Steven Universe Cartoons for Dove Highlight Self-Esteem-Crushing Expectations That Girls Face

Young people’s perception today of the world and themselves can be hugely impacted by the images they see on screen.

This year, Dove has joined forces with Cartoon Network’s ‘Steven Universe’ cartoon series, a unique partnership in which an entertainment property kids enjoy tuning into – Steven Universe - is combined with academically validated research in self-esteem and body confidence.

The result being six short Steven Universe cartoons that are proven to positively impact body confidence.

 The Dove Self-Esteem Project has been helping kids build self-esteem and body confidence for over 14 years through academically proven school, parent and youth leader programmes. This new and innovative approach of creating educational branded content, will happen in addition to these existing programmes.

To spread awareness of this new approach, Dove and Ogilvy UK have introduced a series of videos as part of a new ‘I’m Fine’ campaign. These are bespoke animations which delve into the perceptions of four girls from the USA, Brazil, Mexico and France, battling with self-esteem, showcasing their individual stories told in their own words.

Typically, when young girls are asked by their parents or other family members and friends how they are doing, a standard response is a shrug or one-word answer. However, on most days loved ones can often see that isn’t the whole story. Over half of young girls worldwide don’t feel confident in the way they look – a shocking reality for self-perception in the next generation.

The series of films works to deconstruct the phrase “I’m fine”, providing an unfiltered insight into self-esteem issues in a powerful and truly personal way. The ‘I’m Fine’ series brings the Dove and Cartoon Network partnership to light, highlighting the need and importance of the work it is doing and encouraging parents and adults to be aware of the self-esteem issues kids face daily. Ultimately, it wants to kickstart more open conversations providing the support of Dove’s Self-Esteem education tools.

The idea all began with the concept of casting girls from different geographies who had their own challenges with appearance related self-esteem. The aim was to find girls whose stories had universal insights, and yet were unique, personal and urged audiences to pay attention. In turning those individual stories into musical performances and accompanying bespoke animation, all in local languages, the films work to illuminate what is really going on to adults and parents worldwide in an impactful way, encouraging them to help a girl in their life. The girls courageously put into words their issues with self-esteem and how they expressed thoughts and feelings, showcasing what they really thought and felt in real life.

One example is the story of Nesida from New York– she goes from her kitchen into an animation sequence, showing how she overcomes her negative thoughts and insecurities which plague her mind in school and beyond, grappling with wanting to fit in.

Another example is Karla, from Mexico City who uses gymnastics and mathematics to help her express herself:

These films have been crafted to raise awareness of both the Dove Self-Esteem Project and the partnership between Dove and Cartoon Network, which consists of animated shorts featuring Steven Universe characters discussing physical comparisons and bullying. These explore multiple different themes related to self-esteem – all of which are validated by academic experts to ensure the content can tangibly improve the self-esteem of the children who watch it.

This campaign is one facet of the Dove Self-Esteem Project, the biggest self-esteem education programme of its kind in the world today. The vision for the initiative is to empower girls to view beauty as a source of confidence, not anxiety. Ensuring the next generation grows up with a positive association with who they are and how they look. The Dove Self-Esteem Project exists in 140 countries around the world is committed to reaching 40 million young people by 2020 through its existing educational programmes; and with the help of Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe, will now reach 20 million more.

The films will be broadcast across social and digital channels and in cinemas across the UK, France and Brazil with a call to action to help make every girl a #ConfidentGirl.