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WARNING: Toddler Suffers 2nd-Degree Burns After Mom Fills Kiddie Pool Up With Garden Hose

“We got a ton of tweets back from people saying ‘I never thought about that,’ and that’s why we do it.”

School Forces Student to Take Jesus Out of Graduation Speech, Plan Gloriously Backfires When She Drops This Line

“I’ve always been a rule follower. When they said not to chew gum, I didn’t chew gum. When they said not to use your cellphone, I didn’t use my cellphone. But today, in the spirit of defying expectations, and for perhaps the last time at this podium, I say..."

“The Spirit Led Me to Pray for Her”: Woman Snaps Powerful Pic of Chick-fil-A Worker Praying Over Customer

“I work at a place where if I’m led to pray for someone, I’m able to do that and I’ll do it right on the spot. People need prayer, encouragement, and love. That’s what we try to do here.”

WATCH: Viral Ad Campaign Has Powerful Message About Body Image & Social Media’s Effects on Young Girls

TW: Sensitive content. This post features real stories about body appearance that may be upsetting to some readers.

Dove has been known for years for it’s body-positive branding, including slogans such as “Changing the Face of Beauty” and spearheading efforts like the Self-Esteem Project. Their latest stunning PSA is another example of their commitment to making beauty standards more diverse and less harmful to the children who consume beauty content online. In this mega-viral 3-minute video, the Dove Self-Esteem Project shows the harm that long-term exposure to certain social media content can do to children consuming it every single day.

The ad starts out focusing on a cute little girl named Mary. We watch her grow as the song “You Are So Beautiful to Me” plays in the background. We see a silly, excited, creative young girl blossom into a tween before our eyes. Then, we see Mary receive her first smart phone.

Soon, Mary begins to change. As she grows up, she grows sad. Her smartphone has opened up the world of online beauty content and influencers to her, and we see her beginning to journal about how gross she is, her goal weight, and even joining Weight Watchers for teens. Mary berates herself for her eating habits, and continues to watch content by “perfect” influencers online. As we watch an influencer measure her legs to ensure she has a “thigh gap,” we see Mary take selfie after selfie as she struggles to achieve a certain look.

Finally, we see a thin, pained-looking Mary in the hospital. Her tiny arm has an IV, and she looks frail. Mary has entered treatment for the eating disorder she’s developed in pursuit of that perfect social media-ready body.

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Jenny Rapson
Jenny Rapsonhttp://www.foreverymom.com
Jenny Rapson is a wife and mom of three from Ohio and the editor of For Every Mom. You can also find her alternately griping and gushing about her kids at her own blog, Mommin' It Up. You can email her at jrapson@outreach.com, or follow her on Twitter.

WARNING: Toddler Suffers 2nd-Degree Burns After Mom Fills Kiddie Pool Up With Garden Hose

“We got a ton of tweets back from people saying ‘I never thought about that,’ and that’s why we do it.”

School Forces Student to Take Jesus Out of Graduation Speech, Plan Gloriously Backfires When She Drops This Line

“I’ve always been a rule follower. When they said not to chew gum, I didn’t chew gum. When they said not to use your cellphone, I didn’t use my cellphone. But today, in the spirit of defying expectations, and for perhaps the last time at this podium, I say..."

“The Spirit Led Me to Pray for Her”: Woman Snaps Powerful Pic of Chick-fil-A Worker Praying Over Customer

“I work at a place where if I’m led to pray for someone, I’m able to do that and I’ll do it right on the spot. People need prayer, encouragement, and love. That’s what we try to do here.”