The beauty brand Dove has taken a strong stand against oversexualised graphics of women in video games by releasing a new ad encouraging body confidence.
In the ad, viewers see a woman from a video game remove an oversexualised costume to reveal her true self, becoming visibly more comfortable and happy.
The campaign surrounding the ad comes after a new research study from Dove found that 60 per cent of girls and 62 per cent of women feel misrepresented in games.
The study also revealed that over one-third of young girls’ self-esteem is negatively impacted by a lack of diversity in avatar characters, with 74 per cent of women wishing for more inclusivity in female video game characters as well.
“Dove believes that beauty should be a source of confidence, not anxiety, in every aspect of life, both real and virtual,” said the global vice-president of Dove, Leandro Barreto.
“Although the games industry has made significant strides to become more inclusive, progress needs to be accelerated to challenge the narrow definitions of beauty still visible in the virtual world,” he said.
“Together with our partners, we hope to make a real impact on the millions of women and girls who spend their free time playing games.”
Underscoring the importance of making games inclusive, Dove says gaming has become the number one form of entertainment for teen girls in the US, with 83 per cent playing video games in their spare time and 60 per cent playing before the age of 10.
The company also says gaming can provide therapeutic benefits such as stress relief and brain stimulation, and that many women and girls are using video games to build connections and communities.
Dove partnered with gaming industry allies like Epic Games’s Unreal Engine education team and Women in Games to launch the ad.
The campaign was put on by Lola MullenLowe, whose executive creative director, Tomas Ostiglia said the ad “represented an opportunity for Dove to talk about inclusion and representation in gaming, using animation for the first time ever”.