2 percent?

Only 2 percent of women describe themselves as beautiful. That's what new studies are saying. This is horrible. Just scary horrible. I think all of you are beautiful, just for the record. Dove® and a few other brands are starting a new trend called, "The Campaign for Real Beauty." According to Dove's website, "Real Women have real bodies with real curves. And Dove wants to celebrate those curves." Yay!

According to one article, this could be a risky marketing campaign because "The "real beauty" ads still need to sell women on the idea that they need these products to become even better." Why do they mention this? Dove products are typically soap, hair, and skin products, not your run of the mill hide-your-flaws products. Most other news articles focused on the positive aspects of the campaign. Risky? Maybe. Timely? YES.

The first six women in the ads were women plucked off the street due to an inner spark or a flash of confidence. The ads are unretouched and the women are shown in plain, white underwear. They are gorgeous. They have mommy bellies, dark skin, pale skin, golden skin, thick thighs, etc.

I honestly don't care what Dove's motives are for running this campaign. Nope. Not a bit. They are doing it and that is meaningful for me.

I am not skinny. I am not model-beautiful or have long, blonde hair and a tiny upturned nose. I am normal. I've never been into living my preconceived statistical life. I'm learning how to call myself beautiful. We should all raise that pitiful statistic from 2 percent to a much higher number, counting more and more women who call themselves beautiful. If seeing real women on tv or in ads helps, thank you Dove.