Lack of Diversity No Laughing Matter

By Drew Kirtley

Arguably one of the funniest shows on TV today, NBC's The Office is known for being extremely politically incorrect. It features an office full of people of different cultures and race, and thrives on racial and ethnic slurs as a form of comedy. The comedy comes from moments when the boss, Michael Scott, shows his ignorance by making jokes about one of the minorities in the office. The result is often awkward silence, embarrassment and often hilarity. But as much fun as it is to see Michael make a complete fool out of himself by using offensive and rude comments toward virtually every race and culture in existence, The Office may very well be one of the most diverse shows in all of television.

In 2008, Kweisi Mfume, who is the CEO and President of the NAACP, called our four major television networks for their lack of diversity not only in their programs, but their staff as well. Mfume was quoted calling the fall program lineups of the ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox networks "a virtual whitewash." Those four networks combined released 26 news shows that season and a grand total of zero had a minority actor in a starring role. There have been major changes in those networks since then, whether they are a direct result of criticism or not.

While television is improving, the film industry is well on its way to being as diversified as any industry in the world. Some say that it will only get better because of the election of Barack Obama, but it has been improving for many years, now. Actor Will Smith has been one of the biggest box-office stars in the world for a couple years in a row and he isn't going anywhere soon. Halle Berry and Denzel Washington both won Academy Awards in 2002 and several black actors have won the coveted award since. Those names include Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Forrest Whitaker and Morgan Freeman. This year Penelope Cruz became the first Spanish woman to ever win an acting Oscar.

Yes, this issue is taken extremely seriously, and rightfully so. This country is improving and, at the same time, has a long way to go. But until that day, we can turn to the entertainment business and people like Michael Scott who said, "Abraham Lincoln once said, 'If your are a racist, I will attack you with the North.' And those are the principles that I carry with me in the workplace."

College Gives Crown to Dude in Drag

By Rebecca Chambers

Skin color may be the first topic you think of when someone says “diversity,” but race is only one component of this often generalized term. Diversity has recently found a new face and a new role in gay, lesbian, and transgender Americans. One recent (and headlining) example comes from George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.  – where a gay male student, who frequently dresses in drag, entered the race for Homecoming Queen.

According to an msnbc.com article, Senior Ryan Allen, who is openly gay and does nightclub performances in drag, originally entered the contest as a joke – he had no idea that he would not only win the title, but become an inspiration for breaking social boundaries. The contest was not sex-specific, but according to University spokesman Dan Walsch, “It’s just that if you’re a man who runs for Ms., you’ve got to dress the part.”

After Allen took the crown, he was touched by Mason University’s willingness to support him, and said “It says a lot about the campus that not only do we have diversity but we celebrate it.” Indeed, Mason University is not just tolerant of alternative lifestyles, it is embracing them. Allen’s win on Feb. 20 launched the school into the spotlight – something that hadn’t happened since 2006, when the school made it to the Final Four of men’s basketball in a decidedly Cinderella-story fashion.

The simple right to live an openly gay life is not tolerated at every university, though. According to an msnbc.com article, in 2006, a gay student was expelled from the University of the Cumberlands, a Baptist school in Kentucky. The male student was expelled after declaring his sexuality on his MySpace page, and in the aftermath there were student protests against the university’s action.

Is every university ready for a male homecoming queen? Maybe not. But some, like Mason University, are willing to give it a shot. In the future, there will no doubt be many reforms to university policies all across America, and gay, lesbian, and transgender students can have their voices heard just as loudly as any other students’. Until then, the struggle for true diversity is ongoing. 

Diversity in the American Heart Association

Diversity in The American Heart Association

By: Erin Chancellor

The American Heart Association works hard to ensure diversity within its organization. They prefer for their organization to reflect their target audience. Because Heart disease can target people from all backgrounds, genders, ages and ethnicities, they work to integrate diversity in every aspect of their organization. The American Heart Association or AHA has a Diversity Advisory Cabinet who oversees ways to change/improve programs so that they can be more diverse. They have other sectors within their organization such as AHA Affinity Groups, Supplier diversity and cultural health initiatives that relate to different gender, racial and ethnic populations.

