Smashing beauty & appearance stereotypes to create more equitable societies: The backstory of EVERYBODY Consulting
Written by: Professor Phillippa Diedrichs, PhD. EVERYBODY Founder & Principal Consultant
"I want to live in a world where no one is held back by how they look, their gender and social identity, and how they choose to express themselves. I founded EVERYBODY to make this world a reality."
EVERYBODY CONSULTING has been brewing since I presented on why diversity and feminism matter in the fashion and beauty industries in my Grade 10 social studies class. I've been passionate about bodies, mental health, and equality ever since.
With a fire in my belly to dismantle the patriarchy and create a world where diversity is not just accepted but valued, I've spent over 18 years in academia. I've conducted scientific research to better understand body image, appearance diversity and mental health and how we can shift the needle to create more equitable societies.
I've also worked with some of the world's biggest brands and organisations, like Dove, Nike and Instagram, to disrupt advertising, education, sporting and technology environments to drive positive social change.
In 2021, I founded EVERYBODY CONSULTING to make it easier for brands, businesses and organisations to find world-leading social scientists and thought-leaders like me, to collaborate with on ground-breaking social purpose campaigns, policies, and initiatives.
Why is the work that EVERYBODY and its clients do so important?
Body image, appearance-based prejudice, and mental health are growing public health, gender equality and social justice issues. Studies estimate that 80% of women and 50% of girls are unhappy with their bodies¹,². Since 1984, researchers have coined this a "normative discontent"³. That is, it's now more typical for women and girls to experience shame, guilt and anxiety around their bodies than for them to feel acceptance, respect and confidence. Body image issues disproportionately affect women, girls and gender-diverse people. However, men and boys are experiencing body dissatisfaction at increasing rates, too².
Three decades of academic research shows that body image issues hold us back - in health, relationships, work, education and from contributing to society. Research by EVERYBODY's long-term collaborator Dove⁴ shows that 8 out of 10 girls globally opt out of important life activities because they're worried about how they look. This includes raising their hand in the classroom, going to the doctor or trying out for a team or club. Moreover, women who experience body shame are less likely to stand up and challenge the social systems that oppress them⁵.
Alongside this, global social justice movements like Me Too, Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion are demanding equality, diversity and sustainability.
Consumers no longer support brands and businesses that fail to reflect the diversity of bodies, skin shades, ages and identities seen in everyday life. They want diverse and inclusive representation and messaging. They want to buy and engage with purposeful brands and organisations that care about the world and the well-being of its citizens.
Unsuprisingly, brands and advertisements with social purpose perform better, too⁶.
How can EVERYBODY help you?
Until the launch of EVERYBODY, there has never been a 'go-to' place for easy and direct access to an agile, global team of world-renowned social scientists, thought leaders and academic consultants expert in body image, mental health and appearance diversity. Many businesses and organisations struggle to quickly and efficiently access the latest science and apply this knowledge to their purpose-driven work. They also struggle to communicate these issues with their audience in a credible, authentic and relevant way.
Meanwhile, brilliant scientists are discovering new ways to improve body image and mental health, tackle prejudice, and shift consumer attitudes and behaviours. However, most academics do not have the resource, opportunity or platform to turn these insights into real-world world impact. They also work in higher education systems that are ill-equipped to respond in agile and efficient ways to meet the demands of the business landscape.
On average, there is a 17-year time lag between scientific discovery and benefits to people in the real world⁷. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent vaccine developments showed us that this can happen much quicker when scientists, businesses, and governments work together. Rapid social change to create more equitable and inclusive societies will be impossible without genuine, ethical, transparent shared-valued partnerships between academics, scientists, industry, governments and civil society.
I founded EVERYBODY Consulting to help solve these problems.
