1. When outside beauty counts more than Inside beauty…… Brittany N. Clark PSY 492 February 25, 2012
2. Abstract We live in a society where a woman’s beauty is always judged from the outside appearance. Too often people are told that they should look a certain way in order to be perceived as beautiful. Self-esteem is a very important factor in how someone feels about themselves. From my own personal experience, I know that the standard of beauty varies from culture to culture. All of my life people would always tell me how pretty I was but they would also tell me how fat I was as well. Going through puberty at the age of 10, I often felt that I would become more of a target for people’s ridicule as far as my weight was concerned in addition to certain body parts being visible. Though I struggle to find who Brittany is and what my beauty means, I also understand that no one will ever be perfect as far as looks are concerned and that loving oneself is an ongoing journey. Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty was originally intended to sell a new version of Dove’s body washes and lotions, but the campaign began to focus on how the consumer viewed themselves and what real beauty means.
4. Dove created The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty to help start a societal change and an expansion of the definition and discussion of beauty. The campaign supports Dove’s mission “to make more women feel beautiful everyday by widening stereotypical views of beauty.” The campaign uses advertising, a Web site, billboards, events, workshops, viral marketing and a Self-Esteem fund in Dove’s effort to create a global discussion about beauty with women all over the world. Rather than using professional models, the campaign stands by Dove’s mission in using “real” women of various ages, shapes and sizes to promote discussion and debate about the narrow beauty standards and images set in today’s society. (Falcione & Henderson, 2009).
5. Positive body image and healthy lifestyle start at home but this should be an eye opener to everyone that words and images become internalized and interpreted in different ways. Poor body image affects women of all races, ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses, and cultural backgrounds. Researchers have found that body image can influence a woman's self-confidence, her assertiveness, and her attitudes regarding eating and exercise habits. Much research has examined White women's body image perceptions, but less research has examined this issue among women of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The goal of this study is to examine and explore the factors that influence university women's perceptions of their bodies. Semi structured interviews were conducted in the spring of 2004 (N=11). Results indicate that participants have struggled to achieve positive perceptions of their bodies as adults, tend to feel that women of all races and ethnicities are increasingly held to a similar standard of beauty (i.e., thin and White), and believe that images of the female body depicted in the media have significant effects on the way women perceive their own bodies. (Spurgas, 2005).
6. Dove's advertising offers a democratized view of beauty to which all can aspire. The campaign also has an implied moral purpose, one that takes on the ethical issues of consumerism: the psychology of self-esteem, the supposed link between the pressure to conform and eating disorders and the various stigmas attaching to old age and disfigurement. (Clegg, 2005).
7. The Dove campaign was inspired by the study “The Real Truth about Beauty: A Global Report.” According to the Campaign for Real Beauty Mission, “the study validated the hypothesis that the definition of beauty had become limiting and unattainable.” The study showed that the narrow beauty standards were having a significant impact on the self-esteem of women. The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty was created to address this issue by attempting to widen the definition of beauty. (Falcione & Henderson, 2009). By showing a wider range of skin types and body shapes, Dove's advertising offers a democratized view of beauty to which all can aspire. The campaign also has an implied moral purpose, one that takes on the ethical issues of consumerism: the psychology of self-esteem, the supposed link between the pressure to conform and eating disorders and the various stigmas attaching to old age and disfigurement. In email correspondence, a Dove spokesperson confirmed that the campaign primarily sought to elevate a woman's self-esteem. This dimension is most visible in the latest skincare advertising, which was shot in black and white, and features letters telling the personal stories behind featured women's blemishes and styles. (Clegg, 2005).
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9. References Clegg, A. (2005). Dove Gets Real. http://www.brandchannel.com/features_effect.asp?pf_id=259 Retrieved February 16, 2011. Falcione, O & Henderson, L. (2009). The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. http://psucomm473.blogspot.com/2009/03/dove-campaign-for-real-beauty.html Retrieved February 16, 2011. Spurgas, A.K. (2005). Body Image and Cultural Background. Sociology Inquiry. 75. 297.
10. Thank You! If you would like to ask any questions or have any comments, feel free to contact me: brittanynclark@stu.argosy.edu
Editor's Notes
This is the movement that started defining what the consumer wanted in representation when marketing products.
One often wonders where they fit in when it comes to the definition of beauty and what is standard to how individual beauty may be perceived. While the standard of beauty varies by culture, ethnicity, and one’s local neighborhood, as long as one loves who they are, they definition of beauty will glow from the inside.
