It's a Start
Dove has recently launched a natural beauty campaign where they tackle issues of what unfeigned beauty truly is, or at least, what it should be. They are bringing real world issues into focus for young girls and even grown women, who may struggle with self esteem or issues of trying to look like what the media tells them is perfect, or thinking their life is a sorry plight because they don't meet a certain weight or look criteria.
Before I go on: Let me go on record...I am not a fan of Dove. I am fully aware they also own the ridiculous product "Axe", whose ads say "Use our stinky, cheap, body spray and you will become 'the cock of the walk', (as they say) and be able to attract the hot women of the world." A tad hypocritical...
However: Putting aside the fact that I feel this particular company is perhaps a bit fraudulent, I have to give props to them for funding these ads, for I think if the young and older girls see some of these, it may make a difference on how they look at themselves.
My wake up call: I must have been a sophomore in high school, I was watching Cindy Crawford on David Letterman. She brought out a a cover of herself on Vogue Magazine. She was beautiful. I thought how lucky she was to be so perfect. But then, she brought out the before version of that same picture... And she showed all that went on in that photo before it was "finished". Her arms and waist had been airbrushed to be half the size they really were, her teeth were whitened, the blemishes on her face were erased... and get ready... so was the cellulite on her thighs. GASP!
The brilliance: The Dove "short stories" do hit home as these issues are real. Our girls are being bombarded by a world of feeling like they need to be physically perfect, or they are not going to be popular, successful or even in some cases, loved. I know this sounds extreme, and not all girls will go through that... But even if one friend, daughter or sister does, then that is one too many.
Show them these ads: Let them *SEE* what reality is.
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