Dove Makes History with World’s Largest Stock Photo Library Featuring ‘Real’ Women

Here’s a crazy thought; most women don’t feel represented by images they see in the media, whether it be from an age, body, ethnicity, or culture perspective. A global study conducted by Dove revealed that a whopping 70 percent of women do not feel represented by everyday images they see in the media. With this revelation in mind, Dove has just announced the launch of the world’s largest inclusive stock photo library that’s shattering body stereotypes! In collaboration with Getty Images, and Girlgaze Dove’s Project ShowUs offers the media industry the largest collection of images featuring ‘real’ women that can be used in news stories, features, and advertising campaigns.

Bringing the message closer to home, Dove South Africa has also revealed that 8 in 10 South African women wish media and advertisers did a better job of portraying women of diverse appearance, including age, race, shape and size. Three quarters of South African women say that pressure from media and advertising drives anxiety around appearance and beauty in general.

Many images we are surrounded by continue to impose unrealistic beauty standards on women today. They present a narrow view of what women are, what they should look like and what they can achieve. With over 5,000 images of real women from around the globe, Project ShowUs is the biggest non-stereotypical stock photo library of its kind.

Working with Getty Images (one of the world’s leading creators and distributors of images) and Girlgaze (a global network of female-identifying and non-binary creatives), the project works to ensure better representation of women across the globe. The library is available for use by media as Dove calls for advertisers to redefine traditional beauty standards.

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All images are created and tagged by real women themselves and Dove is offering all women the opportunity to become part of the change. Each individual of the 179 women photographed has personally defined their search descriptions and tags, allowing them to define their beauty on their own terms.

To view, license and use the photos in Project ShowUs, visit GettyImages. Every image licensed will support female photographers of the future. For more information on Dove Project ShowUs, visit the Dove website.