Do I smell something good happening?

By Emma Buzzell

On Wednesday August 1st, PBG posted a photo on our Facebook wall of Victoria Secret's 'Love My Body' Campaign and Dove's 'Real Beauty' Campaign. There have been a lot of comments going around picking the flaws of each campaign. Obviously all marketing schemes have flaws, everything has flaws. Although, people were not taking to heart the diversity of the two campaigns; one major reason that it was posted was to look at the different outlooks of the two campaigns and the way that marketers sell “beauty.”

Dove's picture includes models that have curves, which are racially diverse, and slightly different heights. Victoria Secret's picture advertises models that are all around the same height, and all one body type; thin. But there are also two VS's models that are minorities, which is a good start in showing diversity and asking us to love our bodies, but does it go far enough? Still, loving your body should consist of everything.

One of the main topics on the photo from our Facebook page is that all the women are in underwear and bras. I'm not magic, I cannot read the minds of all those people involved in each campaign, but I'm pretty sure it's to show their figures. I know you can see figures through clothes; this just makes it easier to see the diversity between the models’ sizes.

As I was researching VS's 'I Love My Body' campaign, I did find that it's just a new line of undergarments but that they are advertising it in such a sexualized way--is that necessary? I don't think it is. VS's new line is called 'I Love My Body' but they feature a "racerback push-up" bra. I think having to wear something to make your breasts look bigger to look sexier isn't really loving your body; kind of contradicting I think.

In 2004, Dove launched their Campaign for Real Beauty by letting out some ads that asked, 'oversized or outstanding?' and 'wrinkled or wonderful?' They told people to tell them what they thought on their website campaignforrealbeauty.com. I found a quote from one of the models that I found pretty inspirational:

"There's nothing I would strive to change because I work out and eat healthy and I feel great. I feel healthy, I feel happy. I feel energetic, so if I'm feeling that way and this is how my body's going to be then this is how my body's going to be and I'm going to be proud of that." - Stacy Nadeau, Dove Campaign for Real Beauty

But, there is some bad news about Dove. Unilever is the corporation who owns Dove, but also owns another very big company, Axe. Yup, the sexist, and degrading men toiletries company.  Don't get me wrong, I love what Dove's trying to get to, but does Unilever also funding Axe make things a little different? Axe has put out many sexist ads that we've posted as our PBG This Ad weekly spoof contest. Will Unilever start moving Axe into a different direction, too? Maybe we should tell them what they're doing, and then demand a difference!