Dove: Girls Are So Much More Than How They Look

'Change the Compliment' extolls achievement and quality of character

Words matter. Dove makes that point crystal clear in “Change the Compliment,” which asks folks to focus their praise on ability and character rather than physical appearance.

So, “strong,” “kind” and “clever” replace—or at least accompany—”gorgeous,” “cute” and “adorbs.”

“The provocation here is that what feels like a harmless, positive behavior is actually the root of our confidence issues as girls and women,” says Emily Garvey, strategy lead at Zulu Alpha Kilo New York, which developed the initiative.

Spanning 25 countries starting this week, “The work had to spark a cultural conversation to change how people see what they’ve always accepted,” she says.

The point, of course, is to build self-esteem over the long haul by nurturing traits that benefit girls—and, by extension, all humans. It’s a shift that feels in step with the times, an extension of the brand’s vaunted “Real Beauty” ethos, using descriptions that resonate beyond an image in the mirror.

Dove timed the launch to the International Day of the Girl on Oct. 11.