If you've been visiting this blog for a while, you know that I'm a fan of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. This campaign--showing us real women of various shapes, sizes, and unique features--has opened a conversation on the redefinition of the North American perception of beauty. They've recently produced a video called The Evolution of Beauty that follows a model from zero to billboard-ready. Eye-opening, literally! Some folks persist in a narrow definition of beauty (as in one response to the video posted on YouTube: "would it not be easier to use a pretty woman, instead of all this masking and stretching??"), but Dove's power to mass-educate pays off in every person who realizes that magazines don't reflect reality.For those among us whose bodies have changed with pregnancy, The Shape of a Mother is another excellent site. Women share their pregnancy stories and pictures of their post-pregnancy bodies--wrinkly bellies, saggy breasts, stretch marks, extra weight, and all. Some of the women have made peace with their new bodies and embrace their new beauty, some bemoan the changes and are pounding away at the gym. Either way, it's awesome to see real pictures of what a body looks like after growing a baby!
16 comments:
Maybe it's just me, but saying those women in the photo are a cross-section of "real" women is still not even close. I mean, it's a step in the right direction, but... c'mon, all of those women are still pretty darn close to the classic definition of beauty. They all have a clearly defined waistline, nicely rounded hips, and perfectly proportioned breasts. How about putting a "pear-shaped" woman up there? Or a woman with akmost no breasts, who carries all here weight around her tummy. How 'bout some cellulite? Lots of women have it! I don't know, but this advertisment, that claims to be a representation of real beauty, has always bugged me. I think it still really misses the mark.
I agree with you, whoever you are--this particular picture ISN'T a perfect or all-encompassing representation of what real women look like. (Mitch and I actually had a discussion about that last night.) There are plenty of unique bodies that are missing here... but I think it's a step in the right direction. More than any other corporation is doing, that's for sure. These women look healthy, rather than Hollywood-thin. There are thick thighs, little breasts and ample bosoms, and a range of heights and ethnicities in this picture than we don't see in most media representations of beauty; most importantly, each woman exudes confidence and joy.
On a more practical note... this picture came early in Dove's switchover to the Campaign for Real Beauty, so perhaps they were "breaking us in." More than that, though, is the fact that Dove won't get it exactly right. They're still a company in a capitalist system whose PRIMARY purpose is to make money... if this campaign didn't first meet the criteria of increasing sales and creating brand loyalty, it would never have gotten off the ground.
WE are responsible for creating a wider definition of beauty. Real, substantive changes will come as we tell each other new stories of what it means to be beautiful. And for the women among us: as we stop comparing and competing, and learn to accept ourselves so that we can accept each other.
Thanks for opening the conversation, Commenter X!
Of course WE are responsible for creating a wider definition of beauty...that's been true forever. Unfortunetly, when the media came on the scene a hundred or so years ago, it began winning the battle in this area. To me, Dove is just tweeking the definition a little. The truth is, many women still can't live up to how those women in the photo look. You mentioned they look confident and happy...if I looked like that in my bra and panties, I'd feel pretty confident and happy too!
Really, the bottom line is that, for some reason, this ad campaign is being hailed as a major leap forward in helping women of all shapes and sizes, love and except their bodies. In reality, it does very little. As you say, it's really just a scheme to make money. That's why it annoys me so much.
I'm so glad to hear critical thinking at work in the discussion here! And this is really the point at which Dove's campaign becomes valuable--whether the campaign is spot-on or off-base, it is promoting dialogue.
I'd disagree with you (mystery Commenter), though, on the point that the women in the photo look confident and happy because they look good. How many women do you personally know who wouldn't change a thing about the way they look, even if they could? Isn't this the tragedy of mass media's impact on body image? The idea of an objective standard of beauty is so overwhelmingly pervasive in Western culture that even a woman who somehow fits the image feels insecure and unhappy about her body.
You might be interested in The Observer's critique of the Dove campaign (http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,1385990,00.html). This quote from the creator of the campaign, Daryl Fielding, is especially telling: 'I'm shy of saying "beauty is about your soul" because we're not making products for the soul. We just want the looks business to be more realistic. Increasingly there seems only one model for beauty - tall, thin, blonde, young - we just don't want our daughters to aspire to be that.' (I wonder what "products for the soul" would look like?)
Ok, yeah, sure...I know some women who look wonderful, and still are not happy with their themselves. But I'd have to say, I know an equal number of women who are beautiful and confident; who would indeed pose in their underwear! Really I do!
