Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty was launched in 2004, in an attempt to correct the unattainable stereotypes of beauty that women face every day. Before this assignment, I had seen a few ads for Dove’s campaign but didn’t really know what it was about. To find out more information, I went to Dove’s website, www.campaignforrealbeauty.com. The campaign is targeted towards young girls, in the pre-teen or early teen years. This fact is evidenced when you look at their website, the first thing you see is a collage of young girls, all describing what they think real beauty is. Anyone can contribute to this wall, which formed an instant connection between the viewer and the website. This feature is a reminder to girls everywhere that you are beautiful no matter how close or far away you are to what the media defines as beautiful.
There are many interactive features on the website; I chose to watch Dove’s commercials. These commercials were simple, yet reflected the issues all young girls are faced with. One commercial entitled “Amy” shows a young boy waiting outside Amy’s house. He repeatedly calls her name, but she doesn’t answer. Then the simple phrase, “Amy can name 12 things wrong with her appearance” flashes on the screen followed by a shot of the boy still waiting outside Amy’s house with the phrase, “He can’t name one”. I know it’s really cheesy, but I loved it! (If anyone needs an awwwww! moment here’s the link: http://www.dove.us/#/features/videos/default.aspx[cp-documentid=8354359]/) The commercial encourages you to let someone know you think they’re beautiful. This video is so simple, but the message is powerful. It shows young teens at a time when they are extremely susceptible to the influences of the media and allows the viewer to put themselves in their position. This campaign encourages us to forget the negative influences of the media and to embrace beauty for what it really is.
One of the main goals of Dove’s campaign is to raise the self-esteem of young girls. To do this, there is a section of the website entitled “Psst…these tools are for girls only!”. This section of the website invites girls to take self-esteem quizzes and to play interactive games aimed at understanding what the media is doing to distort our perception of beauty. This section has a simple layout, full of interactive features to explore. This layout is feminine, yet not overly girly as to put off some of the less pink-loving females. The simple and fun layout of this section would be appealing to any girl.
Dove’s website is targeted towards young girls and effectively shows how the media has damaged girls’ self-esteem. The simplicity and interactive nature of the website make it both entertaining and appealing.
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It interested me to hear that even with simplistic layout, the website can convey a very deep and important message. I agree that this is a good thing, since young girls will better appreciate and be drawn to it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Dove is doing the right thing by focusing on younger girls. Because everyone deserves to feel beautiful and I approve of Dove's Campaign to do so.
ReplyDeleteI find it slightly ironic/coincidental that you and I are using the same thign for our analysis.
ReplyDeleteI really like the dove's campaign. It is true that the media distorts and twist all of the pictures of models and actrices. Girls are trying to become what doesn't actually exist except on paper.
ReplyDeleteI was playing around with this site for a bit earlier and it was very interactive which just made you want to explore it even more, I liked it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments girls (is there a reason why boys aren't commenting on this one?) I have really enjoyed looking over Dove's website. Although it is designed towards younger girls, it's still fun for not-so-young girls to look at (Chelsie, am I right?) It makes me happy that Dove is doing something to change the way that girls feel about themselves, yet sad that I am going to raise my daughters in a world where they are constantly bombarded with images of unattainable perfection. I hope Dove's campaign works!
ReplyDeleteIf you set out to make me think today; mission accomplished! I really like your writing style and how you express your ideas. Thank you. read this post here
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