What is beauty?

Waterford Comhairle na nÓg recently launched their #WhatIsBeauty Campaign. The campaign looks at the Body Image pressures that young people face growing up today. The campaign consists of three themed videos, posters and an activity sheet – which, when used together, acts as a resource pack for SPHE teachers and Youth Workers.

Young people who attended the Comhairle's AGM last October asked the Comhairle to tackle Body Image for 2014 and they have done just that. Comhairle members have spent the last nine months planning and developing the #whatIsBeauty campaign.

The three videos are: “What is beauty”, “Dear my past self” and “To my younger self”. The videos tackle issues such as low self-esteem, manufactured beauty, loneliness, hair & makeup, relationships and the cost of it all.

 

 

Part of the campaign is the anagram of the word “Beauty”: Brave, Extraordinary, Accepting, Unique, True to yourself and You. All the resources from the #whatIsBeauty campaign are available online at www.waterfordcomhairle.org.

“I found this project to be really interesting to work on, and after months of changing ideas, planning filming and editing, I am really proud of these videos and the work the Comhairle has done on them during the year!” said Rosie Hartley, member of Waterford Comhairle na nÓg.

Kevin Crotty, a Comhairle member who just received his junior certificate results yesterday said: “For me, it was really cool to work on something that I know will be used to help young people learn about body image and how to combat the pressures that come with it, especially at my age. I hope the campaign helps young people feel better about themselves.”

 

When researching Body Image and for ideas on what to do, the Comhairle referred to the Dáil na nÓg Council's “How we see it” report published in 2012. The report surveyed over 2,000 young people across Ireland. Recommendations in the report included developing an awareness campaign focused on body image and asked for body image to be taught more in schools.