March Unfiltered by TBWA

Bodyright has launched a campaign to encourage brands, influencers, and advertisers to use images on social media that are unfiltered and unretouched,

The campaign by the TBWA\New Zealand-owned initiative called “‘March Unfiltered’, wants to address the issue of filters being used by people online, resulting in mental health, body image, and self-esteem issues.

According to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, some people are undergoing surgery to change their appearances to be more attractive online.

To change this, the campaign wants people to use Ⓑ, a unicode symbol on their images or social profile. The symbol is proof that the images are unretouched and realistic.

During the week of “March Unfiltered”, Bodyright will flood social channels with images using the symbol to encourage people to do the same. Brands like Trilogy Skincare, 2degrees, and The Warehouse have already pledged to take part.

“Advertising agencies have been retouching images for years and social media has taken this to the next level in a way that negatively impacts people’s self-image, sense of self-worth, and self-esteem. People are creating images even of themselves that portray something that isn’t real or achievable,” said Catherine Harris, the chief executive at TBWA\NZ.

“That’s not real life and we shouldn’t expect people to hold a mirror up and feel disappointed when they don’t see perfection. March Unfiltered is about letting everyone know no body is wrong, and that we all deserve to be comfortable and happy in our skin - that’s the point of the Bodyright movement.”