Currently the AHA is in full swing with their "Go Red for Women" campaign that works to raise awareness of heart disease for women of all backgrounds. Because heart disease can strike women of any background, anywhere, this campaign raises awareness that heart disease is the #1 killer of women. The effort strives to reach women in all racial groups. In fact on their website in the “Red around town” section it states, “while Go Red for women is a national organization, it’s also a powerful grassroots organization, uniting women in diverse neighborhoods from coast to coast”.

The Heart Truth is an aspect of this campaign which brought the Red Dress into the limelight in 2007. The Red Dress is used to represent the image of women and heart disease. Once again on February 13, 2009, the Red Dress made an appearance during New York Fashion Week. Designers such as Diane von Furstenberg were present to show their Red Dress creations in hopes of gaining awareness of the disease.

Macy’s, a national supporter for AHA’s "Go Red for Women" movement, has gotten in on the diversity efforts of the organization. It recently established a “Go Red for Women Multicultural Fund” which is designed to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease for Hispanic women, a population seen as a high risk for cardiovascular disease.

Diversity in Collegiate Athletics

By Leslie Koch

The entire landscape of diversity in collegiate athletics has revolutionized since the formation of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) in 1910. While there have been many strides in diversity in the college sports realm, there are still many issues needing to be solved.

The NCAA has provided many initiatives in the past 100 years to help improve diversity within the organization itself as well as the various institutions. The NCAA has used different programs throughout the years to promote diversity and inclusion. The organization uses different methods such as educational sessions, internship programs, professional development and new legislation. The different efforts of the NCAA have shown success but the organization is constantly adjusting and evaluating ways to improve.

In 2004, the NCAA added an executive Office to the organization entitled the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The Diversity and Inclusion office is in charge of implementing new ideas and programs that will promote diversity and inclusion within intercollegiate athletics. The Diversity and Inclusion office focuses on diversity issues dealing mostly with race, gender and social class. One of the campaigns the NCAA used to promote diversity within its institutions was a five-year minority issues plan created in 2004.

The University of Oklahoma created its own diversity council in 2004 as a part of the NCAA campaign. OU developed the Athletics Diversity Council in order to promote diversity within the teams as well as the athletic department. The council is made up of different officials within the university as well as the athletic department. The ADC oversees other diversity programs within the athletics department including a graduate assistant program, Bridge Builders, and the Diversity Education Program.

In recent years there has been some controversy concerning diversity and college sports, one specifically focusing on women and African-Americans. In 2007, there was a huge controversy dealing with Don Imus and the Rutgers women’s basketball team. Imus made a comment about the team that was considered sexist and racially insensitive. The incident created lots of obstacles in terms of public relations for Imus, CBS Radio and MSNBC. Imus’ shows were pulled from the networks and received lots of backlash from the incident. Imus appeared on many different talk shows apologizing for the comment and eventually met with the Rutger’s women’s basketball team and apologized. The incident showed that while the NCAA and other institutions are making great strides in terms of diversity in college sports, there will always be issues to handle and obstacles to overcome.

Mary Kay and Diverisity Campaign 2009

By: Angenene Kendrick

Near the end of February, 2009, Mary Kay announced that for the first time in history they will begin television advertising in March. I was thrilled that the TV ads showcased a colorful heritage of a diverse sales force and customer base.

As an independent beauty consultant since 1997, I've met some amazing people from all over the world. Each summer we are invited to gather in Dallas at Seminar to celebrate our successes and to catch visions of higher dreams.

A few years ago, I attended a banquet with National Sales Director Emeritus Rhonda Burnsides. I sat with my friends from Southern Oklahoma and a new friend from Michigan. We were already diverse at our table, but the real fun started when the sales directors from Miami, Fla. took the stage. Very few of them spoke English. (I had already learned a lot of Mexican Spanish through meeting people in Mary Kay.) I was surprised that I could keep up with most of the Cuban-based Miami Spanish. Then we danced. We were together to celebrate -- it didn't matter from where we came, the color of our skin or our native tongue.

During some of the lunches -- can you imagine dining with over 8,000 of your sisters? -- we had the pleasure of visiting with other consultants and directors from all over the world. It was after one of these meals where I got to take part in a translation chain that I will never forget.
Some of the consultants from Spain wanted to purchase some Mary Kay sales materials, but the company representative was trying to refer them back to the Mary Kay Europe division so that there would not be issues with Spanish customs. There was a problem with the conversion from Texican Spanish to Castilian Spanish. I stepped in and asked if any of the Spanish consultant spoke French. One of them did. Within a matter of minutes, we had everything smoothed over -- from English to French to Castilian Spanish.

