Global body confidence education project supported by UWE Bristol reaches 20 year milestone

A global initiative supported by UWE Bristol to build body confidence and self-esteem for the next generation of young people has celebrated its 20^th anniversary.

The Dove Self-Esteem Project was set up in 2004 and has become the largest body confidence and self-esteem education provider in the world, offering no-cost, academically validated tools to parents, teachers, mentors and children.

To date, the project has reached more than 114 million young people globally across 153 countries, with a goal of reaching 250 million young lives by 2030. The project aims to support a future where younger generations can experience a healthy and positive relationship with the way they look.

UWE Bristol’s Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) has been a key partner on the project since 2014, developing and evaluating body image interventions for young people globally.

Over the past 10 years, CAR researchers have been funded by Dove to work on the Dove Self-Esteem Project global education programmes, addressing the psychological, social, cultural and resource-based challenges to improving self-esteem and body image among young people.

The interventions developed by the CAR team have involved working with young people, parents, educators and technology experts, as well as global youth organisations such as Nike, the Cartoon Network, UNICEF and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

Among the interventions developed to date are ‘Confident Me’, a free school workshop series where teachers encourage teenagers to build their self-confidence in the face of unrealistic images promoted in the media, and ‘Free Being Me’, an interactive programme delivered to more than 3.5 million children aged seven to 19 across more than 120 countries.

Professor Phillippa Diedrichs, from CAR, said: “It’s incredibly rewarding to see our evidence-based tools empowering young people globally, reducing the typical long wait for academic research to have real-world impact. Together with Dove, we’re ensuring effective, fun and engaging body confidence resources reach those who need them now.”

UWE Bristol’s work with the Dove Self-Esteem Project has continued this year, with the initiative extending its reach to support an even younger audience. This follows research revealing that body image concerns can start to manifest as early as four years old, and with one in four girls aged four to six years disliking something about their appearance. Body image experts from CAR worked with popular live-action preschool brand, Blippi, on a new series of inclusive, interactive and educational content that fosters positive conversations around body confidence and self-esteem in children aged four to six.

Designed to inspire dynamic conversations that empower children and encourage a positive self-image, the content serves as valuable tools for building resilience and self-expression, allowing families to navigate these complex topics together. The Blippi episodes are available on Amazon and Blippi's YouTube channel, with free resources also available to download online at www.dove.com/uk/blippi.html

Dr Nadia Craddock, a Senior Research Fellow in CAR, said: “Low body confidence is not just an adolescent concern. In our research conducted earlier this year, we found that while the majority of young children (aged four to six years) we spoke with indicated they were happy with their bodies, a sizeable proportion were not. As many as one in five children showed signs of low body confidence. This is concerning in such a young age group.”