Beauty does not depend on what size pants you wear, or how many calories you eat a day. The article "Social Lubricant: How a Marketing Campaign Became the Catalyst for a Social Debate" by Rob Walker deals with the new marketing strategy of Dove. According to Walker Dove recently started advertising with "Dove Girls". These girls have been the reason for a new, heated social debate about beauty. This is because these girls are not ultra-thin or fabulously beautiful. They are simply regular everyday women. Walker states that this campaign "began with a "global study" commissioned by Dove, that posed questions about beauty to thousands of women in many countries". This study revealed that women thought the media was pushing unrealistic beauty standards.
Now you might be wondering why this is such a big deal. Well it isn't really. Personally, I think we have known for a long time, that the media has been shaping our perception of beauty to be nothing less than "perfect". Dove is a huge corporation with an even bigger marketing budget. This means their message, that you do not have to be perfect to be beautiful, is reaching many people all over the world.
I think this is a great message, which needs to be heard and said. The result of the dove study clarifies most women believe, "happiness and kindness" (pg. 266) is what makes a woman beautiful. This message is important and I sincerely hope it reaches all the young girls beating themselves up over a pimple or two, or are becoming bulimic to be able to wear a size zero. By portraying beauty as perfection, the media has won a lot of control over society. Millions and millions of dollars are spent on beauty products and plastic surgeries every year, unnecessarily. In my opinion Dove deserves an award for this advertising campaign, because this company is taking a step in the right direction. It is not trying to bash women to buy their beauty products, but displays them as a supplement to a woman's natural beauty.
Furthermore I dare to say beauty is nothing more than personal opinion. What one person perceives as "absolutely beautiful", another would not waste a second look upon. We do not characterize people based on what color car they drive, but that is exactly what we do to people based on what pant size they wear. I am not saying it is okay to be over weight or to not shower, since it is common knowledge that obesity and lack of personal hygiene can lead to serious health issues. I am saying that labeling people as ugly, because they are not a size zero or because they do not go to the salon once a week to get their hair and nails done, is wrong.
I love your passion for this topic. Remember, though, that in your Text Response blogs you need to focus on the argument in the article, not the topic. In other words, your job is to evaluate what is and isn't working in the author's piece.
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