Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Dove ad campaign - self-esteem issues

lurkette · 03-29-2007, 06:13 AM

I was going to post this in the LL but thought that everyone should weigh in (no pun intended) on this.

Dove has this "Real Beauty" ad campaign that they're running, and I wholeheartedly approve. I'm sick of being shown images of women with unhealthily thin bodies and told I'm supposed to look like that! Add to that the fact that I'm turning 35 this year, drifting further and further away from the "youthful ideal," and I'm getting pissed as hell about our culture's standards for "acceptable" appearance.

Anyhow, at the movie theater a couple of weeks ago they played this ad before the previews:

http://www.doveproage.com/

And the audience all went "Eeeeyew!" and groaned and shit when they saw these bodies. Now, they're a little wrinkly, but we should be so lucky to look that good at that age!

WTF is up with people? How did we get sold this bullshit and opt into it so completely that it seems natural and normal? Celebrities are vilified for being too skinny, but they're also ridiculed for being fat (e.g., Reese Witherspoon's "bloat," the constant watch for "baby bumps" that are really just normal fucking stomachs!), or for wearing body shapers (Katie Holmes). I read once that for centuries women's bodies were contorted into the desirable shapes of the day by corsets; now, the body is its own corset! We're expected to WILL ourselves into a certain shape - don't eat too much, pound your metabolism into submission for an hour a day on the treadmill - and if that doesn't work, go under the knife, or buy whatever product promises to help make you acceptable and desirable.

OK, now I'm just ranting.

Here are my questions:

To what extent do you find your standards of beauty influenced by the media? Like, really, when you think about it honestly?

For women, do you compare yourself to other women, in the media and in real life?

Men, do women judge themselves/each other more harshly than men do?

What can be done to change the (IMHO dangerous) trend toward unattainable and unrealistic standards of beauty? I realize that some things are evolutionarily hard-wired, but most of our standards are socially constructed. How do we deconstruct them and rebuild them in a positive way?

03-29-2007, 06:13 AM	#1 (permalink)
lurkette My future is coming on Moderator Emeritus Location: east of the sun and west of the moon	Dove ad campaign - self-esteem issues I was going to post this in the LL but thought that everyone should weigh in (no pun intended) on this. Dove has this "Real Beauty" ad campaign that they're running, and I wholeheartedly approve. I'm sick of being shown images of women with unhealthily thin bodies and told I'm supposed to look like that! Add to that the fact that I'm turning 35 this year, drifting further and further away from the "youthful ideal," and I'm getting pissed as hell about our culture's standards for "acceptable" appearance. Anyhow, at the movie theater a couple of weeks ago they played this ad before the previews: http://www.doveproage.com/ And the audience all went "Eeeeyew!" and groaned and shit when they saw these bodies. Now, they're a little wrinkly, but we should be so lucky to look that good at that age! WTF is up with people? How did we get sold this bullshit and opt into it so completely that it seems natural and normal? Celebrities are vilified for being too skinny, but they're also ridiculed for being fat (e.g., Reese Witherspoon's "bloat," the constant watch for "baby bumps" that are really just normal fucking stomachs!), or for wearing body shapers (Katie Holmes). I read once that for centuries women's bodies were contorted into the desirable shapes of the day by corsets; now, the body is its own corset! We're expected to WILL ourselves into a certain shape - don't eat too much, pound your metabolism into submission for an hour a day on the treadmill - and if that doesn't work, go under the knife, or buy whatever product promises to help make you acceptable and desirable. OK, now I'm just ranting. Here are my questions: To what extent do you find your standards of beauty influenced by the media? Like, really, when you think about it honestly? For women, do you compare yourself to other women, in the media and in real life? Men, do women judge themselves/each other more harshly than men do? What can be done to change the (IMHO dangerous) trend toward unattainable and unrealistic standards of beauty? I realize that some things are evolutionarily hard-wired, but most of our standards are socially constructed. How do we deconstruct them and rebuild them in a positive way? __________________ "If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." - Anatole France Last edited by lurkette; 03-29-2007 at 10:06 AM..