Since we talked about the Dove article in class, I decided to look up the ads. I’ve actually seen them while shopping at an outlet before, and I thought it was pretty interesting, but forgot about it once I got home. Anyways, while I was looking at the ad pictures, I thought about how a lot of people out there, especially critics (male critics, mostly), shed a lot of negative light on the campaign. Whatever reason they gave, in the end, I think the only real reason they had anything against the campaign was because the models were not like Victoria’s Secret Angels, with beautifully toned bodies that are impossible to achieve for most women. It’s sad how many girls younger than me are obsessing over their weight and how they look. When I was in fourth grade, I thought boys had cooties and I wore whatever my mom threw on me, but the fourth graders I see now are already wearing makeup, getting their first boyfriends, and using Juicy Couture bags. The media today has painted an unrealistic (and not to mention unhealthy) image for teens, children, and the more easily influenced women to follow. You have to be skinny like the movie stars, wear Louis Vuitton bags, and have on pounds of makeup to be beautiful, glamorous, and wanted. Though the Dove campaign, like many have said, might be hypocritical, since the products they are selling are telling you to fix the problem areas of your body instead of embracing them (which is what the Dove campaign is trying to say- love your body the way it is), it is still a positive message for women out there today. These women in the picture are not obese, or even overweight, but when compared to the models on the runways and Victoria’s Secret ads, they appear to be so. That’s a pretty sad fact, considering the smallest of them is a size 6, which is normal size for most women. I do agree that prettier, skinnier women give off more appeal and glamorous image while wearing underwear and bras, but seeing these women shows a lot of people (myself included), that we are not fat, overweight, or ugly- just normal. What they’re doing is simply trying to give everyone a positive message- love yourself for who you are.
