Dovetailing
Reality
Sheila Shayon
10 years ago, Dove launched its Campaign for Real Beauty—a
global effort that set out to spread positivity among women,
young and old, and alter the public perception of beauty.
Spun out of a photography exhibit in Toronto, the campaign,
which officially launched in 2004, has grown from billboards
and print ads to TV commercials and short films all in the
pursuit of redefining how consumers view beauty. And
while the core of any campaign—to grow sales—remains a
significant motivator for the brand, in a decade it seems that
Dove has in fact made an impact on women and men alike,
both in the industry and outside of it.
In a survey funded by Unilever, Harvard psychologist Nancy
Etcoff found that in relation to the campaign, more women
today define beauty by other standards than just physical
appearance, according to Ad Age. “62 percent of women
in the US feel they are responsible for influencing their own
definition of beauty, nearly triple from the 23 percent ten
years ago,” Dove said in a press release.
The campaign’s various efforts have earned Dove and its
agencies a handful of awards, including top honors at
Cannes Lions in 2007 for its first “viral” video, “Evolution,”
and again in 2013 for “Sketches,” which became the mostwatched video ad of all time. Sales have gone from $2.5
billion in 2004 to $4 billion today as Dove hitched its product
development to the campaign, transforming from a bar-soap
brand to a comprehensive personal care line.
By casting average-sized women as models, challenging
stereotypes through its “check-box” ads and consistently
advocating for more positive body language and behavior,
Dove has helped inspire a greater awareness of misogynistic
advertising.
To commemorate its anniversary, Dove commissioned a short
film, Selfie, that challenges girls and their mothers to discuss
their insecurities and snap an “honest” selfie photo. Dove is
sharing the photos on social media using hashtag #Beautyis
to spur conversations on how women perceive beauty.
“The way women are defining beauty today is changing
dramatically, and social media has much to do with the
change,” Academy Award-winning filmmaker and Selfie
director Cynthia Wade said. “Now we have the ability to
photograph the beauty we see in our friends and ourselves.
When we share these diverse images on our social networks,
we are taking personal ownership and truly redefining
beauty.”
While media and pop culture continue to barrage women
with their ideals of beauty, Dove has found an advocate in
social media that has served as a mirror for its efforts. The
brand launched an online ad-eraser as well as an app that
allowed consumers to send anti-retouching messages to
photo editors.
“The advent of social media is an empowering tool for women
to tell their own beauty story and has allowed the definition
of beauty to evolve into one that is more multi-faceted
and inclusive,” said Etcoff, the director of the Program in
Aesthetics and Well Being at Massachusetts General Hospital
and Assistant Clinical Professor at Harvard Medical School.
“Women are becoming their own media creators. It’s the
personalization of beauty for the next generation.”
And while some applaud turning the lens the other way
as a mode of price and empowerment, nay sayers still
aren’t convinced by the “artificial environment constructed
by Dove,” Salon notes. The magazine points out that the
campaign and film are “backed by a corporate sponsor,”
and that the “internet is a much hasher place for women.”
Indeed, Dove and Unilever have been equally criticized for
the campaign. Time’s Charlotte Alter describes Selfie as the
“heartwarming tale of a bunch of normal-looking girls who
have absolutely no discernible interests in anything except
how they look.” She continues, “Making girls suddenly feel
beautiful is all well and good for the purposes of selling
soap and moisturizers, but it’s not real progress. ‘Redefining
beauty’ is just another way to keep talking about beauty,
which is what companies want but is the last thing girls need.”
That hasn’t stopped other brands and industry influencers
from adopting similar causes. In the 3rd week of Jan 2014,
teen and young adult lingerie retailer Aerie, the sister brand
of American Eagle Outfitters, launched its #aerieReal
campaign, pledging to stop using Photoshop and other
retouching tools in its advertisements. The campaign, much
like Dove’s, encourages women to share their thoughts and
pictures on social media to spread the ‘real’ message.
Still, there are many brands that are clinging on to outdated
perceptions of the female (and male) form. 2013 was a rough
year for brands like Abercrombie & Fitch and Lululemon,
both of which came under fire for restricting the sizing of their
clothes, portraying unrealistic figures in their campaigns,
and worse yet, pointing a finger at the greater population of
consumers that don’t conform to their sizing standards.
Sales gimmick or not, it’s hard to find a major fault in
campaigns like Dove’s and Aerie’s that spread positivity
instead of antogonistic thoughts.