No one expects a regular beauty brand to delve deeply into societal issues, after all, in the skeptical parts of our brains, aren’t they building up unrealistic expectations of perfection to start with? Getting into this topic is usually testy, most times problematic, but not when we’re considering a beauty brand that’s bold enough to tackle these issues head-on.
Just a while ago, SK-II, known best for their Facial Treatment Essence that made the phrase “crystal clear skin” a part of our lexicon, launched a “Marriage Market” video that went viral all over our Facebook walls — not because it was hilarious or “meme-able”, but because it, honestly, talked about single “leftover” women who felt pressured to get married by either their families or society, who then, within the span of the social experiment, got to voice out their feelings in the heart of China’s marriage corner at Shanghai’s People Square. In short, it was touching, highly relevant.
The latest part of the campaign then deals with dreams. “Dream Again” is the latest installment in the brand’s #changedestiny campaign, and aims to empower women to take control of their future and achieve their long-lost aspirations. All this, is perfectly captured in the video here:
It’s an inspiring take on what are kinda sobering results from a global survey that the brand conducted — it found that 1 in 2 women have already given up on their dreams, letting it fade due to reasons like limited financial support, being afraid of leaving their comfort zones, or their dreams not fitting into tradition. This sentiment seems to run more clearly among women from Japan, Korea and Singapore.
With that in mind, SK-II decided to embark on a social experiment of their own as well, at their event at One Raffles Place this week. Rather than having working executives and professionals seeking advice from trained peers, interestingly, children were playing counsellor to these grown-ups, asking them about their dreams and getting us to reflect on the things we yearn for. All the brand’s efforts result in a stark reminder that, maybe, we should start rethinking our priorities — that instead of chasing perfection or fitting in, it’s okay to dream a little, and a little bit more.
