Monday, August 08, 2005

Media: Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty

You've got to give kudos to Dove (the soap, not the chocolate), a division of Unilever, for its Campaign for Real Beauty, now appearing through TV commercials and the Web.

I haven't seen the TV spots yet, but LK tells me one involves a line of women in blonde wigs filing in, forming a circle, pulling off their wigs (revealing women with hair and races of all types) and flinging them in the air. (Message: We reject the Barbie doll stereotype.) Another involves an older woman telling younger men regarding her age, "We don't miss you at all." (Message: We reject men's adolescent values and objectivization of women.)

I have seen the website, and it commendably rejects the use of models to show "real women" of "real beauty." Health information, beauty advice and other material supporting the campaign appear to be excellent, with extensive visitor participation designed into the website (and a crosslink to Oprah.com).

Unless current trends are reversed, we seem to be on a path to realize the worst fictional fears of recent generations in cinema and literature -- The Stepford Wives and worse. I hope and expect that nearly every woman outside of L.A. will join me in saying that I cannot praise Dove highly enough for taking this courageous and much-needed stand.

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