Show Them Good

Three women share their personal journey of self-love and acceptance, and #ShowUs what it means to reflect real beauty by portraying ourselves as who we are

- Radhika Sen

It’s no secret that we live in a world where everyone is obsessed with portraying the best version of themselves, just to embody unrealistic standards imposed by the media. It’s these narrow ideals that make most women feel as if they are not good enough. Dove is here to take action and change mindsets with Project #ShowUs – the world’s largest stock photo library created by women, which are available for use to all media and advertisers, in collaboration with Getty Images and Girlgaze. We take a cue from three superlative women who don’t let rigid beauty ideals hamper their self-worth. These change-makers are here to make a difference and rewrite the narrative once and for all.

NEELAKSHI SINGH, Professor

The word ‘fat’ is an adjective Neelakshi Singh has had to contend with all her life. It doesn’t describe who she is, but it has become synonymous with her body image. Neelakshi, who’s a college professor, sports a shock of blue hair which has become an integral part of her identity. She first chose the shade because it matched her name, and soon went on to splash her hair with all sorts of colours. While art is where her passion lies, she also likes to model when given a chance. It started when she took to blogging in 2012 to maintain an online diary where she could vent her frustrations and track her style evolution. The real world has never been kind to her, but the virtual world turned out to be the friend she never had. Neelakshi slowly started mustering up the confidence to post pictures of herself on social media. Today, when people come up to her and tell her how inspiring she’s been, Neelakshi doesn’t hesitate to point out that it was a selfish decision that culminated into absolute self-acceptance. Her confidence propelled more women like her, who have struggled with their body image, to come forward and show their real self.