Dove's Self-Esteem Workshop draft

“Today this is really all about you guys.” In the opening statements of the self-esteem workshop, Dove establishes their main purpose: to make girls feel better about themselves, to convince girls everywhere that they are beautiful, no matter what their shape or size. But how is does Dove go about undertaking such a daunting task as repairing the fragile self-image of girl’s everywhere? Through the use of Dove’s interactive website, Dove is able to reach out to girls and tell them just how important they are. One aspect of Dove’s website is their workshop videos, in which the viewer can look into an actual self-esteem workshop hosted by Jess Weiner, a self-esteem expert. Through the use of the three devices of rhetoric, Dove is able to effectively convince the audience of their self-worth.
Jess begins the workshop by establishing her position of authority. She is a self-esteem expert as well as a global ambassador for the Dove Self-Esteem fund. Those titles give elevate Jess to a position of authority, one who knows all about self-esteem issues. By those titles alone, viewers might assume that Jess is a powerful figure in the Dove company, without much contact with the actual consumers. That assumption could not be farther from the truth. Jess travels around the world, talking to girls about the importance of self-esteem and ways in which they can improve their own self-esteem. Not only does Jess establish a position of authority for herself, she relates to the girls on a personal level. “At the place right now where everybody’s at, what your friends think about you is really important.” This comment shows that she understands what issues the girls are facing. Furthermore, to show that she is less of an adult and more of a peer, Jess talks about her experiences growing up. “I went through a whole lot of different things when I was 11 to 17.” Although she is not too specific about her experiences, she lets the girls know that she has been where they are and she understands their issues and concerns. Additionally, Jess uses an informal, conversational approach when she talks to the girls. The setting is casual and encourages girls to honestly share their feelings. Jess also uses words like “cool” and “super-duper” when talking to the girls, which makes her seem more like one of their peers, as opposed to an adult. The girls all respond positively to the tone of the workshop, as shown by their willingness to answer questions and freely speak their mind.
Visuals also help to establish the credibility of the workshop. Located behind Jess is the Dove Self-Esteem Fund logo. This logo shows that the campaign is a legitimate one, with a real purpose. The logo itself contains a message. The light blue color is feminine, yet not overly so. This makes the logo appealing to all girls no matter how “girly” they may be. It is also significant that the logo contains three doves, giving the subliminal message that girls are not alone in their search for higher self-esteem. Also, the fact that the doves are of three different sizes shows the acceptability of all body types.
“You guys are super-duper smart!” Would you expect those words to come out of the mouth of the global ambassador of a multi-million dollar corporation? In any other setting, they would seem out of place, but in the causal self-esteem workshop they fit right in. The emotional appeals made in Dove’s campaign are ubiquitous. Jess begins the workshop by introducing herself and expressing her excitement for the workshop session. Her mere presence exudes energy, and that energy rubs off onto the girls in attendance. It is obvious that Jess has a passion for what she is talking about and honestly wants to make a positive change in the lives of others. The workshop setting is conducive to conversation, typically following the pattern of Jess asking a general question and then eliciting responses from the girls. When the girls respond to Jess’ questions, she is attentive and recaps what they have said at the end of their response. This shows that Jess is interested in what the girls have to say. The effectiveness of this approach is easily shown by the positive response of the audience. Each girl readily participates in the group discussion and takes an interactive part in answering questions. Jess shows that she is emotionally invested in the topic by expressing her empathy with what challenges young girls are facing. When the group is talking about issues the girls face, she shows her sorrow at how the media has had such a negative impact on young girls.