These ads are examples from Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign. Having a background and genuine passion for the advertising world, I am so impressed and inspired by this campaign. Among the hundreds of advertisements society is bombarded with every day using the “sex sells” approach, it is refreshing and eye-opening to see real women with their real bodies. This is what appeals to me most.
The Dove ads stood out because they were different. And in this case, different is good. The advertising industry constantly objectifies and commodifies women by using their bodies to sell things. Feminists scholars have analyzed the oppressive nature of these ads and media representations that bombard women and girls with "an ideal of beauty defined as thin, lean, tall, young, white and heterosexual, with flawless skin and well-groomed hair" (Kirk and Rey, p. 208). This beauty standard is backed by a multi-billion dollar beauty industry. This industry signs the checks of the advertising industry, thus leading them to portray women and their bodies as a series of problems in need of correction.
The mood/tone these ads provoke are ones of acceptance, power and real beauty. Finally, every woman can see an ad and see a body that resembles their own. Instead of another ad to perpetuate the "tyranny of slenderness", as Kim Chernin calls it, women can see these ads and finally put an end to pursuing this unattainable beauty ideal (Kirk and Rey, p. 208).
The explicit message is that every woman, every shape and every size, is beautiful. The implicit message, from what I can gather, is trying to make every woman, and man, really believe that. Jean Kilbourne describes in her article, "The More You Subtract, the More You Add", the "toxic cultural environment" surrounding U.S girls and women and shows how advertising images can severely undermine girls self-confidence and sense of agency , which can lead to serious physical and emotional health problems (Kirk and Rey, p. 208). The message these ads are trying to illicit is one of encouragement to the young girls and women driven to unhealthy, often fatal, lifestyle habits. The ads can prove to women that they aren't the only ones who don't look like Kate Hudson or Ashely Olsen. They can encourage these women to see and accept their body and find a healthy and happy way to maintain it and love it.
The ads are trying to sell Dove products, body lotion, deodorant, shampoo etc. But, more importantly, the ads are trying to “sell” the idea of real beauty. They want society to see real women, accept their beautiful bodies and feel comfortable with them. The ads are assuming that society doesn’t already do this.
What these ads are telling me about how gender operates within culture is that culture is dominated by men. It is a fact that "patriarchy permeates the world’s religions, political systems and socio-cultural structures, which allows for, and supports, the power of men" (Seely, p. 4). And it is clear that the system of patriarchy runs the advertising world. These are some of the first ads I’ve ever seen that are geared towards women portraying them as exactly that, real women. Not supermodels, not Barbie dolls, but real women. And these ads are seen as revolutionary and thought provoking because we have never seen women like these before in the media.
This entire campaign wants us to love our bodies. And they want men to see them and love them as well. They are showing off the beauty of the female form as it really is.
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I love this ad campaign! When I go to the store I actually feel more inspired to buy their products because I just love the message they are sending. I am so sick and tired of seeing ad campaigns directed only toward tall, skinny women. One night I sat on my couch and decided I was going to try and find at least one woman on a commercial who wasn’t tall and thin. The only commercial I saw was an "Ask Gary" one! I can’t take it anymore. Me being short and curvy , I find it so depressing that I am constantly questioning myself because I don’t look like “them.” I am aware that the system of patriarchy defines what is important, acceptable, and even sexy. Well I am sick of seeing only tall long-limbed skinny women being glamourized and worshiped in society. Dove doesn’t bash these models because they are beautiful in their own way, but they also celebrate other women, the women that are more typically seen everyday. Seeing these women puts a whole smile on my face for one very important reason: they are me!
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ReplyDeleteI deleted my previous comment because I felt it needed clarification/revision. In a way, I actually think these Dove ads are equally problematic, as they are not simply using larger, more ethnic examples of women in their ads, but making a point to call attention to that fact, as though to say, "Look at us, we're giving you exactly what you want. Will you buy our product now?" It is as though a separate sphere has been created to cater to women who look at other ads and feel terribly insecure because none of the models look like them. They are not simply employing different sizes, but looking to be exalted for doing so, as though it's some revolutionary act, when in fact, it's just good business sense. "Progress" in my eyes will only be using multiple body types without calling attention to the multiplicity. Furthermore, tall, skinny women are women too, and I personally hate the "real women have curves" movement, and counter it with the idea that "real women have a shape," any shape, and yes, it is disgusting when the body is separated from the woman and turned into a sexual object to sell things, but it would be equally disgusting, regardless of what the woman looked like.
ReplyDeleteI completely and respectively disagree with you Patricia.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it's because you haven't seen all of the Dove ads, but they don't simply cater to curvy women. This ad campaign showcases women of ALL sizes, big, small, and everything in between. And it isn't just the size of a woman they are attempting to redefine, it's things like age and skin as well.