Now, consider the other side of the coin. I don't know an obese woman who would pose with a cheshire cat grin on her face while getting photographed in her underwear! Do you?
No, looking wonderful does not mean that you will feel confident and happy, but it sure helps!
Au contraire!
These portraits (http://www.thecenturyproject.com/photos.htm) would seem to say that beauty and confidence has little to do with the skin we live in and more to do with our ability to make peace with who we are.
This is the big lie that we're sold, that THOSE women over THERE with the size 5 jeans and great hair are secure and confident, and I'd feel the same if I could just look like that. But the reality is that with very few exceptions, women across the board in our society feel insecure about their appearance and would change at least one thing about their body in a heartbeat if they could. There's a lot of emotional investment in this topic for many people, but I'm standing my ground that confidence and self-love have nothing to do with what people see on the outside.
Just wait till you see the cheshire grins on some of those women, and they're wearing less than underwear!
Of course you can find overweight women, who like to be in skimpy attire, on the web...I figured you would...you can find anything on the web. Sorry though, our internet connection has a firewall, and we aren't able to visit such sites.
Ok, one more comment...I can't let this go unsaid...
Another lie that we are sold, is that to be a woman is to be shallow, vain, and always fussing about our looks. Not true. I was actually with a group of women last night, and I asked them how they felt about their looks. About a third of us disliked something, the rest of us were fine with how we looked. And we all agreed that really, it doesn't take up that much of our thoughts. Your assertion that "women across the board in our society feel insecure about their appearance" is simply not true. It seems like something you've read and not researched.
Women aren't as vain, insecure and preoccupied with their looks as you seem to think. Give us some credit!
Wow okay I must say "anonymous commenter" that you hang out with one extraordinary group of women! I hang out with a lot of women and have had the wonderful opportunity of leading many women's groups. Deep down at the core, beyond the fake mask appearance that many of us like to have, I have not yet met a woman who was completely satisfied with the skin she was in all of the time. Whether that's from past hurtful experiences, the media, or whatever. I must say I find it hard to believe that there is actually a woman out there who is 100% satisfied with every aspect of her body. I'm not saying that this is on their minds all of the time. I am saying however that in their heart, in their minds silently where no one else can hear them, when they stand in front of the mirror they wish that something they see wasn't there or different somehow. If I'm completely wrong here then maybe I need some more years of counselling and some new friends :)
Erin
Oh, I'm not saying that there aren't many, thousands, even millions of women who don't struggle with this...certainly enough to fuel this "every woman dislikes herself" movement. But don't lump every woman into the same category. To make a blanket statement that "to be a woman is to be insecure about your looks" is wrong.
As a side note, I am probably older than the average reader of this blog. Maybe excepting yourself comes with age and maturity. Who knows.
You're blessed to have a group of women who flip the well-documented statistics, if only a third wished something about their appearance was different. Research indicates that:
~ At age thirteen, 53% of American girls are "unhappy with their bodies." This grows to 78% by the time girls reach seventeen. (Brumberg, 1997)
~ 73% of women 16-21 and 86% of women age 22-30 experience "body dissatisfaction." (Prevos, 2005)
~ A large scale survey conducted by found body dissatisfaction to be "increasing at a faster rate than ever before" among both men and women (p. 34). He found that 89% of the 3,452 female respondents wanted to lose weight. (Garner, 1997)
~ In a global survey of 3,300 girls age 15-17, 97% believe changing some aspect of themselves would make them feel better. ("Beyond Stereotypes," comprehensive research study commissioned by Dove)
I am not implying that women are vain and preoccupied with their looks, as you put it. Far from it! There's a longing to be accepted, to feel okay when they look in the mirror. And I think you are absolutely correct that many women become more comfortable with their bodies as they age (if they can resist the anti-aging, anti-wrinkle propaganda!). The one woman I know personally who seems to be confident and unconcerned about her body is in her fifties.
Thank you, yes, I do have a great group of friends!
hmmmm that's all you have to say to that? Interesting!
I'm not sure what you mean... if you mean that I didn't respond to your previous comment within the hour, that would be because I'm the mother of two little ones and we were on an important muffin-making mission!
(This, by the way is the original anonymous. That last comment was by a different anonymous, and I think it was directed at me.) To which I respond...
Well, I mean, really...what else is there to say? Since statistics are always completely accurate (insert sarcasm here) I guess all I can do is be thankful that my group of friends aren't affected by them.
I hope your muffins turn out great!
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