recovery from a battle with an eating disorder. Witness her inspiring transformation as she reclaims her true identity. Dove’s campaign is an urgent wake-up call, for the sake of our children’s mental well-being.

The video follows Mary’s childhood

As part of Dove’s new campaign Dove Self-Esteem Project’s Campaign, the hygiene brand created a powerful movie ad called Cost of Beauty: A Dove Film. It follows the childhood of a British girl called Mary. This true story starts with Mary as a young girl, happy and carefree as she plays around with her friends. She looks like the perfect happy child with no concerns about the world or herself.

The effects of social media

As the video continues, we see Mary grow up before our eyes with candid home videos, until we reach her 12th birthday. Here we see her receiving a cell phone for her birthday, and soon after she becomes withdrawn, watching dieting tip videos on social media sites. The ad becomes darker and more tragic when we realize she is watching her weight and diet as a young woman.

We see clips from her diary entries about her food consumption, her body image, and her sense of self-worth to raise awareness of the dangers of social media.

Mary is hospitalized

We soon realize that Mary has been hospitalized for an eating disorder, with video snapshots and photos of her in hospital with IV drips and her breaking down at the end, on video.

Dove wants us to understand just how damaging social media can be for children and young people.

Today, Mary is in recovery from an eating disorder, with her mom supporting her. Social media content is not only damaging with the effect of developing an eating disorder, but young people are also more likely to develop depression and anxiety. As shown at the end of the ad, several other young women are in recovery from the negative effects of social media.

Dove is a company known for their powerful campaigns against the harmful effects of the cosmetic, fashion, and digital world on people all around the world. They are constantly trying to break the rules of mass media and fashion to make it more inclusive and to represent normal people simply being themselves.