However, it is an ad campaign, so they are obviously selling a product, but they're also selling an idea. The reason they call attention to it is because of all the obvious attention given to this socially constructed idea of the perfect woman (i.e. white, tall, slender, etc.). They could have simply used the women in their typical advertisements and said nothing about it, but I believe they had intentions of creating a movement towards self-acceptance. It just seems pessimistic to assume that every company doing something progressive must have some alternative motive.
And this is progress, it's definitely not the end of the road, but it is a sign that we're getting closer to redefining the idealistic standards our society has created for women. Yes, tall skinny women are obviously women, I don't see where Dove refutes that. The idea is that tall skinny women aren't the only kind of women, which is a tough pill to swallow for most Westerners.
I agree that calling attention to the fact that these women aren't "perfect" is something we shouldn't have to do, but I also feel that this is how every movement starts, with some sort of self-declaration.
I think this is a great campaign not just for women to look up to but for the rest of society to see what most women look like. Dove is showing real female bodies in positive light and the women in the ad look genuinely happy. Young girls are exposed to so many negative campaigns about women that I feel this will encourage them to look at their bodies in a positive way. There are so many young girls and women dying of anorexia because they are trying to fit into that ideal beauty of being thin, tall, and lean. When a woman’s self esteem is boosted she perform better in all areas of her life, and seeing ads like this makes women feel good about themselves. Besides women, men and the rest of society will be able to see that a real woman does not look like the women they see in ads and that not all women aspire to look like an ad. This is one of the few ads that promotes real women and shows average bodies in a positive light. The ad will have many positive effects for women and girls across the whole country.
ReplyDeleteMost of my comments, Brit, were actually in response to Sophia's, not the ad, as I perceive hers to be the baseline reaction that most people have when looking at these ads. I perceive all marketing with a measured degree of pessimism because although the accompanying philanthropy that Dove has undertaken in this ad campaign is admirable, it is all centered on the use of focus groups, which determine what an audience wants to see what they would buy anyway presented. The very idea of altruism as a part of selling any chemical-filled, grocery store beauty product is a silly one, in my opinion. While this can be considered a "step," sure, I am put off by how contrived the effort seems, and beyond that, that it actually works, as a degree of discernment should be obligatory when looking at any ad, positive or not.
ReplyDeleteI personally loved this ad campaign. Like any normal girl, it’s hard to see tall, skinny, perfect models in each and every ad you see. Now of course I know seeing that kind of perfection is supposed to make you want to buy the product because it’s made the woman in the ad supposedly look that perfect, not to imply that they don’t use airbrushing and photographic detailing. I think it’s refreshing to see an ad showcasing women of all ages, sizes and ethnicities. To quote from Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty website, they want us to “imagine a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety”. This is such an important thing to teach young girls today who are constantly exposed to an unrealistic idea of beauty from TV, magazines, movies etc. It always makes me happy when a corporation so vested in fashion can embrace a message as simple as be happy and be yourself.
ReplyDeleteNot to beat a dead horse or anything, but I thought everyone yea-saying this ad would be interested to learn that Dove is owned by Unilever, the same company that owns Axe, arguably one of the more misogynistic manufacturers of products geared towards men. Also, this short article is further illuminating about their so-called "real women" marketing and how it is so very "ethical": http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2010/06/dove_seeks_women_with_flawless.html
ReplyDeleteI also love this ad. When I first saw it on television I was shocked. Finally a brand does not have a perfect model as their spokesperson. This ad can make women feel empowered and secure in their own skin. Today, in most ads, the ideal woman is beaten into our brains. You must be tall, skinny, have a perfect complexion, and long healthy hair to be accepted. Even in tv shows and movies, this image is portrayed. I think Dove did a great thing with this ad. It is promoting women to be confident and to accept their bodies how they are naturally, which is something every woman should be inspired to do.
ReplyDeleteWell class, I have held back to let this discussion unfold. I think all of you are bringing up some interesting points about this campaign and it has, as in the past, posed people on two sides that either love or hate the campaign. Two things that have gone unnoticed: 1. they are still selling "firming" cream to produce flawless or cellulite free skin for "real women" AND 2. Dove uses some of its funds to sponsor research on self-etseem and girls/girl projects. So, in many ways this ad is indicative of most things in our culture: it both perpetuates the system and works against it. I think it might be productive to begin to think outside of the binary of "positive" or "negative" ads and move more toward looking at the ways that ads mediate different power discourses.
ReplyDeleteLauren-- way to get the discussion going!
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