ACTIVIST BEAUTY COMPANY THE BODY SHOP LAUNCHES GLOBAL SELF-LOVE UPRISING WITH ACTIVIST JAMEELA JAMIL 

SELF LOVE CRISIS: 1 IN 2 WOMEN WORLDWIDE FEEL MORE SELF-DOUBT THAN SELF-LOVE

South Korea, Saudi Arabia and France rank lowest on The Body Shop Global Self Love Index

by Suman Gupta

March 2021: A global report launched today by The Body Shop has identified a self-love* crisis for women around the world, with 1 in 2 women feeling more self-doubt than self-love, and 60 per cent wishing they had more respect for themselves. The Body Shop Global Self Love Indexis a first-of-its-kind study, commissioned to inform a long-term commitment from The Body Shop to always use its voice to build self-esteem. As a result, The Body Shop is launching a global movement called the “Self Love Uprising”, supported by British activist and actressJameela Jamilinternationally. Additionally, The Body Shop India has joined hands with 3 inspiring Indian changemakersaka the Leading Lights– Dr. TrinetraHaldarGummaraju, Alex Mathew & Ankita Chaturvedi, who truly mirror the essence and value of the brand’s ‘SELF-LOVE UPRISING’ initiative.

Dr. TrinetraHaldarGummaraju (@ind0ctrination): ADoctor, Content Creator, Artist and Trans Woman. Trinetra is one of Karnataka’s first trans woman doctorsand a fiercely authentic  advocate for the India trans community.

Alex Mathew (@MayaTheDragQueen): An actor, singer, LGBTQIA Influencer, TEDx speaker & professional emcee. Alex goes by his drag persona Maya and is one of India’s foremost drag artistes challenging gender norms in her own unique way.

Ankita Chaturvedi (@corallistablog): Engineer-turned Entrepreneur, Content Creator, Beauty Influencer and Trained Makeup Artist. One of India’s top beauty influencers, Ankita is a strong voice for body positivity and self acceptance to millions of her followers around the world.

While India ranked 10^th marking its position almost in the middle, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and France rank lowest for self-love, whereas Denmark, Australia, and the United States rank the highest. The study, designed by The Body Shop and leading market research firmIpsos, ran between November and December 2020 with over 22,000 people in 21 different countries. The Self Love Index comprises a number of academic measures of self-worth, wellbeing, and happiness, and reveals how age, gender, country, and living standards impact how people feel about themselves.

Further key findings of The Self Love Index include:

Top three of the most influential factors for high levels of confidence	Top three of the most influential factors for low levels of confidence
My relationships with my family (36%) My ability to take on new challenges (26%) My mental wellbeing (25%)	My financial status (26%) What others think of me (23%) The state of the world (e.g. politics, the economy) (22%)

• People in India have a Self-Love Index score of 52, 1 point below the global average score (53)

• Self-Love increases somewhat with age in India. Those under 35 are more likely to be in the lowest 25% of the Self-Love scores (37% compared to 20% of those 55 and over).

• People who are single have lower Self-Love, with an average score of 49.

• Those living in the North have a lower Self-Love Index score (50) than those living elsewhere in the country.

• People from minority groups are more likely to have a low self-love score, with an index of 46 compared to 54 among those not in minority groups. 54% of those with disabilities are in the lowest 25% of self-love scores.

• Economic status impacts Self-Love with 40% of those who are not financially comfortable in the lowest 25% of self-love scores, both with a Self-Love Index score of 46.

• Those who have been educated to a higher level had a more self-love, with those educated to degree level scoring 53, compared to 47 among those who did not go to university.

• The connection we see globally between social media usage and self-love scores in which the greater the use of social media, the lower the self-love score is likely to be, is not in evidence in India. There is no significant difference in self-love scores between those who use social media for more than two hours a day and those who use it less

• 65% of people in India say they always or usually get the social and emotional support they need. Women (68%) and people who are married are more likely to feel supported (69%)

My attitude towards myself is very stable	Global	India
Strongly disagree	3%	1%
Disagree	19%	7%
Agree	60%	57%
Strongly agree	18%	34%

Perhaps one of the most surprising findings of the research is that overall, Covid-19 has had a slightly more positive impact on women’s self-love than negative. However, women with low self-love were six times more likely to say Covid-19 had a negative impact on their self-love, and women with financial worries also say Covid-19 had a negative impact, suggesting that the pandemic has compounded self-esteem issues for the most vulnerable women in society. Resilience is also linked to self-love: the higher a person scored, the more likely they were to say they are quick to bounce back from tough times.

One divisive issue when it comes to self-love is social media. Heavy users of social media are twice as likely to say they get the emotional support they need compared to non-users, indicating social media networks may play a valuable role in providing support networks for women. However, the research also shows that heavy social media users have lower levels of self-love, are more likely to compare themselves to others, and are often more unhappy with their body.

