No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted...

from JoeUser Forums
I'm not sure if you all have seen this new Dove ad yet. It's part of their Campaign for real beauty. You can see it by clicking here. I wound up looking at it about a week ago and I wasn't so shocked at how different the girl looked with makeup, but at how much editing was done to her in the computer phase of the project. I knew they slimmed bodies, and plumped breasts, but I never realized they changed a person that much. I showed the video to my husband and he was equally disgusted.

I found a video on cnn.com that was discussing the ad and they had talked to Roshumba Williams (a model). She basically said there was no harm in it because customers know that its not real, and they want fantasy, not reality. What about young girls? When I was 12 I didn't even know about retouching. You hear about so many young girls these days getting plastic surgery, and not just on their breasts. On their noses, cheekbones, chins, etc. So they can look like the stars, the models, and the celebrities. I think there is harm in doing that much retouching to a woman's image. This is not just airbrushing out a blemish or wrinkle. The harm comes in the unrealistic images portrayed as "the" sexy image of a grown woman. The images that young girls aspire towards. I know that parents have the responsiblity to help their children understand that those images are not realistic. But, can you blame a young girl for still feeling like she's not good/pretty enough when she's constantly bombarded by those images? Billboards, ads, those many magazines by the checkout....

I think my husband said it best when he asked me "Why don't they just have 5 models and just change their looks around each time they need a new photo?".

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11,252 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top

You're right, it IS shocking.  It has women struggling to reach un attainable goal. 

I couldn't believe how much they airbrushed her either!

Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
Wow, that was crazy. They even lifted up her neck.

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Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
I loved that commercial. It was fascinating. I really have to hand it to Dove, not many companies are that gutsy. I've got a lot of respect for a company that would expose what "conventional wisdom" would say is beauty so openly.
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
I've admired the Dove "Real Beauty" campaign when they started with the group of normal sized ladies in thier lingerie on a billboard ...

Growing up as a teenage male, I fell hook-line-sinker for the "ideal" woman as portrayed by the ad agencies. Then, I realized that's not what I find attractive in a woman. I like a woman who's got curves, not a woman who can't be differentiated on site from a male.

I really got to thinking about this a lot just over 5 and a half years ago, when my daughter was born. Thinking about how much this can influence HER and what we need to do, from an early age, to combat it. So far, getting her to recognize the beauty in all people, is our starting point (and she's doing wonderful). We'll move on from there as she matures.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
Geeze that was way crazy, she is NOT the same gal that started the film.
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It follows only individual "rules", so how can it be distorted? Are you meaning to say that because something I see as beautiful may not be or that my perception is distorted, simply because you dont agree?

The final product was a graphic; nothing more, and nothing less. The artists started with a base, the model, and went to work crafting their graphic.

Now concerning the clip: Since I do not know the personality of that lady prior to the various artwork that went into the final ad, I have to admit, she really did not look all that beautiful to me. I can walk onto any campus or city street and see women who are far more physically beautiful to my eye. I imagine others share that opinion as well, or all that artwork would not be neccessary.

As for the artwork; make-up, hair-dressing and photo finishing. I think these artists did a beautiful job.

I don't think we need to blame artists or models for how girls or women feel about themselves. When I see ads in GQ, I dont get my boxers all up in a bunch because I dont look like those guys.

Its the job of our parents, schools, churches, and family members to teach our young ones that beauty is both at the surface as well as internal. It's also those peoples jobs to teach our growing children what the difference is between a peice of artwork, an model (which in my eyes is the product of artwork), and a "naked" person with emotions. Maybe if these girls have some obcession, her gaurdians might consider some counseling.

It seems as the parents may not be doing such a good job at this.

IMHO, Dove has done an admirable job in helping where teachers and parents seem to be falling short.
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top

Did Dove do this because they care so deeply about women's issues OR is this a very savvy marketing ploy to convince potential customers that they are a "good" company and thus deserve our money?

Something to think about, eh?