Low self-esteem is an issue that every human has to deal with. Dove has taken the initiative to begin a campaign, entitled Campaign For Real Beauty, to expand the cookie-cutter idea of beauty into a more realistic form of “real beauty”. The thought of doing such a thing is wonderful, as I am constantly at war with myself about my body image—like many women today are. The only problem is their execution of this campaign. To be blunt, it is hypocritical in every sense of the word.
The fact of the matter is, Dove wants to showcase a society that is bigger than the model thin, “sample sizes 2 and 4” lifestyle. A prime example of this is a picture they’ve distributed of 6 different women.
( http://www.dove.ca/en/Social-Mission/About-the-Movement.aspx) All 6 of these women, of different ethnicities, are in plain white bras and panties. The composition of this image is balanced, and the point of view is looking directly at them--the image isn't angled to look at them from an upwards or downwards perspective. They are all standing in a line, smiling and laughing, looking like they have been best friends for years. The unique quality to the women is that they are not model thin, but an average size; they do not have the flattest tummies, the most sculpted thighs, or the best biceps on a women that I’ve ever seen. They are humans whom are perfect in their own individual way, and that appeals to our pathos.
( http://www.dove.ca/en/Social-Mission/About-the-Movement.aspx) All 6 of these women, of different ethnicities, are in plain white bras and panties. The composition of this image is balanced, and the point of view is looking directly at them--the image isn't angled to look at them from an upwards or downwards perspective. They are all standing in a line, smiling and laughing, looking like they have been best friends for years. The unique quality to the women is that they are not model thin, but an average size; they do not have the flattest tummies, the most sculpted thighs, or the best biceps on a women that I’ve ever seen. They are humans whom are perfect in their own individual way, and that appeals to our pathos.
That is exactly how Dove wants you to feel. By looking at these everyday women and finding them beautiful despite their average-ness, you are believing that their campaign is breaking the model-thin mold and giving average women the opportunity to live a model lifestyle while eating too. That is not the case.
In the article Do Thin Models Warp Girls’ Body Image (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-09-25-thin-models_x.htm), written by Nanci Hellmich, a woman named Kelly Cutrone is quoted saying "[Models] are anomalies of nature. They are freaks of nature. They are not average. They are naturally thin and have incredibly long legs compared to the rest of their body. Their eyes are wide set apart. Their cheekbones are high.” Dove wants to appear like they’re doing something to eliminate the way women strive to be like these ‘freaks of nature’.
What Dove is really doing is all one big marketing scheme. All of the images they use show just how far from “real beauty” their fat models are. In the article, written by Burt Helm (http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/brandnewday/archives/2008/05/surprise_doves.html) , we learn that the photos they’ve been using for the campaign “…were as digitally manipulated as any skinny model-festooned fashion spread. It’s mentioned in a Lauren Collins profile of the toucher-upper himself, Pascal Dangin, who works regularly for Vogue, Dior, Balenciaga, and many others”.
All of the women they use are the average American size 12; they do not show anyone bigger or smaller. These women all seem to be the same height as well. The only two variables I see in these women are their ethnicities and bra sizes.
This really shows the kind of character that Dove has: they’re hypocritical liars who are only in it for the money. If they would have explained something like “we gave the supermodel treatment to these women with closer-to-normal bodies” or “Warning: All photos that are published these days are manipulated—first they are photo-styled and then they are color-corrected and then they are retouched. It's a lie to say they’re ‘unretouched’."
This campaign as a whole is definitely far from perfect. If you use the righteous sell, you better damn well live up to your strict standards or you’re going to lose all credibility.
