Dove helps portray new beauty standards with latest video release
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. — Dove Real Beauty Productions and creative director Shonda Rhimes have come together to release a second film titled "Meet Kylee" to illustrate the new standards that define feminine beauty.
"I never saw myself as beautiful," reported Kylee Howell, the subject of the latest film from Dove Real Beauty Productions, "because that was a word I only heard used to describe women who looked more traditional, who followed the 'rules.' Until recently, I didn't know that word applied to someone who looked like me."
Since launching in March 2017, Dove Real Beauty Productions has aimed to shift the power of storytelling from Hollywood into the hands of real women to ensure all women and girls can see their #RealBeauty represented in media and culture. A 100% female crew joined Shonda Rhimes to create the new three-minute film following Kylee's journey to discovering her own beauty by bucking conventions and cutting her hair into a bold style that truly suits her.
"I spend my life writing women as we truly are – human. That's why I'm proud to work with Dove Real Beauty Productions," Rhimes stated. "We don't need to be told we can be smart or strong or flawed. And we don't need to be told we come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. But we do need to see ourselves reflected that way," she said. "Every time you look at your screen and see a woman portrayed just as she is, sharing her humanity, being boldly herself, you are looking at someone beautiful. I thought of this when I met my new friend Kylee Howell. Her beauty shines through in everything she is and everything she does. Which is why I was excited to work with her to bring her story to life in this new film."
Living in a conventional town in Utah with a home that doubled as a beauty salon, Howell grew up enveloped by traditional views of beauty. She spent her adolescence feeling a disconnect between the femininity she saw around her and the styles she felt better represented who she was inside. In her 20s, Kylee decided to literally take beauty into her own hands. Kylee cut her hair daringly short for the first time and finally felt she was being true to herself with a style that expresses her #RealBeauty.
According to Dove, 74% of women believe more needs to be done to redefine beauty to be more inclusive. Howell was denied the short, barber-style haircut that made her feel most confident by beauty salons who didn't agree with her desired look. When she turned to barber shops, set was met with "men's only" signs in windows. Wanting to spare others from these experiences, she created a safe space for herself and others in her community at Friar Tuck's Barbershop – a place where women can explore their own notions of beauty.
"69% of women agree that they don't see themselves reflected in media and advertising – as a global beauty brand, we feel a responsibility to address this," noted Nick Soukas, VP marketing for Dove. "For 60 years, Dove has listened to and cared for real women like Kylee Howell, who boldly share their experiences with the hope that we can inspire women and girls everywhere to redefine beauty together."