The Body Shop India Self-love Expert (aka Leading Light), Dr. TrinetraHaldarGummaraju, said: “Before self-love comes self-acceptance.It could mean coming to terms with your queerness. It could mean allowing oneself to be loved by someone, just as one is. One has to start somewhere, and I strongly believe everyone has that inherent ability, no matter how hard to access. I feel when marginalized individuals love themselves, a revolution begins. The Body Shop India, in an attemptto bring about this revolution is backing up a meaningful campaign – Self Love Uprising that I honestly resonate with.Self-love is the ability to fully, radically embrace every aspect of my being – the imperfect, messy, vulnerable just as much as the strong, bold, and fierce bits.Self-love is a journey, not a destination – it isn’t a goal, but an active process, especially for a marginalized individual.My journey with self love began the day I chose to ignore everything I was assigned at birth – a male gender identity, a masculine presentation, stereotypically male gender roles.I love to lead by example. There is something powerful about seeing someone fully own their identity and expression, and every single one of us that is able to do it serves as inspiration to so many out there in need of hope. I can only wish that I’m able to do that for a generation of queer kids out there by celebrating myself.”

The Body Shop India Self-love Expert (aka Leading Light), Alex Mathew, said: “Self-love for me means finding and accepting my own uniqueness. Every time I face a situation, my first priority is to safeguard my happiness and positivity. Unhappy and unsatisfied living by the societal norms to please others, drag as an art form came to my rescue and helped me understand myself better. Maya comes from a place of love, kindness and fierceness. The moment you accept your true self; you will start falling in love with yourself. Surrounding yourself with positivity is the biggest step one can take on their path to self-love and lastly, always listen to your intuition and not just your inner critic. What better way to embrace this than through a national campaign! The Body Shop India continues to address compelling & societal issues to break stereotypes & make the world fairer and more beautiful.”

The Body Shop India Self-love Expert (aka Leading Light), Ankita Chaturvedi, said: “Self-love to me is to be able to celebrate the beauty in you and embrace the flaws at the same time, and remind yourself that you are a work-in-progress. We are blessed with the opportunity to learn and grow each day, while treating ourselves with kindness, care and compassion; this must be treasured. I feel Self-love is contagious, it is brave and it’s the most powerful way to live a better life and make a better world.Sharing the tools to internalise these messages – you are good enough, perfection is a myth and that your imperfections, your perceived flaws are what you make you unique, and human, just like everyone else on the planet, will help practice & preach Self Love. Realising Self Love is like a re-birth, because not only does it change your attitude towards yourself, but also towards how you perceive the world. This is exactly what The Body Shop aims to do via Self Uprising campaign, one initiative at a time.”

The Body Shop will use the findings from the Index to review and inform its own practices, especially across its marketing and product portfolio. The aim is to spread one million acts of self-love in one year, to create more love and positive change in the world.

Shriti Malhotra, CEO, The Body Shop India, said: “As an activist brand, our mission is to fight for a fairer and more beautiful world. In order to create a positive change in the world, we must start with creating a positive change within. We call for people around the world to rise up with self-love, especially in a society that promotes self-doubt and insecurity. We are excited to embark on this journey to drive change individually, in the beauty industry and beyond.”

Actress and activist Jameela Jamil, International Brand Ambassador of Self Love Campaign added: “I see the lack of self-love as an emotional pandemic, and one which is sadly hitting younger generations the most. Self love is an inside job, so let’s all take just one positive action towards loving ourselves. As a woman, being proud of yourself and believing you are ‘enough’ as you are, is an act of social and political resistance.”

SELF LOVE MEANING

*Self-love is many things, but it starts with the recognition and appreciation of our inner worth and value. 

ONE MILLION ACTS OF SELF LOVE:The Body Shop aims to inspire 1 million acts of self-love in 1 year, to create more love and positive change in the world. It doesn’t matter how big or small, every act can lead to big change. Tips on acts of self-love will be shared on The Body shop onlineself-love hub and The Body Shop social media channels. Self-love is not merely a concept, it’s an experience. With this understanding, the one million acts movement highlights that self-love involves an action, and that action is at the heart of any change – personal or global.

ABOUT THE BODY SHOP INTERNATIONAL:Founded in 1976 in Brighton, England, by Dame Anita Roddick, The Body Shop is a global beauty brand and a certified B Corp™. The Body Shop seeks to make positive change in the world by offering high-quality, naturally-inspired skincare, body care, hair care and make-up produced ethically and sustainably. Having pioneered the philosophy that business can be a force for good, this ethos is still the brand’s driving force. The Body Shop operates about 3,000 retail locations in more than 70 countries. Along with Aesop, Avon and Natura, The Body Shop is part of Natura &Co, a global, multi-channel and multi-brand cosmetics group that is committed to generating positive economic, social and environmental impact. The four companies that form the group are committed to generating positive economic, social and environmental impact.

The Body Shop India is managed by Quest Retail Pvt Ltd and is operational in India since 2006. The Body Shop operates 200 stores across the country.