Dove: Toxic Influence by Ogilvy

Following last year’s powerful ‘Reverse Selfie’ campaign, Unilever-owned Dove has released another hard-hitting film detailing the toxic beauty advice that many teens come across on their social media feeds.

‘Toxic Influence’ features various mother-daughter duos engaging in conversations around the beauty advice that is prevalent on apps such as Instagram. The film begins with one of the moms somewhat naively stating: “In terms of her building her confidence, it can build her confidence” in regard to what her child sees online, with her daughter commenting that most of the people she follows have had a good influence on her.

As the film continues, the producers ask the young women to start scrolling on their phones and the message ‘most parents underestimate how harmful toxic beauty advice can be on social media’ pops up on the screen.

Taking a darker turn, the video then states that using face-mapping technology Dove has quite literally put the toxic advice of some influencers into the mouths of the mothers. Shocked, the families look on as the moms say, “Botox is amazing, you’re never too young to start” and ”if your teeth are uneven you can always file them down with a nail file.”