If Dove expects women to cheer up, it hasn’t been paying attention | Harpreet Purewal

The “Dove Campaign for Real Beauty” has spent years telling women that we can all be beautiful regardless of our shape, size and colour. Like me, you may have been too busy trying to be a modern-woman-who-has-it-all to realise this, but luckily for us, the men at Unilever pointed it out. For their latest campaign the purveyors of patronising soap have paired up with a “behavioural investigator” (me neither) to tackle negativity online.

Not the daily harassment and threats that women face online, of course. But those negative pals in your life who are always moaning to you on social media. And it’s hard to see what there could be to moan about as a woman in 2016 – everything’s great, right? You see, Dove thinks your attitude stinks as much as your armpits.

Dove (@Dove)

If you know a girl who has been negative online—about herself or others—try this fun activity to spread positivity. #SpeakBeautiful pic.twitter.com/cEZZbCz4ye

October 18, 2016

It would be easy to think of Dove as the male colleague who periodically tells you that you could go far if only you looked a little more enthusiastic in meetings, but really what woman doesn’t look better when she smiles? So next time you notice a friend being negative online why not give her a reason to cheer up; it’s not that the news today is bad, it’s the way you’re choosing to interpret it. Just tell the negative Nellies in your life to peruse a few of the many reasons she has to be cheerful – and then unfriend away.

Wage gap

Never mind that the current gap stands at 9% which is equivalent to more than a month’s free work a year, new analysis by Deloitte says the wage gap will finally close in 2069, a full 99 years after the Equal Pay Act. This may feel like far away, but if you’re a woman in your 20s today you will definitely feel the benefit because you’ll still have rent to pay. Mark 2069 in your calendars now as the time when you’ll be able to hold your head up high in the knowledge that you now earn as much as Dave!

Sexual harassment

New research from the TUC shows that 52% of women and 63% of women aged 18-24 said they have experienced sexual harassment at work. Statistics are all about the interpretation; looking at it another way, 48% of women haven’t been sexually harassed at work – that’s almost one in two women. You go girl!

The US election

This year’s presidential election has amplified the voices of women. At the time of writing, 10 have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Donald Trump. The Republican candidate himself was kind enough to share a platform with three women who have made accusations of rape and sexual harassment against Bill Clinton. Cynics might argue these women are being used as pawns but I genuinely can’t remember an American presidential election when we’ve heard from so many women. And that’s without even mentioning the likely next incumbent of the Oval Office, Hillary Clinton …

Health fears

A recent study of more than a million women demonstrated what many have suspected all along; the contraceptive pill is linked to depression. The study showed that women taking the combined pill were 23% more likely to be prescribed antidepressants and those taking the progestin-only pill were 34% more likely than those not on the pill. While this sounds like a bad news story, it’s really just another victory for women’s intuition.

Maternity services

In the UK, our lady prime minister, Theresa May, has endorsed plans to crack down on maternity tourism by introducing passport checks in maternity wards. This may mean that women in late stages of labour have to hold tight, turn around, head home and find their documents, but really it shows that our labour wards are popular international destinations like the ones you find in Condé Naste Traveller and in-flight magazines!

Superhero stance

The choice of Wonder Woman as a United Nations ambassador, has been met with shock and anger. Rather than bother to find a real woman to campaign for gender equality, the UN has chosen a comic book character owned by DC (who coincidentally will be coming to a cinema screen near you in 2017). More predictable choices may have been Muzoon Almellehan, a Syrian teenager who has worked to encourage other girls in refugee camps to continue with their education or perhaps model Alek Wek, whose work with Unicef and Doctors Without Borders has helped to raise awareness about the difficulties faced by people in Sudan..

But enough with the negatives, let’s ask another question: apart from an improbable waist to bust ratio, what does Wonder Woman have that a real woman doesn’t? In choosing a work of fiction, the UN has managed to avoid any problems they might have incurred with a real woman with a body and mind. The transport, food and accommodation budget for this ambassador will be slim and you don’t have to worry about her saying anything off-brand because between them, the UN and DC control every word she says. There’s simply none of the difficulty or fuss of working with a real-life woman. If anything, this is a woman that refuses to be held back by her status as a work of fiction, and how many men can you say that about?

If Dove expects women to cheer up, it hasn’t been paying attention | Harpreet Purewal