Take a look at this:



This is before and after shots of the same model. In the video on the front of the Campaign for Real Beauty, you'll see that she is given better lighting, makeup, hair, etc., and then she's been photoshopped extensively to perfection. Finally, the camera zooms out and we have this billboard, and we see two young women walk by and look at her.

http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/

The campaign seems to be specifically asking us to consider that there is a destructive and negative aspect to generating this kind of fake beauty. a) the campaign says, it isn't necessary and b) it hurts women and girls.

My profession is design and advertising. I am employed, in effect, to communciate the best in people and products - to make them look good. My argument is that little retouching is necessary if we can just get the subjects at the right time in the right mood and with the proper expression. That isn't always possible, and inevitably, we are asked by our clients to make them "look good." But what is good?

The dove self-esteem campaign asks us all reconsider the fact that our definition of beauty might be quite damaging to women. This is hardly a new claim, and it has been rattled around for decades in academic circles and among fashion photographers and the like. It has been generally understood that the sociological and psychological effect of these images can be quite traumatizing. But it hasn't been popularized in quite this way before, so Dove should get credit for striking a nerve.

Moreover, Dove seems to be taking the due-diligence side of this issue quite seriously. That is, how much of an issue is this, is it severe, in what ways? A sampling of their poll is displayed on their site below, and it reveals that it is indeed a serious issue:


I spent some time reading the voluminous posts on the campaign's site, and believe me, this is something that everyone has a comment about. While there are many posts from women who seems to be just sighing with relief that anyone will honestly address this topic, a candid question from the southern-spelling poster "not-an-asshole" (a man, I presume) said, "ya'll be wearing makeup tomorrow, hows that different?" Links in the posts to the size zero model who dieed recently, numerous blogs and posts elsewhere show this is a vital issue to many people.

Some other things to see:

A rather well done and disturbing commercial with cute little girls alongside what they think of themselves.
http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/commercial.asp?src=InsideCampaign_commercial
youtube version - http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1731400614466797113

slideshow with some data points, some unsurprising, others, quite intriguing.
http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/flat4.asp?id=6128

a fine photo exhibit:
http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.ca/realbeauty/main2.cfm

The idea that a home, food and personal care products company - unilever - can attempt to redefine what looking "good" is, is wonderfully and terrifically ambitious and - I think - admirable. But the more cynical side of me is simply awe-struck with the strategic side of this campaign.

I imagine sitting in a room and coming up with this campaign.
First, someone says, lets refashion our advertising into some sort of virtuous cause. Causes travel better than ads, and we can probably sell more if we are associated with something good. Second, after discarding "cleanliness is next to Godliness" and "clean is the new black" someone points out that poor self-esteem is a good issue, or at least no one else seems to have claimed it. Someone sheepishly mentions that dove has been on the wrong side of this issue for a millenia. Then as the ideas evolve they realize they have a goldmine of advertising riches on their hands. The models are cheaper. The point is crystal clear. Other ads side-by-side with theirs make their point for them. The message can travel along their entire product line. It will get them free PR placements, a community of associated products can be developed.

So I have a great regard for this campaign and this effort. I think it is worthwhile and - at times - beautiful and impressive.

But lets not forget this company still has some soap to sell. There is no amount of sarcasm in the world to help contextualize this promo that popped up as I visited the site:

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Labels: advertising, Design