Dove’s Idea of Real Beauty Just Ain’t So Real
29 Jun
Lately, I’ve found myself following NY Mag’s The Cut (or quite possible, the correlation simply lies in the fact that I finally added them to my Google Reader), but I found an article that recently peaked my interests. Dove currently casting models for its next “Real Beauty” campaign; the company posted a listing on Craigslist last Friday, but there seems to be some concerns with the posting.
DOVE “REAL WOMEN” PRINT CASTING JUNE 28-30, 2010 in NYC
ABSOLUTELY NO ACTRESSES / MODELS OR REALITY SHOW PARTICIPANTS or ANY ONE CARRYING A HEADSHOT!!!!
REAL WOMEN ONLY!
LOOKING FOR 3-4 REAL WOMEN for a DOVE PRINT CAMPAIGN!AGES 35-45, CAUCASIAN, HISPANIC, AFRICAN AMERICAN, & ASIAN!
SHOOT: SUNDAY, JULY 18 in NYC! MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR THE SHOOT!
RATE: $500 for Shoot date & if selected for Ad Campaign (running 2011) you will be paid $4000!
USAGE: 3 years unlimited print & web usage in N. America OnlyYOU WILL BE PHOTOGRAPHED FOR THE CAMPAIGN IN A TOWEL!
BEAUTIFUL ARMS AND LEGS AND FACE WILL BE SHOWN!
MUST HAVE FLAWLESS SKIN, NO TATTOOS OR SCARS!
Well groomed and clean…Nice Bodies..NATURALLY, FIT Not too Curvy Not too Athletic.Great Sparkling Personalities. Beautiful Smiles! A DOVE GIRL!!!
STYLISH AND COOL!
Beautiful HAIR & SKIN is a MUST!!!PLEASE SUBMIT SNAPSHOTS of FACE & BODY ASAP & WE WILL CALL YOU IN FOR A CASTING NEXT WEEK 6/28-6/30 in NYC!
urbanproddovecasting@gmail.com
I hadn’t even realized that Dove was embarking on another round of their “real women” campaign. Albeit, the premise of the campaign appears to have good intentions, but the criteria for the listing speaks otherwise. Examining the listing carefully, one notes there to be many hints of a desired body. In order to do so, one has to pick up the words explicit in selection, as well as pick up on the implicit ones.
What I mean by such is that the term “beautiful arms and legs” are meant to complement the applicant; however, the perception of such is already so skewed in society that one would immediately think of what is seen in the magazines. The explicit constraints are printed boldly with phrases, such as “flawless skin” and “beautiful hair,” and “no scars or tattoos.”
To say that Dove is on the forefront of body image leaves many terribly mistaken. They are as adamant as we are in holding the beauty ideal – they are simply positioning themselves in a way so that we find them to be leading a reformation.
But hey, maybe they’re just listing these requirements because of how strong an opinion they hold on retouching photos – perhaps they’re looking for perfection so as to avoid such.










