Our industry has come a long way in representing women in more diverse and authentic ways. But women around the world are speaking up to remind us that we’re far from done.

70% of women say they still don’t feel represented in the images they see every day. Many of us know the phrase ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’, yet many images continue to impose unrealistic beauty standards that present a narrow view of who we are, what we should look like, and we can achieve. Every day, women’s lives are affected by these limitations, exclusions and stereotypes, in ways both big and small. It affects our health, relationships and opportunities in life.

Dove, long champions of real beauty and inclusivity, wanted advertising to depict real women. Women that would be recognizable.

It was our mission to elevate this campaign for change, showcasing the images authentically where beauty standards are defined – the fashion and beauty publishing industry. We needed to get photos from the collection used far and wide, to better represent real women.

We embarked on a collaboration with Hearst – spanning five major female-focused publications. Each were given access to the #ShowUs images, with a challenge to infuse them in across annual May issues and digital content. Editors took unprecedented steps to natively integrate the campaign within content trusted by their readers. For consumers, each execution was seamlessly tied together with the line, “A Creative Collaboration by (relevant Hearst Title) and Dove”.

As part of this expansive media partnership:

•O, Magazine replaced photoshoots for its Beauty O-wards, using #ShowUs images instead.

•Harper’s Bazaar added a sixth chapter highlighting Modern Beauty – a new section of the publication that included guest collaborators from Girlgaze and Getty Images.

•Cosmo Editors across each content section highlighted women from the collection as their personal beauty muse. Editor-in-Chief, Jessica Pels, set the stage for the partnership within her Opening Letter.

•Elle centered editorial around tattoos as a means of self-expression.

•Marie Claire created custom content (The Confidence Code) inspired by the collection to help their readers increase confidence.

In addition, supplementing the native editorial, 14 standard ads featuring women from the collection were tailored for each title.

Lastly, Hearst opened its doors to host an event about representation of women in media, moderated by Dove, and inviting Marie Claire, Girlgaze, Getty and #ShowUs women to the stage.

The Hearst partnership reached more than 20 million women in the US. It seamlessly integrated 150+ #ShowUs images.

93% “strongly agreeing” or “agreeing” with the statement, “Dove shows that diversity and representation in media is possible.”

After seeing the campaign 92% of women agreed, “Dove inspires women to feel more confident about the way they look,” and 91% agreed “Dove proves that all women are uniquely beautiful.”

Project #ShowUs delivered an uplift of 4% brand affinity.

Over 12,000 #ShowUs images haven been downloaded from the bank. Additionally, numerous high-profile companies have also pledged to lean into the #ShowUs image bank and adapt the mission to reflect real women in their own advertising.