A social experiment has revealed that 80% of women feel anxious about the way they look - but it also highlights how the right state of mind can change that.
The experiment was conducted by psychologist and New York Times best-selling author, Dr Ann Kearney-Cooke, for Dove. Dr Kearney-Cooke has spent 30 years conducting scientific research around women's body image and self-esteem.
Dr Kearney-Cooke invited the participants to wear a custom-made "beauty patch" for two weeks (yes, they apparently believed this) to help them feel more beautiful.
The women were then invited to keep a personal account of their life during the two weeks, with all of the women agreeing that the "beauty patch" helped to improve their self-esteem and to change their personal lives in ways that they had not imagined.
However, at the end of the experiment, Dr Kearney-Cooke reveals that the "beauty patch" contained absolutely nothing.
"When a woman feels beautiful, she radiates happiness and confidence, which inspires her life in a significant way," said Dr Kearney-Cooke.
"These women, like so many others, struggle to recognise their own beauty and it severely affects their daily lives. This study was designed to illustrate that beauty is a state of mind and that the power to feel beautiful comes from within."
Dr Kearney-Cooke hopes that the stories featured in the film (below) will serve as examples and encourage all women to develop a more confident and "stronger relationship with their own beauty."
As a brand, Dove has set a goal of reaching improving the self-esteem of 15 million young lives by the end of 2015. The company says it has reached 12 million to date.
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