We all know Dove as the brand with some serious feel-good factor, but they took body confidence to a new level when they became the founding partner of the Be Real Campaign last year and presented their own award at The Body Confidence Awards. Brand Director, Lucy Attley explains…

What are the Body Confidence Awards all about?

The Body Confidence Awards are the result of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on body image to recognise and celebrate the achievements and best practice of those who promote body confidence within various industries. As a founding partner of the Be Real Campaign, Dove were delighted to present our own award – the Dove Self-Esteem Award.

Why did Dove get involved?

Dove wants to make beauty a source of confidence, not anxiety, for women everywhere. When the Campaign for Real Beauty launched in 2004, a staggering 75% of women felt that advertising and media set unrealistic standards of beauty – a figure which happily has lowered to 66% today, with the perception being that more diversity is portrayed in the images of women we see around us. We truly believe that Dove has played a role in changing this perception for the better.

What have been the most impressive brand features you have come across?

From our side, our greatest testimony is that we hear from thousands of women every year who say that Dove has made a positive impact on their lives. This is particularly true of the work we do with the Dove Self Esteem Projectwhere we have reached over 1.3m young people to-date (July 2014) with self-esteem education.

Why do you think body confidence is such an important issue?

We believe it is unacceptable that more than half the UK population suffers from body image anxiety. It’s a critical public health issue that causes depression, health and relationship problems, poor participation in school and lack of progression at work. From our research, we know that 47% of 11-14 year old girls are opting out of everyday activities such as swimming and speaking up in class because they don’t like how they look – a figure that must be changed.

What do you think is key to body confidence?

The key is, quite simply, that the next generation of women and young girls develop a positive relationship with the way they look. Do we believe a day will come where every woman feels confident enough to call themselves ‘beautiful’? That is our ultimate goal, and we won’t stop our work until we reach it. It’s so important to love yourself and not judge yourself against others or against unrealistic beauty ideals.

What makes you feel ultra confident?

Seeing the effects of the Dove Self-Esteem Project on the lives that it reaches – it’s so rewarding seeing young people building the foundations of a confident future that it instils a confidence of its own. Having the love and support of friends and family around you plays such a big part in boosting people’s confidence – you don’t have to be alone on this journey.

Do you have a failsafe beauty product?

The Dove Original Cream Bar – it’s iconic! It epitomises the expertise of our products and rich heritage – without forgetting its fantastic moisturising properties.

Who do you admire?

Strong women who have defined the industry today – for example Dr Susie Orbach and CEW’s Caroline Neville. Their determination and work throughout their careers is hugely inspiring and the reason they are selected amongst the 100 Leading Ladies of our time.

Do you have a favourite spa treatment and why?

There are so many amazing new spa treatments these days but I still think it’s hard to beat a Jacuzzi and a gossip with my best girl friends.

Complete this sentence: a confident woman is…

…one who is happy with the beautiful woman she truly is.

We like to encourage everyone to do one thing each week to be kind to themselves; what are you going to do to #bekindtoyou?

I’ll acknowledge and be grateful for everything that my body allows me to do on a daily basis.