Wellbeing Wednesdays: Dove’s New Year’s un-resolutions

With 2025 upon us, many people may have already set themselves New Year’s resolutions to achieve. But now, in the midst of January, fighting those winter blues and feeling the pressure of reaching New Year’s goals may seem too overwhelming. Resolutions can be motivating for the year ahead, but some goals can actually have the opposite effect, and can cause stress, especially if they are unrealistic or focused on beauty standards. Research has shown that 1 in 2 women’s New Year’s resolutions are made because they feel dissatisfied with their bodies. This year, Dove is encouraging women to let go of these unrealistic standards by making a New Year’s ‘un-resolutions’. The purpose is to build confidence, discourage toxic beauty ideals, and create resolutions aimed towards what matters. So, if you want to find out more about these un-resolutions and even set some for yourself, then keep reading.

Dove’s campaign
Dove has consistently been dedicated to self-acceptance and wellbeing through a variety of campaigns and projects. In response to their survey which revealed that 1 in 3 women were willing to give up a year of their life in exchange for the ‘perfect’ body, Dove said: “This New Year’s, there’s one resolution we’d love women to make: to let go of unrealistic beauty standards, one belief at a time. Join us for #NewYearsUnresolution and start your body confidence journey.” Dove have also released a short clip on YouTube that explores these un-resolutions for the year ahead, which revolve around body confidence and general happiness in life outside of bodily standards.

Un-resolutions
Many influencers have teamed up with Dove for this cause, highlighting the danger and pressure of setting unrealistic resolutions and replacing them with their own un-resolutions. Imogen Horton, a British TikTok influencer, revealed her previous resolution of “no more wrinkles” but now powerfully rejects this societal expectation and said that her un-resolution is “to give myself positive affirmations every day and really believe them.” Horton’s example reveals the power in setting wellbeing goals, rather than goals fixated on beauty expectations. As not only an influencer with a large following, but also a mum, she is setting the example for young women and girls in achieving body confidence.

The first step is to let go of any sinister resolutions you may be holding onto

Across TikTok, others have spoken up about the pressure of society on women and have also joined Dove in making un-resolutions. Some of my favourites that I have seen on the app are: ‘talk to myself like I talk to friends’, ‘making sure I am happy and healthy’, and ‘appreciate my body for what it can do’.

The campaign is refreshing to see and makes us rethink the way we view ourselves. However, it does not stop there. Dove also has launched a ‘self-esteem project’ to help young people build self-esteem through educational programmes online. They also have an activity workbook, free to download on their website, which was developed by body image experts.

Creating your un-resolutions
The first step is to let go of any sinister resolutions you may be holding onto. Then, rewrite an un-resolution that is important to you, or that you feel you could improve on. I would also recommend writing it down and putting it on a mirror, a bedside table, or somewhere else that you look at every day to remind you to keep up the positivity. The important thing is to choose something that is important to you, something that will make you feel better in 2025.

Dove is certainly paving the way for healthier mindsets and more body positivity amongst women

I am very inspired by Dove’s campaign, so I definitely think one of my goals will be to read more about their campaigns and to try their activity book regarding body positivity. I have also been inspired by the idea of positive self-talk which has plenty of benefits, including improving confidence and reducing stress levels. So, my own un-resolution would be to counteract negative thoughts with positive ones and do the same when I hear others talk negatively about themselves.

Un-resolutions and the healthier goals we set for ourselves may be key to our wellbeing in 2025. Dove is certainly paving the way for healthier mindsets and more body positivity amongst women. I hope you feel uplifted and are ready to take on board this positivity when thinking about the new year ahead.