I had this friend once who is a hardcore feminist and she took female empowerment to a very irritating level. I mean don’t get me wrong, I would consider myself to be a feminist too. I believe in male and female equality, I feel that there are still some very oppressive systems in place that keep women feeling inferior, and I have all six seasons of the L word. I’m down with girl power.
Anyway, as expected, this friend of mine used to kick up a fuss every time she saw advertisements for beauty products saying how neglected the bodies of real women were in the media. Despite spending most of this conversation realizing I would rather drill hot screws into my eyeballs than talk to her, I had to agree.
I know a lot of beautiful women in my life and less than 10 percent of them look like the girls on TV. I mean, let’s be real, the girls on TV don’t even look like the girls on TV. I know what the right lighting and a couple of nose jobs can do for a girl.
Well wasn’t it a breath of fresh, unclenched air when Dove launched their Real Beauty campaign in 2004? The campaign aimed to show images of real women, with real curves, real blemishes, real age spots, and real breasts on print ads and commercials. In fact, probably the boldest advertisement to date was a billboard that featured several women, with various looks, in just their bra and underwear.
The ad made its way into the blogosphere, the news, and even popular talk shows like Oprah. And really, if Oprah is giving you props, nothing else in the world matters.
Edelman PR began Dove’s campaign in March of 2004, and it really is the most appropriate agency to handle the project. Edelman has an entire department dedicated to utilizing social media in PR initiatives and its success can be summed up with just one video: The Dove Evolution Video. If you haven’t seen this video, you need to watch it NOW! It really opens up your eyes to the illusion of beauty and should certainly make some woman feel a lot better next time they walk past an ad for make-up.
I mostly felt bad for the woman starring in the commercial who probably thought, “Oh I’m so fine, they want to style me up and place me on a billboard.” When really, someone should have pulled her aside and said, “You’re pretty much just the ‘before’ picture.”
Either way, the message of what true beauty is was delivered. Since its release this ad has been viewed over 15 million times on YouTube alone. And the social media extravaganza doesn’t stop there. If you visit their website, you’ll find several discussion forums aimed at all kinds of girls and women (mothers, teenage girls, educators etc...) polls, and the body and soul play which encourages women to embrace aging.
Of course, you can also find a Dove page on Facebook, as well as several fan pages dedicated to the brand.
In 2004, I would say the idea of showing real women with real bodies in all their glory was a pretty innovative idea. By now, I feel as though the concept of the ‘every day woman’ has more of a presence in the media, even with previously superficial brands like Cover Girl. But wherever this idea leads us, Dove can take credit with starting the trend, and the use of social media certainly made an impact with its success.
I don’t speak to my feminist friend anymore. I made a sarcastic comment about her hairy legs and she opted not to share her views with me anymore. However, wherever she is, I believe that she is only one of millions of women who finally feel somewhat recognized in the mainstream media, and even if it’s only a small step in some people’s eyes, I think we can all agree that it’s certainly a step forward.
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