What we do at EVERYBODY
EVERYBODY provides progressive purpose-driven brands, businesses and organisations with access to a global team of world-renowned social scientists, thought leaders, and academic consultants specialising in body image, appearance diversity, and mental health. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, our consultants are based in key global markets, offering culturally diverse and nuanced insights and expertise. We're highly qualified and recognised as authoritative experts in our respective fields. Our advice is trustworthy, authentic, and credible.
We combine the latest science and evidence-based approaches with the creativity, resource and innovation of social purpose-driven brands, businesses and organisations to help them create authentic, credible campaigns and initiatives that foster more equitable societies, break appearance and beauty stereotypes, and ultimately improve the well-being and lives of everybody, particularly women, girls and gender-diverse people.
Our core values of partnership, excellence, social justice, ambition, creativity and innovation drive everything we do. EVERYBODY strives to be the go-to consulting agency for evidence-based, innovative, creative and ambitious approaches to addressing body image, mental health and appearance diversity.
Our consultants are experienced in working with stakeholders across sectors inside and outside academia. We communicate without jargon and translate science into tangible insights and strategies. We're solution-focused and refuse to shy away from challenging conversations and tackling pressing social issues. The campaigns, initiatives and strategies we work on are accessible, evidence-based and ready for rapid social impact.
Why work with us?
We have a strong track record of combining science and academia with the might, innovation and resource of brands, businesses and civil society. We've helped to create campaigns and strategies that have measurably improved the lives of millions of people around the world while earning industry awards, increasing sales and garnering positive consumer feedback. We're proud to have worked with some of the world's biggest brands and organisations. You can read more about our client success stories here.
Together we can drive social change by promoting mental well-being, smashing beauty and appearance stereotypes and creating more equitable and inclusive societies for everybody. We’d love you to join us!
References
Griffiths, S., Hay, P., Mitchison, D., Mond, J.M., McClean, S.A., Rodgers, B., Massey, R., & Paxton, S.J. (2016). Sex differences in the relationships between body dissatsifaction, quality of life and psychological distress. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 40, 518-522. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.12538
Wang, S.B., Haynos, A.F., Wall, M.M., Chen, C., Eisenberg, M.E., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2019). Fifteen-Year Prevalence, Trajectories, and Predictors of Body Dissatisfaction From Adolescence to Middle Adulthood. Clinical Psychological Science, 7, 1403-1415. Doi: 10.1177/2167702619859331
Rodin, J., Silberstein, L. R. and Striegel-Moore, R. H. 1984. “Women and weight: A normative discontent”. In Nebraska symposium on motivation: Psychology and gender, Edited by: Sonderegger, T. B. 267–307. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.
Dove (2017). Girls and Beauty Confidence: The Global Report.
Calogero, R.M. (2013). Objects Don’t Object: Evidence That Self-Objectification Disrupts Women’s Social Activism. Psychological Science, 24, 312-318. doi: 10.1177/0956797612452574
Partouche, J., Vessel, S., Khelladi, I., Castellano, S., & Sakka, G. (2020). Effects of cause-related marketing campaigns on consumer purchase behavior among French millennials: A regulatory focus approach. International Marketing Review, 3. 923-943. Doi: 10.1108/IMR-12-2018-0348
Estabrooks, P. A., Brownson, R. C., & Pronk, N. P. (2018). Dissemination and implementation science for public health professionals: an overview and call to action. Preventing chronic disease, 15, E162. doi: 10.5888/pcd15.180525
Meet Phillippa
Professor Diedrichs is an award-winning research psychologist known internationally for pioneering partnerships between academia and industry, and creating evidence-based strategies to improve body image and mental health in community, business, and policy settings. With a PhD in Health Psychology, she’s co-created educational tools and campaigns that have reached over 80 million people in partnership with global youth organisations and business.
Phillippa is a leading scholar in understanding and tackling psychological, social and cultural influences on body image and mental health, including social media, advertising, prejudice and gender. Her research has featured in the New York Times, BBC, Time, Forbes, and teaching case studies at Harvard's Business School and School of Public Health.
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