“I hate my hair.”
“Ew, my pores are huge!”
“Do these pants make me look fat?”
All phrases spoken daily in our school’s locker room. I don’t think one of us looks in the mirror thinking, “Oh I look just fabulously attractive today.” And don’t misinterpret, I’m not too squeaky clean either.
The truth: All of us dislike ourselves in one way or another.
Who’s to blame? Hmm...could it be THE MEDIA!?!
Well!
I personally am glad that I live in a country where we don’t have deceitful television commercials. I seriously prefer ones about little cheese triangles and magic potatoes that give you the strength to clean your room. Don’t get me wrong though, we still get our fair share of physical appearance brainwash. You can’t go ten meters of the mall without being coerced to buy perfume that will drive boys crazy or enchanted cream that will give you perfect skin.
Recently I read a teen magazine. I know right? I never do that. But I did.
Oh my goodness.
It was all about how this eyeliner will make you prettier, these shoes will make you taller, this hairspray will give you “to die for” curls. There was even an article about how “everyone needs perfect abs by June.” I just had to stop reading because the only thing it did to me was make me feel depressed, and believe me, that is a pretty hard thing to do.
Now back to the Onslaught video. Wow! At least some people have the right idea! Girls Scouts of America teamed up with Dove to establish a Campaign for Real Beauty. A few years ago American Girl founded on a similar idea when they began to make beauty products for Bath and Body Works. I think it’s great to get the message out and spread the news that our media is affecting little girls. I remember my friends asking me how much I weighed and comparing waist sizes in first grade.
But wait! There’s more:
Now Dove mostly sponsored the ad, and it’s their name on the commercial but Dove soap is manufactured by the Unilever Company. Axe, Sunsilk, Lux, and Slim-fast are all other brands owned by the Unilever Company. All these products use the media in devious ways to persuade you to buy their products.
Examples:
Slim-Fast
Lux Soap
Axe
Sunsilk
All these pictures make you feel like you are not good enough as you are now, and should buy their products to become as perfect as the people in the pictures. All these photos are clearly edited. For one, that picture of Delta Goodrem is very false. Here is a true picture of her.
Now I do admit that Delta Goodrem is an attractive person and a freaking musical genius, but how do you think she feels? How would you like people editing your pictures because you aren't pretty enough for their advertisement?
I could seriously write for hours on this topic but what I'm really trying to say is that all of us girls, and guys, need to stop obsessing over our physical appearance. Everyone is beautiful in their own way.
Credits:The Dove Onslaught ad was developed at Ogilvy & Mather, Toronto, by creative directors Janet Kestin and Nancy Vonk, associate creative directors/copywriters/art directors Tim Piper and Mike Kirkland, art directors Stuart Campbell and Sharon Lee Pan, executive agency producer Brenda Surminski, agency producer Jeff McDougal.
Filming was shot by director Tim Piper with director of photography Marc Laliberte-Else and Ray Dumas via Steam, Canada and Worldwide Productions, Miami. Photography was taken by Mark Belvedere, Tim Piper and Mike Kirkland.
Post production was done at Soho, Toronto and Rogue by online editor Kevin Gibson, editor Tim Piper and producer Stefani Kouverianos, assistant editor Mark Sheehan. Sound was designed at Vapor Music and Sound Design.
The spot features the track, La Breeze, recorded by English electronic rock group Simian.
