Gabrielle Union and Zaya Wade went to Instagram on Friday to share some advice about removing toxic beauty advice on social media.
“We’ve all seen toxic beauty advice on social media and we think it’s time we ended it,” the two said. “If a post tells you, you’re not pretty enough, unfollow. If someone says natural hair is ugly, mute. If you see anything that makes you feel like you’re not beautiful, simply remove it from your feed.”
“I won’t follow anyone into thinking I’m not beautiful,” Zaya added. “We don’t want you to either.”
The family’s statement is part of a partnership with the Dove Self-Esteem Project, an initiative that encourages parents to talk to their teens about avoiding toxic beauty advice on social media.
“The Dove Self-Esteem Project, along with influential voices like Gabrielle Union and Zaya Wade, have joined forces to launch #DetoxYourFeed – a NEW campaign aiming to expose toxic beauty advice on social media, while empowering teens to define their own beauty standards, choose their own influences and encourage them to unfollow anything that doesn’t make them feel good about themselves,” the company said in a statement to Blavity.
According to the initiative, 71% of girls felt better after unfollowing idealized beauty content on social media. Additionally, 80% of girls said they would like their parents to talk to them about how to manage idealized beauty advice on social media.
“Teens in the US are spending increasing amounts of time on social media. NEW Dove Self-Esteem Project research proves this to be true. 2 in 3 girls in the US are spending more than an hour each day on social media, which is more than they are spending in person with friends,” Dove stated. “Beauty advice fills their feeds, but unfortunately, it is not all positive. In fact, 1 in 2 girls say idealized beauty content on social media causes low self-esteem.”
The #DetoxYourFeed campaign is using a series of films, educational content and partnerships with inspiring voices to encourage “conversations between parents, caregivers and teens about the dangers of toxic beauty advice.”
“This campaign is important as public discourse grows around the harmful effects social media can have on girls. It contextualizes the insidious nature of harmful beauty advice that’s become normalized in teens’ feeds,” Nadia Addesi, a registered social worker and psychotherapist, said. “While it might feel harmless, given half of girls say social media causes low self-esteem, ongoing exposure has the potential to have a negative and lasting impact.”
