In 2013, as a special advisor to then New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Samantha Levine created and directed a first in the nation body image and self-esteem campaign with the goal of helping girls realize that who they are and what they do is more important than what they look like.
At the time, Mayor Bloomberg said “New York City is one of the most diverse cities in the nation with strong, successful women in every area of leadership. Yet girls are struggling with body image issues at younger and younger ages, a struggle that has negative public health consequences: including eating disorders, bullying, alcohol abuse, early onset of sexual activity and obesity. New York City is going to take a leadership role in sending a message about what really should matter – their skills, their beliefs and who they are and who they are going to be, not what they look like.”
The New York Times noted that we were “taking on the popular, unattainable notions of beauty promoted by professional image-makers with a campaign that tells girls that they are beautiful the way they are.”
Running for two-months on subways, buses, phone kiosks, and bus shelters, the $250,000 public education campaign featured 21 girls between the ages of 5 and 13 of varying races, ethnicities, sizes, and abilities - one girl was in a wheelchair - glasses and braces. Knowing that girls as young as seven and eight were starting to diet and find fault with their bodies, the campaign targeted girls 7-12 to make sure that, as they began confronting the messages the media and society sent, they were also surrounded by positive messages and representations of happy, confident girls who looked like them.
At the same time, to reach older girls (10-16), the City's Department of Youth and Community Development piloted self-esteem programming for more than 75 after-school programs and half a dozen schools. Additionally, the City's Parks Department targeted programming, including free fitness program classes in all five boroughs, especially for girls ages 8 to 13 years old, along with all- girl teams in the City's flag football league.
In the weeks following the launch, the public responded enthusiastically, with hundreds asking how to bring it to their city, state or country. Requests ranged from: Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Buffalo, NY; Decatur, GA; Denver, CO; Kentucky; Michigan; Nebraska; New Hampshire; North Carolina; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; Tallahassee, FL; Texas; Virginia; Washington, DC; Australia; Paris; and Portugal.
The campaign generated 400 million impressions and received media coverage in the New York Times, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Think Progress, Time, NY1, WABC, Fox5, Globo, Brian Lehrer.
Washington, D.C. Campaign
Subsequent to the New York project, Samantha worked with the City of Washington DC to produce and execute a second generation campaign, which included two months of posters - specifically designed using DC girls and resources - on the DC metro. The campaign generated 40 million impressions.
