Idea:
Girls Room is a series that explores teens’ self-esteem in the modern day through the eyes of five young women, as they face the challenges of growing up in today's social media-saturated world. The series follows each character as they address barriers to self-esteem that teen girls are facing every day–from the pressures of social media, teasing and bullying, to dealing with body insecurities. The creative idea stems from Dove’s Self-Esteem Project and its academically validated research on teens and body image. The project was co-created with academic experts and brought to life by the unique voice of Emmy-winning writer, producer, actor, and activist Lena Waithe, who drew from her personal experience to craft the narrative.

Challenge:
Young people are deeply impacted by what they see on social media. What they see shapes their relationship with their bodies and their definition of beauty. In fact, young people today report feeling anxious about their appearance more often than about career prospects or money. The resulting low body confidence and beauty anxieties keep them from being their best selves, affecting their health, friendships, and even performance at school.

For years, Dove has been promoting body positivity in its marketing in an effort to expand peoples' narrow definitions of "real beauty.” For this project, the objective was to connect with teens and help them overcome body image issues and build positive confidence and self-esteem through content that didn’t feel like advertising at all. 

In order to reach the audience where they live online, Girls Room was shot entirely in a vertical format. We worked with ATTN: – a media company that bridges entertainment with topical issues to explain the world around us - and premiered the series in weekly installments on their Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Impact:
Girls Room was rolled out on ATTN:'s digital platforms and received hundreds of thousands of views, as well as positive press pickups in publications such as Essence, MadameNoir, Deadline, and Romper. The series won the Tribeca X award for best series at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival.