Dove Beauty Summit: Real Women, Real Beauty

At the first Dove Summit, the industry’s beauty leaders, celebrities and bloggers gathered at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Harbor Tent to celebrate real beauty. In crisp white outfits — the style choice we were advised to wear — and fresh, perfectly painted faces, we were ready to parade into the immaculate, white lounge and make merry. But before we could catch up and fully appreciate each other’s Instagram-worthy outfits, a slight change of plans.

“Please return to your rooms and remove all your makeup,” said Lexi Schulze-Berenguer-Testa, our bubbly host. Laughter ensued, smiles broke out. But as the minutes dragged on, a subtle but still palpable nervousness began to set in. “Even mascara? Or lipstick? Everything?” we asked.

Most women seemed game to play along, but there was an undeniable number who seemed hesitant. One divulged that even her husband has never seen her without makeup.  (She would wake up before sunrise just to pretty herself up).

Apples Aberin, the PR head of Unilever, gently urged the rest, as she stood onstage sans makeup. Underneath the bright klieg lights, she wasn’t shy to admit that it took a little bit of will power for her not to reach into her purse and pullout her concealer. “Unmasking is an emotional journey,” admitted Apples. “But you can become comfortable, too. Our wrinkles and laugh lines tell a story.”

If Aberin, a stalwart in Philippine fashion and modeling and one of the most recognized executives in the country, needed the security, the armor of makeup to feel better, what more us regular gals?

In a country where women have been recognized as the most beautiful in every major international beauty pageant, and in the metropolis where thousands of “selfies” are uploaded by the second (enough for Time magazine to proclaim Makati City and Pasig City as the “selfie” capital of the world), one would believe that Filipinas are not only confident, but they should have a better, healthier self-image. But the unfortunate fact is that only seven percent consider themselves beautiful. A shocking statistic, indeed.

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In a global survey conducted by Dove, with the participation of 6,000 women, in 20 countries, including the Philippines, it was found that “two out of three women felt pressured to be beautiful. And one out of two women felt critical of themselves. In the Philippines, 93 percent of Filipinas don’t even like the way they look,” stressed Mian Datu-David, Unilever marketing manager for skin.

Hoping to tip the scales and change the statistics, Dove steps in with its Real Beauty, Real Care campaign. As the leading brand in personal care, Dove believes that real beauty can be found in every person. And through its wide range of personal care products: Dove Skin, Dove Hair and Dove Deo, Filipinas can get the real care that they deserve. “We aim to inspire women to realize their personal potential for beauty. Dove believes that every woman has a potential to be her most beautiful self and that is what real beauty is all about,” Datu-David said.