Self-Esteem Day was born to support the importance of beauty in all its forms and to promote a more inclusive and correct use of words. With the patronage of the Municipality of Milan and took place inside the Dome set up at the Indro Montanelli Public Gardens on June 15th: a moment of discussion, reflection and sharing on issues related to the value of self-esteem: from the role of family and school to toxic words related to beauty on social media, up to stereotypes about perfection and the value of inclusiveness. The goal is to help normalize the difference in the name of freedom and self-determination of one’s body, because as Dorothy says in the Wizard of Oz, “If we don’t set out, we won’t get anywhere”. Presented by the writer Chiara Tagliaferrithe talk saw the participation of numerous influential personalities on social networks and therefore very close to young people.
Stefania Andreoli, psychotherapist, highlighted how important self-esteem is for the little ones but also for adolescents. He spoke of desires and expectations because as Professor Rosenthal had shown with the Pygmalion effect: the expectations we have about others can make true prophecies come true.
The value of self-esteem for adolescents
They also intervened on the value of self-esteem Sandro Marenco, known as the Prof. of social media, he talked about his experience at school with teenagers and the need to educate them about beauty, what is hidden behind things and not the beauty that others want. The Pozzolis Family, the funniest family on the web, represented by Gianmarco and Alice, explained how they try, as parents, to help their children in building self-esteem also in consideration of exposure on social media, inviting parents to pay attention to the words used for talk about other people, e Nick Cerioni, stylist of Måneskin, shared her experience in helping people to break down the barriers of gender identity through clothing.
Social beauty
In the second panel dedicated to how beauty is transmitted on social media, they intervened Benedetta De Luca, influencer fighting for the inclusion of people with disabilities:
Oxana Lipkaan albino model who fights against discrimination, shared her personal experience by promoting social networks as a platform to bring about positive change by reversing the course. Beatrice Valli, model and influencer, ambassador of Dove, told how it contributes to change toxicity on social media and to overcome common stereotypes about beauty even in important phases such as pregnancy: “If I’m fine and my children are fine, who are you to judge the my body? ”he said. Sara Ventura instead he illustrated his experience as a personal trainer and life coach who helps women to feel beautiful and to love their body in its uniqueness.
The weight of stereotypes
They talked about stereotypes by telling their stories Valentina Dallari, deejay, influencer and writer, who demonstrated how television exposure but also social media, especially in Instagram where the image plays an increasingly important role, can do harm. Luciano Spinelli, among the best known tiktokers in Italy, Carly Tommasinitransgender activist and model who talked about how you can face, and overcome, the weight of the gaze of others:
On stage he also intervened Simone MarchettiVanity Fair European editorial Director & Vanity Fair Italia Editor in Chief.
The path supported by Dove to rewrite beauty continues with the dedicated campaign #DetoxYourFeed which aims, on the one hand, to encourage adolescents to define their own beauty standards by increasing their awareness of the insidious nature of toxic beauty tips found online and, on the other, to help parents move in difficult conversations and give their children the opportunity not to follow the contents that make them feel bad about themselves. All with educational resources available on the platform Where Self-esteem project.
Source: Vanity Fair
