Dove’s Campaign for “Real Beauty” promotes its line of skin-firming creams and other products by using six regular women of varying sizes and ethnicities posing cheerfully in white underwear. Dove says their models are in their 20s and range from size 6 to size 12. The average American woman is somewhere between a 12 and 14 according to a 2004 survey by Size USA. Dove’s marketing director Kathy O’Brien says that the company wants the ads to “change the way society views beauty,” and “provoke discussion and debate.” Some feminist critics point out the hypocrisy of Dove’s real beauty campaign, as Dove contradicts its “self-esteem enhancing” ads by selling anti-cellulite creams.
Questions
What do you guys think of these ads?
Are these commercials a revolutionary rejection of the super thin media ideal?
Do you think this is a positive move from both a business and/or social point of view?
Here is the main Dove photo we are talking about:
http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/flat3.asp?id=2287
Here are some Dove commercials:
http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/