My director always taught me that the only qualification a prospective customer or business associate should have is "does she have skin on her face?" Diversity has been a way of life and business. According to the company's website, there are over 35 markets on five continents -- 20 of these markets were added since 1990. With an international sales force of over 1.8 million, similar products are distributed all over the globe.
Vice President of U.S. Marketing Yvette Franco explained that the new commercials purposely include diverse models.
"In fact, we will have three commercials that target our diverse general population, Latinas, African-American women. Remember these groups are the fastest growing population segments, " Franco said.

My Mary Kay experience has not only taught me about the importance of God first, family second and career third, but also about diversity. I have learned that folks are just folks. We are all sisters together on a quickly shrinking world. Language, cultural tradition and national political background shouldn't matter. We all have skin on our face.

Diversity at Kellogg's

By Christina Miner

Kellogg’s is a company that is doing its best to involve people of all kinds. Kellogg’s is an umbrella organization for many smaller companies such as Kashi and Keebler. Kellogg’s has a Corporate Responsibility Report that states Kellogg’s “has long sought to maintain a diverse work force, and has had a specific Diversity and Inclusion initiative for about 10 years.” Not only does Kellogg’s have a Diversity and Inclusion initiative in 2005 they also decided to create an Office of Diversity and Inclusion. According to their Corporate Responsibility Report, this office is in charge of devising diversity strategy and implemented this strategy. There are three keys in their plan to creating a diverse environment: 1) recruitment, 2) retention, and 3) development. Kellogg’s Corporate Responsibility Report also has charts that demonstrate the diversity of their Board of Directors and of their Global Leadership Team.

According to their website, Kellogg’s also has two diversity programs:
1. NAACP Law Fellows Program. We have been the primary funding source for the Law Fellows Program of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in its Baltimore, Maryland, headquarters.

2. Scholarships. In 2007, we contributed nearly $300,000 to scholarship programs that include diversity as a criterion, including: Historically Black Colleges and Universities, 100 Black Men of America, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Asian and Pacific Islander Scholarship Fund, National Black MBA Association, National Society of Hispanic MBAs, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Society of Women Engineers, and the University of Michigan Gay and Lesbian Alumni Society.

Kellogg’s also reached out to a diverse group with a variety of products. They have Special K that is targeted to women, Frosted Flakes, which uses Tony the Tiger to target children, and Kashi which targets health conscious people.

Not only do their products target different types of people but their company also has locations all over the world. Kellogg’s products are made in 19 countries and are marketed in 180 different countries. They promote their products in different languages including commercials.

Kellogg’s numerous products in numerous countries allows them to keep a diverse group of people buying their products and a diverse group of people working for their companies.

Nestle National

by Callie Cady

I chose to write about Nestle mainly in the U.S. This company began internationally and is originally based out of Switzerland. Nestlé U.S.A. is a part of Nestlé S.A. in Vevey, Switzerland; which is the world's largest food company. In generated $8.25 billion in 2007 and employs more than 14,000 workers nationwide.

The company's core values talk about people, quality, brands, consumers, customers and performance. What I found interesting is their statement about people. Their site states that people from diverse backgrounds are their most important assett. Out of Nestle's employees nationwide, they are all different in race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, and other cultural backgrounds.

Nestle U.S.A. Chairman and C.E.O. Brad Alford addresses in a message posted on the website that people-whether they be employees, consumers, customers, or active community partners-are all important to the company and it is pertinent to reach out to each and every community.

Along with being diverse in their employment, Nestle also carries many different brands to cater to different publics. Everything from Baby Ruth to Maggi Taste of Asia is geared toward different publics. With a diverse range of products, Nestle has pretty much covered every culture and diverse background in this nation.

Nestle is diverse in many ways and will continue to produce products targeted toward different publics. This company is very fascinating in how it owns so many different brands and employs so many people.

