Lizzo shares unedited nude photo to launch Dove body confidence campaign

Watch: Lizzo inspires fans with unedited selfie.

Lizzo has partnered with Dove on a new campaign to encourage women and girls to embrace body positivity and form healthier relationships with social media.

Of course you can rely on the singer to break the news of the partnership in true Lizzo style – by sharing a unretouched nude photo to Instagram.

“I wanna give y’all this unedited selfie... now normally I would fix my belly and smooth my skin but baby I wanted show u how I do it au natural," she wrote in the caption accompanying the photo of herself sitting gracefully while holding a coffee cup.

"I am excited to be partnering with @dove and the #DoveSelfEsteemProject which is helping to reverse the negative effects of social media and changing the conversation about beauty standards," the caption continues.

The Grammy-Award winning singer has long been the queen of body confidence, so who better to front Dove's new Selfie Talk campaign?

The campaign, which launched with the unveiling of a powerful Reverse Selfie video, is focused on encouraging parents to have the “selfie talk” with their children – opening up conversations about using social media in a way that doesn’t negatively impact their mental health.

Read more: Lizzo shares stern message for body shamers as she shares workout video

The campaign is part of the #DoveSelfEsteemProject, which is centred on “transforming social media into a more positive and empowering place for the next generation".

The aim is to tackle unrealistic beauty standards that are reinforced by social media feeds flooded with digitally enhanced images.

While these images can have a negative impact on people of all ages, it seems that young girls could be the most susceptible, with research from Dove finding that 80% of girls had used a filter or photo-editing app to change their appearance by the time they turned 13.

After a year of increased screen-time and subsequent increased exposure to unrealistic beauty ideals and pressures, there has never been a more important time to tackle the problem.

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Explaining why she was so keen to get involved in the campaign Lizzo said: “I love how this generation is so creative in the ways in which they express themselves.

"It’s really inspiring to see how people are taking their identity and their beauty into their own hands. However, people are struggling with their self-image and self-confidence more than ever.

"This is amplified by the increasing pressure to show a digitally distorted version of ourselves, reinforcing the idea that our beauty in real life is not good enough or worthy of likes.

"That’s why The Dove Self-Esteem Project and I want you to have The Selfie Talk with a young person in your life. It’s happening to young people everywhere, so let’s talk about it.”

Watch: Dove launches powerful 'Reverse Selfie' video to help tackle body confidence

While social media filters and editing apps have enabled users to experiment with self-expression, they can also have a lasting and harmful impact on girls’ self-esteem.

According to the Dove research, girls who distort their photos are more likely to have low body-esteem (57%) compared to those that don’t distort their photos at all (24%).

The longer girls spend editing their photos, the more they report low body esteem, with 64% of girls who spend 10-30 minutes editing, having low body esteem, and 38% of girls who spend less than 10 minutes editing reporting low body esteem.

Meanwhile, 68% of girls said “that if images on social media were more representative of the way girls look in everyday life” they wouldn’t end up feeling judged on their appearance.

Commenting on the findings professor Phillippa Diedrichs, research psychologist at the Centre of Appearance Research at the University of West England, says: “Although certain aspects of social media can promote connection and well-being, in recent years dozens of scientific studies have shown that social media can negatively influence body confidence, mood, and self-esteem.

"This happens when users spend significant amounts of time posting selfies, using editing apps and filters to alter their appearance, comparing themselves to others, and seeking validation through comments and likes.

"It’s therefore imperative that we help young people to develop skills to navigate social media in a healthy and productive way.”

Read more: Vicky Pattison on her body image struggle: 'Please don’t confuse thin with healthy’

Families can download Dove's new Confidence Kit to help them talk to a young person about social media and self-image.

Stacey Solomon has also given her backing to the campaign.

“There can be a lot of positives on social media when it’s used responsibly, but as a mum I’m all too aware of how filters and photo-editing apps can put a real pressure on young people and set unrealistic standards," she says.

"It’s really important for me to have open conversations with my boys about digital distortion and continue to remind them that they are perfect as they are."