The New Face of Perfection: Why AI is a Dangerous Threat to Every Woman’s Self-Worth

By Nikki Webb

As a mother, I worry constantly about the world my daughter is growing up in. The challenges she will face are monumental—many of them unimaginable when I was her age. Among these is a silent, pervasive threat that most of us are only beginning to understand, the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on how women and girls perceive themselves. This is not just a technological issue, it is a deeply personal one that affects every woman and girl across the globe.

Recently I went to the cinema with my daughter and we watched It Ends With Us and I saw the incredible pledge from, Dove , a brand long committed to challenging toxic beauty standards, sounding the alarm on AI’s potential to undermine decades of progress in portraying real beauty. They describe AI as one of the “biggest threats” to authentic self-image, comparing it to the airbrushed imagery that has plagued women for years. This comparison could not be more apt or more alarming.

In Dove’s latest campaign, women sit in darkened rooms, confronting the results of AI-generated images based on prompts like “a gorgeous woman” and “perfect skin.” What appears on the screen is a haunting reminder of the perfectionism that AI is now capable of creating—images so cartoonishly flawless that they seem to mock the diversity and imperfections that make real women beautiful. As a haunting rendition of “Pure Imagination” plays in the background, we are left to ponder the devastating impact these tools could have on how we see ourselves and each other.

What makes this all the more concerning is the statistic that Dove shares in its campaign: by 2025, 90% of online content could be at least partially generated by AI. This figure is not stabbing in the dark, it comes from respected voices in the tech industry, like author Nina Schick, who has been warning us about this looming reality. For women and girls who are already bombarded with unrealistic beauty standards, the prospect of an internet flooded with AI-generated content is terrifying.

For myself and my daughter, this issue is far more than academic, it is very much personal. As a mother, I strive to teach her that beauty is?not about fitting into a narrow, idealistic mold. It is about confidence, self-respect, and embracing who you truly are, but how can I hope to instill these values when the images she sees online are increasingly created by algorithms that push perfection over authenticity?

Dove’s commitment to never use AI-generated models in their advertising is a crucial step in the right direction, but as Alessandro Manfredi, Dove’s CMO, rightly points out, it is just the beginning. We cannot afford to be complacent. AI, with all its potential for good, can just as easily amplify the worst aspects of our digital culture, especially when it comes to women’s self-esteem.

What is particularly concerning is that AI is not just something being imposed on us, it is being embraced by a significant portion of the population. Dove’s internal study reveals that nearly a quarter of U.S. women and a staggering 41% of U.S. girls find the idea of using AI to create different versions of themselves empowering. On the surface, this might seem like a positive trend, however it also raises a scary question, Are we empowering women and girls, or are we subtly encouraging them to chase an ideal that no real person can ever achieve?

The reality is that despite some progress in broadening definitions of beauty since 2004, the work is far from over. Dove’s “The Real State of Beauty” report is a sobering reminder of how far we still have to go. When one in three women say they would trade a year of their life to achieve their ideal appearance, it is clear that the stakes could not be any higher.

For me, for my daughter, and for women and girls everywhere, this is not just about beauty, it is about our mental health, our self-worth, and our ability to see ourselves as valuable, just as we are. We need to be vigilant, proactive, and strong in our fight against the harmful effects of AI on our self-image. This is our call to action.

We can not allow algorithms to dictate what beauty should look like. We must not let perfection, as defined by a machine, become the standard we hold ourselves to. Instead, we must continue to champion real, authentic beauty in all its forms—and ensure that the next generation of women grows up with the confidence to do the same.

https://youtu.be/sD-R2OzcleQ?si=QO7A7B09SptgS6sn