Product consumer
This is the kind of perception that dove is advocating for every person. Dove does not only specify beauty product consumer but every person’s judgement and self-esteem. This commercial gives one a reminder to have a self-check of how much of the worldly standards has one become a victim of already? Or how much effort of self-growth has one pursued. True, this commercial has done so much to a person’s critical thinking and to a person’s self-esteem.
This however, still gives you the question, why would a beauty product, who wish, to smoothen your skin and reduce the large opening facial pores would criticize any person’s idea of beauty. This is an irony and perhaps an oblivious inconsistency. Perhaps, “dove” as a product and as a company, is not the rightful person to correct the perception of people. Perhaps, this is a fallacy of wrong authority. There are more credible sources as doctors in psychology or sociology that can better more criticize and make a statement on a person’s definition or stereotypes of beauty. But this is a hidden mistake.
Most people do not even entertain the idea that “dove” is a line of beauty product and could be counterfeiting their statement in this commercial. The real question is that, how much of the commercial is true? And how much of the people behind the commercial is being true to what they are doing? Why would this company campaign for a “real beauty workshop” for girls if it will not quit in its business of making people’s skin whiter and fairer? Also the idea of having the people to go to their campaign workshop gives them the light that the world needs rescue and that they are the rescuers.
The subtle claim of that statement would be that if a girl goes to this workshop, her entire image or idea of real beauty would be changed and that she will become a better person after the workshop. This may not be the case, as a single person or a portion of the society may not produce the needed change in the world’s perception. Also, how much of the truth in the actual workshop would be revealed? Would it continue to cover the light that “dove” is a beauty product and that it continues to earn billions in making women’s skin fairer and smoother, and in turn described as beautiful?
How much of this campaign is an assured success? These are the questions that one would pose to the entire people that would go or perhaps one should question as to the credibility of this advertisement. Because the advertisement’s approach was emotional rather than more rational, the people’s response to it is more subtle. This may be one of the most unquestioned approaches of media advertisement. One can manipulate the audience in to whatever steering one would like to pursue and in turn will get away with it without question.
On the other hand, one may be very vocal about campaigns against one’s perception of beauty through beauty pageants for example and repeatedly, a candidate is asked the classic question of what beauty is and a classic answer would be that it is in the eye of the beholder and outrightly, criticize the people who continue to worship women who are slimmer, whiter and smoother. This would be a similar picture of what is going on in this commercial.
References
American Psychiatric Association (APA), 1994. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. Washington, D. C. , American Psychiatric Association. Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc. , 2006. “Statistics: How Many People Have Eating Disorders? ” <http://www. anred. com/stats. html> (accessed 2 December 2006). Ice, Susan, 2006. “Statistics. ” Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy, and Action <http://www. eatingdisorderscoalition. org/reports/statistics. html> (accessed 3 December 2006). National Eating Disorders Association, 2006a. “Anorexia Nervosa. ” <http://www. edap. org/p. asp? WebPage_ID=286&Profile_ID=41142> (accessed 27 November 2006).