Whole Foods Market

By: Ashley Mistretta

I chose to write about the Whole Foods store chain. These publicly owned stores offer an incredible amount of natural and organic foods. The people who work at Whole Foods are what make up their stores. The workers are enthusiastic about the products they sell and are helping to make the environment a better place. In fact, a year ago, Whole Foods decided to stop offering disposable plastic bags as a way to be environmentally-friendly. All of their workers are treated fairly and definitely help the company succeed. They always stress customer service and encourage comments from the public. If you make a complaint, someone is contacting you personally to fix the mistake. Whole Foods has also joined social networks to make communicating with their customers easier. They are involved with facebook, twitter, and even a blog from their CEO.

The team members of Whole Foods represent many different nations, backgrounds and perspectives, and are able to speak many different languages. With all of this combined, they are all able to work together and satisfy the needs of their customers. From a personal experience, I have been to Whole Foods many times, and always notice how diverse their store is. There are always people from all different countries working there. Some people have long hair, numerous piercings and sport many tattoos, which is something you don’t see very often.

The workers at Whole Foods talk about diversity and accepting everyone. The company intends for their store to become a community place where their customers come to join their friends and to make new ones. They call their stores "inclusive." This means that everyone is welcome, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, age, beliefs, or personal appearance. This company definitely values diversity. Their motto is that whole foods is for everyone. I thought this summed up what a great organization this would be to work for. They truly respect and accept everyone.

This store is targeting people who are health conscious and care about the environment as well. The atmosphere of the store is extremely customer friendly. They always have some sort of music playing, whether it is live jazz or soft classical music in the background. Whole Foods also lets new, small business owners showcase brand new items whether it is a new cheese or some type of tea. Whole Foods encourages these businesses to come give samples to customers. They are always helping in any way that they can. Whole Foods also supports their local communities by donating food to area food banks or shelters. One really great idea they came up with was to have a community giving day. This is when five percent of their net sales for the day are donated to a local nonprofit organization. They also support their nation in a campaign called Whole Planet Foundation. This helps fight poverty in developing countries. They also say that they coordinate donations for any regional or national disasters.

On their website, it talks about how they have a Declaration of Interdependence. This says, “Achieving unity of vision about the future of our company, and building trust between Team Members is a goal of Whole Foods Market. At the same time diversity and individual differences are recognized and honored. We aim to cultivate a strong sense of community and dedication to the company." I liked this quote because it really shows how open-minded and flexible this store is. Whole Foods has also been named one of the best 100 companies to work for.

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Diversity in the American Library Association

Diversity in the American Library Association
By Kristin Bussell

The American Library Association originated in October of 1876 in Philadelphia. In summarizing the organization’s mission, it can be said that ALA aims to serve in the advancement of libraries and librarians. According to the online mission statement, by achieving this goal ALA hopes “to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.”

When I first read this last section of ALA’s mission statement I put emphasis on the word ‘all’. Noting that the organization was founded in 1876 and recalling historical issues of gender and racial suppression I imagine that the ‘all’ we think of today was not in fact the ‘all’ that ALA’s original founders intended.

This led me to search their website for efforts at garnering diverse patrons, contributors and employees. My search culminated with the ALA’s Office for Diversity webpage. As exemplified in the Office for Diversity’s mission statement, ALA is clearly fostering a PR diversity campaign.

ALA promotes awareness of diversity through events such as the annual ALA Midwinter meeting and the Annual Conference. They also reach out to their target audience for input and feedback via the use of a diversity wiki. (I didn’t even know what a wiki was or that I often use one (Wikipedia) until I ‘googled’ the term.)

ALA also promotes diversity in what they categorize as their ‘initiatives and projects’. For example, the Spectrum Scholarship aims to recruit librarians from diverse ethnic backgrounds. In addition, ALA offers research grants for those interested in studying diversity. One last project I’ll mention that the ALA Office for Diversity sponsors is a “day-long intensive workshop on the fundamentals of diversity.” This includes speakers on diversity such as Dr. Clara M. Chu and Mark Winston.

Pictured at left: Dr. Clara M. Chu

Pictured at Right: Mark Winston

In short, ALA is participating in an on-going, never-ending sort of PR campaign about diversity. Their resources for education on the topic promote awareness; and their events/projects are not only actions for diversity promotion but they aim to encourage positive attitudes about diversity.

Hats off to the ALA Office for Diversity!

