<Keywords of Beauty Perceived by Participants Before the Program >
“Who am I?” Is there anyone who hasn’t stood face-to-face with this question? This very question lies at the heart of the core message in the movie 〈Inside Out 2〉. As the protagonist, Riley, hits puberty, she finds herself drifting further away from her true self—confronted by unfamiliar emotions like anxiety, envy, ennui, and embarrassment, as well as the unpredictable judgments of others. Riley’s wandering in the film mirrors the exact reality of today’s younger generation. Growing up in a digital ecosystem where social media and AI are everyday constants, they are surrounded by the gaze of others more tightly than any generation before them.
The desire to be accepted by the group they want to belong to, the constant pressure to prove who they are, and the sheer helplessness regarding who they should become in a rapidly changing world. Yet, the harder they try to build a ‘better version of themselves,’ could they actually be drifting further from who they truly are? There is a place that chose to listen closely to this very question first, and step forward to find the answers together.
What We Found in 21 Million Social Media Data Points
An environment where comparing oneself to others has become effortless—driven by the advancement of social media and AI technology—was directly impacting the authenticity of the future generation. This is precisely why we decided to first look at the data to understand the reality of adolescents and young adults experiencing setbacks in their emotional growth. Through 21 million data points, we examined how Gen Z and Millennials talk about beauty online, analyzing both their language and emotions. What we discovered within was clear: the reality of youth losing the breathing room to look into themselves, overshadowed by the gaze and comparison of others.
The “MEET YOUR BEAUTY” campaign, launched in 2024, began with this exact awareness of the issue. MEET YOUR BEAUTY is a social contribution project designed to help the future generation break away from standardized benchmarks, discover their own unique value, and grow independently. Starting from knowing their ‘true self,’ to mapping out their future, and finally raising their voice to the world—MEET YOUR BEAUTY accompanies them through three programs on a journey where the experience of discovery leads to connection and becomes the engine for growth. Let’s take a closer look at each step of this journey.
Time to Discover Myself:
MEET YOUR BEAUTY CLASS
“Who am I?” How many people can answer this question without hesitation? The MEET YOUR BEAUTY CLASS begins at that very point.
The class operates in two main tracks: the “Project Education” course, which reflects on the standards of beauty found on social media to help participants discover their authentic beauty, and the “Creative Workshop,” where they express their own unique beauty through various creative and artistic activities such as photography, video, and drawing. Both programs are designed to help participants discover the diverse elements that make up who they are through the “10-Sided Decagon Framework by MEET YOUR BEAUTY.” Participants select keywords that represent them out of 10 categories—including inner self, relationships, hobbies, attitude, and confidence—to visually express their own unique beauty. The completed decagons form stars of all different shapes, revealing the unique beauty of each individual.
Instead of following standardized, pre-determined criteria, the MEET YOUR BEAUTY CLASS is a dedicated time for participants to look into their hearts and find their “authenticity.” It serves as the starting point for youth to break away from the gaze of others or rigid standards, allowing them to discover and embrace their own beauty. In fact, the transformation shown by the 2,300 youth who participated in the MEET YOUR BEAUTY CLASS was remarkable. While keywords related to physical appearance, such as “tall height” or “pretty face,” dominated at first, the participants gradually expanded their definitions of beauty to encompass their daily lives, relationships, and personal values as the program progressed.
<MEET YOUR BEAUTY CLASS: Multicultural Youth Edition>
Particularly during the workshops for youth from multicultural backgrounds—who initially struggled with self-expression—small yet noticeable changes began to emerge. They gradually let go of the pressure to be perfect and, instead of molding themselves to the gaze of others, started to express and embrace their authentic selves. This transformation is also backed by data. According to the 2025 MEET YOUR BEAUTY Impact Evaluation Research Report, the participating youth showed a significant improvement in their perceptions and attitudes toward beauty. The study also confirmed that this positive shift directly led to higher self-esteem and overall life satisfaction.
Participants who joined the class shared their thoughts: “I got to discover my own tendencies, my emotions, and the things I truly love.” Another shared, “I realized that the standard of beauty isn’t something defined by someone else; in the end, it’s about the beauty you see in yourself.” In this way, the youth began to look at ‘themselves’ through their own lens, rather than the benchmarks set by others.
Once you discover your authenticity, the next question naturally follows. Because it is only when you truly understand who you are that you can finally begin to see the kind of future you want to live.
