One in four women have some type of dry skin condition, such as eczema or psoriasis, but it's hard to come by a beauty campaign that reflects this. That changes with Dove's "Make Peace With Dry Skin" [2] campaign, an ad series that is here to give representation to women living with such conditions.
As part of the campaign, Dove has tapped women living with dry skin to be the faces of this series. According to Reena Ruparelia, a blogger who has psoriasis [3], it's crucial for women to feel seen in these ads.
"Psoriasis was just a part of my life," Reena said in a press release "It was always tapping me on my shoulder, but I didn't acknowledge it, I was pushing it away. I wasn't aware that it was affecting my self-esteem, but it affected my everyday decisions – the places I'd go, the clothing I'd wear. One of the ways I am making peace with my skin is through sharing my story on Instagram. Being online has also allowed me to process difficult emotions."
Another model is Mercedes Matz [5], who has eczema. She hopes this campaign will bring a realness to the skincare industry she finds lacks transparency. "You see perfect skin all over social media," Matz said. "But not everyone has perfect skin – whether it's eczema, psoriasis, acne, or whatever, the more we show it, the more people will accept it. Nobody is perfect. We should rock our scars. To me, true beauty is confidence in yourself and it's how you treat others."
Along with these faces, Dove is also tapping unofficial spokespersons via submissions on its #InMyOwnSkin [6] site. It's just another step toward inclusion in a year that's already had a few major brands forgoing Photoshop [7] or retouching [8] in an effort to make ads as diverse as possible. And that's something to get really, really excited about.
