The Dove campaign for real beauty
Images- Media Analysis
Body image
Body image is your attitude towards your body, how you see yourself, how you think and feel about the way you look and how you think others perceive you. Your body image can be influenced by your beliefs and attitudes as well as those of society, the media and peer groups.
Positive & Negative behaviours
Positive:
- It is accepts women unique differences
- Different to others campaigns that only show that one size
- There’s no perfect size
- Encourage that everyone should be confident in their own skin
- Widening the definition of beauty
Negative:
- Dove edited the photos to smooth the women’s skin, to hide blemishes and winkles, while the message is “feel confident in your skin”
- Why use womens bodys to advertise dove products
Analysis of effects
Attitudes
That women accept how they are and be proud and confident with what they have, and people who are confident don’t critic others body’s. It teaches people that nobody is perfect, and accept we all have flaws and not to judge someone because they look different to you. Everyone should celebrate others unique differences and people are confident, happy and have a good self esteem.
Society has this concept of beauty, that all people should be skinny, have toned flat stomach, legs, a thigh gap, be hair-less apart from the hair on your head and eyebrows. This is what society calls beautiful and which the media and advertising is helping spread, a trend turned into culture.
Models in magazines, celebrities promote these beauty standards but photos of them are usually always photo shopped or airbrushed and which some people who see these ads, strive to be like them and compare themselves to what has been digitally altered and are unrealistic and unnatural. 45% of women and 23% of men in the healthy weight range think they are overweight
This can influence risky behaviours like anxiety, depression, bulimia and anorexia and have many short and long term effects on your health, mentally and physically. It can lead to poor self esteem and lessened confidence. Approximately 9% of Australians suffer from an eating disorder.
Dove wouldn’t need to if the world just already accepted women no matter any size, shape, race there would be no need to have use people insecurities as a ‘campaign’ or marketing strategy. I think a message also in the campaign is "You should use our products" if you support positive body image. But another message from Dove is to celebrate all women’s unique differences, and for women’s to be confident about their physical appearance.
Photo shopping and airbrushing
How to improve body image
Be informed that people on television and magazines don't actually look like that and are digitally enhanced.
Focus on the positive skills, talents, qualities and your inner beauty you have in stead of how you look because beauty is only skin deep.Choosing positive media that encourages you in being you and stay away from ads or magazines that tell you to change to be attractive.
Avoid critiquing others bodies it doesn't help anyone especially you if you are critiquing others lifting yourself up and putting others down. The person being judged would feel self conscience and not good enough as well. How would you feel being judged by people about your body?
Surround yourself with positive people who are confident and have positive body image who accept you for you inside and out.
Bibliography
Positive and negative behaviours: http://au.reachout.com/what-is-body-image
http://www.dove.us/Social-Mission/campaign-for-real-beauty.aspx
http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/body_image.html
Analysis of effects: http://www.nedc.com.au/eating-disorders-in-australia
http://www.nedc.com.au/body-image
http://www.kidshelp.com.au/teens/get-info/hot-topics/body-image.php
http://eatingdisordersaustralia.org.au/blog/australias-body-image-distortion/
How to improve body image: http://au.reachout.com/what-is-body-image