Campaign for Real Beauty

By Kristin Biery

DOVE body wash created a new campaign in 2004 that has gained a lot of publicity---the Campaign for Real Beauty. The campaign shows women of different ages, ethnicity and weight to show that there is not a single standard of beauty.

According to the DOVE Campaign for Real Beauty “only 2% of women around the world describe themselves as beautiful and 81% of women in the U.S. strongly agree that the media and advertising set an unrealistic standard of beauty that most women can’t ever achieve.”

This campaign is so much deeper than showing there are different standards of beauty, it’s about empowering women and building self-esteem. DOVE is working with the Girl Scouts of America with a program to build confidence in girls ages 8-17 with education resources and hands-on activities.

I remember the first time I saw an advertisement for the Campaign for Real Beauty and it was certainly unexpected but appreciated. For an organization to break the norm and use an alternative definition of beauty takes guts and a strong opinion towards change. The campaign has been running for 5 years now and continues to promote real beauty.

This is a different image than is portrayed by Victoria’s Secret or the catwalks of fashion week. A few years ago European fashion designers refused to put models in their show who did not weigh a certain amount. While it has not been directly tied to the DOVE Campaign for Real Beauty, I am sure that it is somewhat connected to the movement.