Diversity Struggles Bring Success to Coca-Cola

Diversity struggles bring success to Coca-Cola

by: Chelsea Moore

There are few organizations that have developed such a culturally diverse organization as The Coca Cola Company. I, a religious coke drinker, should be thankful for their innovative diversity programs.

Coca Cola has been especially successful in their internal diversity programs. All associates are required to complete diversity training. This training program embraces differences in diversity for the betterment of the company. They focus on the three pillars of diversity education. The goals of this program mimic the information we found through our diversity theory research.

Before this successful diversity plan that The Coca Cola Company uses, the organization had some difficulties especially in the late 1990s. There were lawsuits with complaints from African American workers. In 2000, probably in reaction to the lawsuits, they announced a diversity campaign that put more funding toward minority and female-owned businesses.

They continue to have difficulties, as most organizations do. No one is perfect. Only so much proactive thinking can prepare you for every bump in the road. I think The Coca Cola Company recognizes that it is vital for them to keep adjusting to the challenges, especially when it comes to diversity. They seem like they are doing a good job of it. Thank goodness... how else would I feed my diet Coke addiction?

In 2008, they were named second out of the top 50 companies for diversity. As stated in the report, How Coca-Cola Built Strength on Diversity, the lawsuits that show the mistakes are "painful reminders" of the importance of the focus of diversity. They changed in the face of diversity lawsuits and implemented a system that has brought them great recognition.

It can be seen as an unfortunate -but great- thing that happened to their company. They got a kick in the pants to implement better diversity tactics so that everyone is represented with equal opportunity. As a result, the company is even more successful.

What doesn't kill them, makes them stronger.

Image Source: Flikr.com

Allied Media- Multicultural PR Firm

Multicultural Firm Targets Ethnic Minorities

By: Amy Crosby

Allied Media Corporation is a multicultural communication firm headquartered in Alexandria, VA, with offices located in Europe and the Middle East. They define markets and develop media strategies that effectively reach desired audiences. They provide access to more than 600 newspapers and broadcasters nationwide, fast media and market proposals, qualitative readership data as well as industry expertise and knowledge. They serve six different ethnic markets including: Hispanic Americans, African Americans, South Asian Americans, Arab Americans, Eastern Europeans, and Persian Americans. Allied Media understands ethnic communities and they package their client’s messages according to cultural context and sensitivities of the targeted community.

Their website specifically highlights the many different aspects their agency seeks to attain, but one that caught my eye was their diversity recruiting section. According to Carlos Conejo, 50% of America’s workforce is now of another ethnicity or culture. Allied Media understands that the U.S. workforce has changed and there has been a huge increase in women, people of color and immigrants. In order to stay competitive and innovative, companies need to recognize that diversity is a business imperative; doing this will secure a larger market share for all agencies.

For a more targeted campaign, Allied Media offers direct mail to several clients in the constant search of diversity job seekers, especially recent graduates, or future graduates and ethnic college students. Some of the clients Allied Media has partnered with include: U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, FBI, U.S. Census, Best Western, Virginia Lottery, Ethiopian Airlines, Sherwin Williams, United Nations, Mercy Corps and Islamic Relief.

NASCAR's Drive for Diversity Campaign

Bringing Diversity to the Race Track
by Ericka Burey


Nascar, one of America’s more recognized sports. National recognition, cult following, tight-knit community and over 215 million viewers last year watching the Nascar culture on nationally sydicated television. With national affiliate stations broadcasting their events during the season (from February to November) Nascar has a very wide but not very diverse target audience, but that is now changing.

With the introduction of the “Drive for Diversity Class for 2008” campaign Nascar is attempting to gain a wider and more diverse audience. In this program eight individuals are given the opportunity to participate in actual Nascar level stock car driving. The campaign was initiated by Access Marketing & Communications in January of 2008. “The Drive for Diversity Program is committed to supporting and enhancing diversity in all aspects of motorsports,” according to the Nascar.com website. “The goal is to foster an environment that enables people from diverse backgrounds to participate in all levels and capacities of NASCAR.” Picture provided by NASCAR.com, the 2008 "Drive for Diversity 2008" selected participants.

