Dove Self-Esteem Project (DSEP)

In collaboration with UNICEF India, BBC Media Action, and Dove, has helped develop and evaluate a comics-based body image intervention for government schools in rural India based on a popular Indian TV series, AdhaFULL. This six-session intervention explores and discusses difficult topics including gender stereotypes, appearance comparisons, body talk, and media messaging around appearance ideals within the Indian context.

CAR has provided expertise on content, evaluated the comics for their acceptability and assessed their effectiveness through a randomized control trial. The intervention uses an innovative 'edutainment' approach and is the first effective teacher-delivered school-based body image intervention in India, which can be implemented at scale using minimal resources. This intervention is currently being disseminated by UNICEF across eight states of India, consequently helping to address the mental health needs of adolescents in this country. More information can be found on our podcast.

In collaboration with Girl Effect and Dove, CAR co-developed and led the evaluation of a series of engaging and culturally specific body confidence videos, disseminated via Facebook and YouTube .The series tells the fictitious story of a young woman named Putri who learns strategies to resist appearance pressures across adolescence and young adulthood through the help of animated time travellers, who are on a quest to save the world from appearance-related pressures. The intervention was shown to be effective in improving body image among Indonesian adolescent girls and has so far reached over 200,000 girls in Indonesia.

In collaboration with the Tucker Centre for Research on Girls and Women in Sport, this project aimed to develop the world’s first evidence-based, body image sporting programme for girls and a body image online training programme for coaches. Drawing on an embodiment framework and with downloadable session guides, session plans and activities, the programme was designed to help girls reclaim their confidence in their bodies and physical movement. The programs were co-created with girls and coaches from France, India, Japan, Mexico, the UK and the US. These are the first rigorously tested, effective, and scalable programs that improve girl athletes’ body confidence and trains coaches in creating a body positive culture. The program is currently being disseminated by Dove and other industry and community partners in ten countries.

Building on CAR’s work on school-based body image interventions for adolescents, CAR worked with UNICEF Indonesia and researchers from the University of Indonesia and University of Hawaii to co-develop a single-session body image lesson for teachers to deliver to secondary school students in Indonesia. The lesson is an adaption of the single-session version of Dove Confident Me. CAR led an RCT evaluation of the lesson with almost 2,000 students and a dozen school guidance counsellors in 2021-2022, during partial COVID-19 lockdowns in Surabaya, East Java. As a result, much of the trial was run online - a significant deviation from initial plans. The lesson was largely well received by students and counsellors, and recommendations for improvements were identified. The lesson plan and associated teacher training have been embedded into UNICEF’s Life Skills Education curriculum in collaboration with the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.

An evidence-based eBook written by body image experts, Sigrun Danielsdottir and researchers from the Centre for Appearance Research, The Wizard’s Tale: A Magical Journey Celebrating Body Confidence, helps parents and guardians to teach their kids about diversity and the importance of celebrating and respecting our differences. Specially created to draw upon key themes relating to body confidence in young people. Read more and download the eBook.

Designed for teachers, ‘Confident Me’ is an evidence-based classroom-based teacher-led workshop available in a one or five session format. Now a global programme available in multiple languages, the intervention has been evaluated by CAR for use in the UK and India, with independent replications underway in Portugal and Australia. Find out more about the 'Confident Me' workshops.

Read the article Evaluating the “Dove Confident Me” Five-Session Body Image Intervention Delivered by Teachers in Schools.

‘Free Being Me’ is a World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts non-formal education curriculum about body confidence and self-esteem. It has helped over 6.5 million Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, from more than 125 countries, value themselves, see beauty in diversity and take action to tackle the root-causes of low body confidence and self-esteem in society. The programme is based on a cognitive-dissonance methodology developed by CAR, and Drs Eric Stice and Carolyn Becker. CAR has also evaluated its implementation in 50 countries and conducted preliminary efficacy trials in both the UK and India.

With 5.1m views and 72,000 engagements to date, this award-winning, five-part digital TV series written by Emmy-award winning, Lena Waithe, highlights everyday challenges girls face relating to body confidence. The series is ground-breaking for using social media as a strategic and positive tool to empower girls. CAR advised on the script development and shoot, and conducted research into its impact as a micro-intervention tool on US adolescent girls body image and attitudes toward appearance diversity. Find out more about the series. 

Working with Cartoon Network and the award-winning creator of the Steven Universe cartoon series, the Dove Self-Esteem Project (DSEP) and CAR helped to develop and evaluate short animated films and a personalised e-book for children covering important topics relating to body image, including social media, celebrities and body functionality. Watch the series.  

In collaboration with Playmob and Dove, interactive playable digital micro-intervention games were developed to boost confidence and promote appearance diversity among eleven to fourteen year old and six to nine year old children respectively. Children overcome body image obstacles to become self-esteem heroes. Recent research from CAR shows playing the 90-second playable was associated with improvements to body image among children. More information about the Self-Esteem Team game.

Working closely with adolescents, academic collaborators, and translators, the team has been adapting tools to be able to accurately measure body image concerns across the globe. Developing reliable and valid questionnaires is essential to understand changes in body image and other related concepts like mood, self-esteem, and life engagement. This process involves adapting existing accredited tools in English (also known as validation), which requires rigorous processes including numerous translations and testing with adolescents to ensure comprehension and cultural appropriateness for different contexts. Having validated body image and related measures for different countries is critical to developing the evidence base in various cultures, allowing future researchers to accurately measure body image and associated changes in different settings.

The CAR Dove team is validating multiple measures in conjunction with King’s College London for adolescents in three different countries: Brazil, India, and Indonesia. Additional collaborators include the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Southern Minas Gerais, the University of Sao Paulo, the University of Indonesia, and the University of Hawai’i.