THE CHALLENGE

While professional women’s sports are gaining momentum, nearly 50% of girls still drop out by age 14, largely due to low body confidence. Dove, with its long-standing commitment to building self-esteem in young girls, recognized the need to address the root cause of this ongoing issue: the limited and narrow portrayal of athleticism in media. To drive perception change at scale, Dove partnered with Sports Illustrated to create a reimagined version of the publication featuring inclusive, empowering imagery and stories to uplift the next generation of athletes and expand the way we see beauty in sports.

THE STRATEGY

To challenge outdated beauty and body norms in sports media, we reimagined Sports Illustrated through a new lens. We introduced Sports reIllustrated, a special edition spotlighting real, diverse, young female athletes across a range of body types, abilities, and backgrounds. Timed to launch during Super Bowl week, the campaign combined the visibility of major sports moments with the influence of legends like Billie Jean King to inspire cultural change. We extended impact by partnering with some of the leading voices in women’s sports to form the Dove Body Confident Collective, as well as creating community-based activations to reach girls, parents, and coaches.

THE EXECUTION

We launched a full takeover of Sports Illustrated, featuring 10-year-old wrestler Honor Smoke on the cover along with nine other young athletes. The campaign included a physical magazine, a digital content hub, PR activations, Super Bowl week media outreach, a community pep rally, and tailored Body Confident Program resources. Across earned, owned, and social media, we invited audiences to rethink what athleticism looks like and who gets to be seen in today’s sports landscape.

THE OUTCOME

The campaign delivered measurable impact across brand perception, media reach, and social change, proving that reframing representation can drive real results. Most significantly, we transformed a publication historically criticized for narrow beauty standards into a champion for diverse athletic representation, challenging systemic barriers to girls' sports participation while providing resources from Dove's Body Confident Program. 

• +29pt lift in TOM Awareness, gaining share from CeraVe
• 85% of people would consider Dove for their next purchase after seeing the campaign.
• 36% lift in people who “strongly agree” Dove is helping keep girls in sports.
• 35% lift in people who say Dove elevates girls body confidence in sports