http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/
A friend gave me this link and I agree with her: every woman should check this out. I have seen the television commercials for the "campaign for real beauty" and think it's great but this really blew me away.
http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/
Yes, so great I posted the link twice! I think that self esteem is a HUGE issue for women in America. No matter how happy we are with our lives there's always something about ourselves we would like to change. We tend to get very caught up in things that, in the long run, don't really matter. I wish I could say that I'm not guilty of it but I know that I am. I know that there is nothing "wrong" with my body but I still find myself wishing for a smaller nose, a flatter stomach, better hair, clearer skin, etc. Self image plays such a huge role in our lives and in the things that we accomplish. Life is hard enough on a day to day basis without also feeling that how you look isn't "good enough".
This ad is great because it exposes the illusion that advertisements create. We've all seen the commercials, the billboards and the ads in magazines and at least once, we've all searched for there to be something, anything, wrong with the face they feature. As Dove points out, with a team of "beauty experts" and some digital work, anything is possible. Hell they could make a 40 year old man look like a beautiful woman! We shouldn't be comparing ourselves to these images. These images aren't what make beauty.
I feel like the self image issue is only getting worse and worse. When I was in middle and high school I did realize that I wasn't one of the "pretty" girls. I was smart, and that's how people described me. While I did notice that people always described me as smart but never as pretty, it didn't consume me. I didn't let that be who I was. I have a sister that just started middle school and I am amazed at how consumed she is with how she looks. She feels as though if she's not wearing the right thing or doesn't look perfect, her life is useless. I wish I knew how to show her otherwise.
I posted this blog under personal freedom and better future because I believe that how we feel about ourselves is a personal freedom. We shouldn't be held down by the images that mass media creates. You have to decide what is beautiful and you have to realize that, regardless of your imperfections, you are beautiful! I think that there will always be things we want to change about ourselves but once we realize that, in spite of that, who we are is good enough, we will be happier people. And that will create a better future.
I love the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. They deserve kudos for not being afraid to challenge society and the media's preceptions of what real beauty is. I hope to see other corporations and organizations get involved with the campaign (or launch similar campaigns). Women (most especially young women) need to know that real beauty isn't the Hollywood stereotype. It's everywhere... and it never fits into a mold.
"We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us." -Marcel Proust
take action women
JZ
Thanks That really is a good site.
I love their Campaign for Real Beauty ... people have always talked about the bad images that the media is sending, but I think that Dove has been the only company to use commercials and magazines to attack it.
We focus so much on what the media and society tell us is beautiful that I am actually doing a project in my journalism class on this topic ( this was our topic before I read this blog). We have to create a magazine for the baby boomer+ age group. We are doing a magazine all about plastic surgery. Originally I thought this was a horrible idea- it doesnt have any longevity. But then I started thinking that in today's age, it has all the longevity any magazine could hope for. Its a hot topic!
Francesca Chambers
I think that's a great idea! Be sure to include all forms of plastic surgery...it's amazing the things that people will get done! You might want to consider looking at the angle of necessary or restorative cosmetic surgery as well. Keep in mind that not all cosmetic/plastic surgery is frivalous. Sometimes it can help restore a productive self image which I think falls in line with Dove's campaign. I don't think it's necessarily about encouraging women not to get cosmetic surgery or want to be beautiful. I think it's about doing things for the right reasons and not looking to magazines for all the answers to becoming beatiful. Good luck with your project!
Does anyone remember when this campagin first came out and they had all of the women on a billboard somewhere and it caused a big stir? It was in the news and in some magazines. If I remember correctly, some people were questioning the image it was sending to have real, healthy looking women in their underwear on billboards. I really support the idea. I do also know that they have teamed up with organizations like Girl Scouts to help young girls build a healthy body image.
Thank you so much for posting this. It has completely opened my eyes to how things really are in the advertising world. This is a good and bad thing for me. It's good because it can help me with my own self-image of beauty, but then it hurts me because I have wanted to, for some time now, go into commercial advertising. After seeing this it makes me feel like some kind of monster. Then again, maybe I could just become a really successful POSITIVE commercial advertiser? Maybe I could do commercials for Dove. ;)
- Sophia