Dove and Mario Testino team up to highlight 'real beauty'

Dove is underlining its commitment to its 'Real Beauty' marketing initiative with the new 'Dove Real Beauty Pledge' -- and it has recruited fashion photographer Mario Testino to help. 

The pledge comprises three vows to women everywhere, including to always feature 'real women' of all ages, ethnicities and size, as opposed to professional models, in the brand's campaigns. The beauty giant also promises to 'portray women as they are in real life,' rejecting the concept of 'unachievable' beauty and eschewing digital manipulation of the women in its images, and, finally, to 'help girls build body confidence and self-esteem' by encouraging them to enjoy a positive relationship with the way they look.

Testino, known for his work shooting some of the most famous figures in fashion history, has been brought in to mark the pledge's launch via a series of photographs that feature 32 models between the ages of 11 and 71, from more than 15 countries.

"The way Dove empowers women to celebrate their own unique beauty has long resonated with me," the photographer said of the collaboration. "A photographer has a choice -- they can take a picture and make it about themselves by using avant-garde techniques, sometimes capturing the weakness in women, or they can choose to give their picture over to the woman in front of the lens by making her look herself and feel her most powerful."

Testino's images have been integrated into the 'Dove Real Beauty Showcase,' a gallery of portraits marking the 60th anniversary of the brand, which falls this year. The gallery feature a retired Paralympian, a girls football coach and a woman who first took part in Dove's 'Self-Esteem Project' more than a decade ago, among several other women. It is now available to see online at dove.com and in New York.

Since 2004, Dove has been involved in a series of campaigns designed to engage with ordinary women everywhere, such as its 'Campaign for Real Beauty,' 'Real Beauty Sketches' and the ongoing 'Dove Self-Esteem Project', which has provided education in self-esteem to 20 million young people globally.