Now in the sixth year for this “Drive for Diversity” campaign is still a great success. “More than 200 minority and female drivers applied to be part of the 2009 Drive for Diversity class,” according to Nascar.com website. “Twenty-five of those applicants were invited to tryout at the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Combine last October at South Boston (Va.) Speedway. Drivers were selected by their team owners based on their on-track performance and off-track interviews.” Picture provided by Google images.

In my opinion, this is a long time coming. More and more we are seeing attempts by PR firms and marketing companies to increase diversity in professional sports across the board. From Hockey to NASCAR diversity campaigns are steadily increasing in order to provide more opportunities for minority participants as well as viewers. This is especially relevant since the current minority is projected to become the new majority in the near future. Gearing campaigns towards including a more diverse audience and pool for participants is quickly becoming a staple in many of today's most popular activite, including NASCAR.

Diversity in new Gatorade campaign

By Brian Russell

Gatorade has started up a new marketing campaign this year to highlight their new logo, the "G". For many people and athletes alike, Gatorade is a must have when going to the gym or a nice recovery drink after a workout. Looking on almost any sideline in professional sports you can see the impact of Gatorade; from towels, water bottles, and jugs to sweatbands and gym bags.

Their newest campaign introduces the logo along with many professional athletes from the past and even present day sports icons. Older commercials for Gatorade in the past have had athletes sweating out Gatorade to scientists (who were old white males) describing how and why they came up with Gatorade. This newest campaign has caught my eye, along with many other bloggers and youtube fans for the diverse group of athletes and sports icons.

The first thing that caught my attention was the narrator, and no it wasn't Morgan Freeman, but to my surprise it was none other than Grammy award winner Lil Wayne. At first I thought this was a bit random, since he is not a professional athlete or to my knowledge have any previous links to Gatorade. Then it hit me, Lil Wayne (being a famous figure in pop culture) is conveying the message to today's youth that all of these athletes over the years used Gatorade and this made them what they are today.

As a sports fan, I personally think this is a great look at people from all different backgrounds and time periods and hope the campaign continues with individual commercials of these athletes later in the series. By having Lil Wayne and the large array of sports icons, I believe this reaches a very diverse audience from young to old and will be a great campaign for Gatorade in 2009.

Lane Bryant

By Brittany Robinson


Lane Bryant is the most recognized stores for women of plus sizes. Lane Bryant stores are normally in malls, but have recently started growing in strip malls around the country. They are moderately priced clothing and exclusively carry sizes 14 to 28 and target women aged 25 to 45.

What makes Lane Bryant a leader in diversity is that they promote a completely different body image for women than any other clothing company. This began before the DOVE Campaign for Real Beauty was even an idea. In 1995, Lane Bryant began to change their company and gear it towards plus-size women. They are recognized for improving the way women feel about their bodies, rather than comparing their appearances to abnormally skinny girls and women.

In 2000, Lane Bryant launched a lingerie line and held the first lingerie runway show for plus-size women. The runway show was a hit and widely covered in the media. In 2004, Lane Bryant joined up with Ford 12+, a plus-size department in the Ford modeling agency. They launched a nation-wide search for the next plus-size supermodel.



Lane Bryant not only builds up women everywhere who are plus-size, but advertises their clothes as being fashion instead of focusing on the sizes they carry. Lane Bryant is a company doing what they can to help women love the body they have.

"Lane Bryant customers shop for style, not just for size."

Miss France 2009 Speaks on Diversity

By Leah Packard

The new Miss France 2009, Chloe Mortaud, is speaking out about diversity in her country, according to an MSNBC.com article. She is the first Miss France winner to hold dual citizenship, in America and France. She is the daughter of an African-American woman from Mississippi and a white French man.

Race and diversity are topics traditionally avoided in French culture, but Chloe Mortaud is joining a growing number of people in the public eye who are choosing to speak out against racism.

“I want to go to people and explain to them that fear of the other is unfounded,” she said after she was crownded on December 6, 2008.

Although France has a "colorblind" precendent that labels all citizens as "French" rather than a specific race, racism, especially against immigrants from former French colonies in Africa is quite common. So common in fact that discrimination helped to spread race riots in 2005 in French housing projects.

Another public figure speaking out for the spread and acceptance of diversity is French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. She said she hoped the ‘‘Obama effect’’ would reshape French society. Minorities in Europe have a difficult time holding political office because so many elected officals are white wealthy men.

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.