Dove Beauties
Encyclopedia
In 2004, Dove, a large company in the health product and beauty sector, released a series of print and television ads featuring happy-looking
, lingerie
-clad women with "everyday" looks. The initial campaign was first launched in the UK
, with similar campaigns following in 2005 in the US
and Canada
.
Proponents of Dove's campaign say that the company is striving to generate change from within the generally weight-conscious advertisement industry. Such persons would say that the ads are in juxtaposition to typical advertisements that almost exclusively feature overly slender models with features corresponding to a Europe
an standard of beauty.
Critics charge that it is cynical to promote the beauty of "real" women while also selling lotion
s designed to reduce the appearance of cellulite
to the same audience. Critics also charge that the models, termed Dove Beauties, in the US ad campaign range from size 4 to size 12, while the average woman in the US wears a size 14, and that polls on the Dove website where viewers can vote whether a model is "fat or fab" and "gray (haired) or gorgeous" reinforce the very stereotype
s the ad campaign was supposed to overcome.
This term has also been used pejoratively to refer to attractive but largely overweight women.
Happiness
Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources....
, lingerie
Lingerie
Lingerie are fashionable and possibly alluring undergarments.Lingerie usually incorporates one or more flexible, stretchy materials like Lycra, nylon , polyester, satin, lace, silk and sheer fabric which are not typically used in more functional, basic cotton undergarments.The term in the French...
-clad women with "everyday" looks. The initial campaign was first launched in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, with similar campaigns following in 2005 in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Proponents of Dove's campaign say that the company is striving to generate change from within the generally weight-conscious advertisement industry. Such persons would say that the ads are in juxtaposition to typical advertisements that almost exclusively feature overly slender models with features corresponding to a Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an standard of beauty.
Critics charge that it is cynical to promote the beauty of "real" women while also selling lotion
Lotion
A lotion is a low- to medium-viscosity, topical preparation intended for application to unbroken skin. By contrast, creams and gels have higher viscosity.Lotions are usually applied to external skin with bare hands, a clean cloth, cotton wool or gauze...
s designed to reduce the appearance of cellulite
Cellulite
Cellulite is a topographic skin change that occurs in most postpubertal females. It presents as a modification of skin topography evident by skin dimpling and nodularity that occurs mainly in women on the pelvic region, lower limbs, and abdomen, and is caused by the herniation of subcutaneous fat...
to the same audience. Critics also charge that the models, termed Dove Beauties, in the US ad campaign range from size 4 to size 12, while the average woman in the US wears a size 14, and that polls on the Dove website where viewers can vote whether a model is "fat or fab" and "gray (haired) or gorgeous" reinforce the very stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s the ad campaign was supposed to overcome.
This term has also been used pejoratively to refer to attractive but largely overweight women.
UK
- Joanna Cook, 25 - Loughton, EssexLoughtonLoughton is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located between 11 and 13 miles north east of Charing Cross in London, south of the M25 and west of the M11 motorway and has boundaries with Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill...
- Emma Darwish, 25 - South West LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
- Linda Di Maria, 23 - HertfordshireHertfordshireHertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
- Sylveste Molyneaux, 27 - South West London
- Stella Page, 28 - North London
- Coralie Rose, 24 - West London
US
- Julie Arko, 26 - Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
- Gina Crisanti, 24 - Fort Worth, TexasFort Worth, TexasFort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
- Shanel Lu, 26 - Landover, MarylandLandover, MarylandLandover is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, within the census-designated place of Greater Landover. The Prince Georges County Sports and Learning Complex is in Landover...
- Stacy Nadeau, 20 - Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
- Lindsey Stokes, 22 - Silver Spring, MarylandSilver Spring, MarylandSilver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
- Sigrid Sutter, 25 - Hacienda Heights, CaliforniaHacienda Heights, CaliforniaHacienda Heights is an unincorporated census-designated place in and below the Puente Hills of the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California, United States...