The message behind Dove’s latest beauty campaign is quite simple: women are more beautiful than they think, and it’s time they realize it.
Dove brought in forensic artist Gil Zamora and placed him on one side of a curtain. The company then brought in various women to sit on the other side of the curtain. Zamora asked these women to describe their appearance, and he drew a sketch based solely on what he heard. Zamora never saw the women as he was drawing.
Zamora then drew a picture based on the description offered by someone who had recently gotten to know the woman.
When the two drawings were placed side by side, the second drawing for each woman interviewed revealed that others saw them as more beautiful than they saw themselves.
The experiment moved the women featured in Dove’s video, available below. The differences between the two drawings revealed to them that they have been viewing themselves more negatively than they should. They have been striving to look more beautiful to impress a world that already views them as such.
The moral of the story is that a woman’s self perceptions affect every aspect of their lives. When a woman holds a negative view of herself, it affects her self confidence at home, at work, and beyond. The message is true for others as well; I was certainly moved.
Dove started the Dove Self-Esteem Fund in 2006 with the goal of introducing girls to a wider definition of beauty and inspiring them to feel more confident about themselves. Dove has created a number of short films that are predominantly only shown online.
Dove is no saint. Though the latest video does not explicitly advertise any of the company’s products, emphasizing the presence of natural beauty benefits a company whose personal care products predominantly consist of soaps, lotions, shampoos, and other toiletries that are more about maintaining a healthy body than creating an enhanced appearance .
Nevertheless, the world could do with more of this brand of advertising. Dove’s latest beauty campaign, quite frankly, might just change your life.
See for yourself:
