Discover Beauty

Dove is empowering woman to be their best selves. For thousands of years women across the globe have gone to great lengths to feel more beautiful: Eleventh century Chinese women binding their feet, Victorian women removing ribs for smaller waists, and today young girls starving themselves to obtain the ‘model figure’. Everywhere women are bombarded by media embedded with messages that we are not beautiful enough. Dove has taken a stand and has said enough is enough; it is time for us to see that beauty comes from inside each of ourselves. As Italian actress Sophia Loren shares,“Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.”

One of the first times I heard of their campaign for beauty was when a friend emailed me a commercial from the Superbowl in 2006. Companies spend tremendous amounts for a few seconds of airtime between plays; Dove was no exception. However, instead of directly selling their products to America, they employed pathos and warmed the hearts of women and girls everywhere. Their 45 second commercial encourages girls to show their “true colors...because every girl deserves to feel good about herself." By focusing on the girls true beauty, Dove accomplished two purposes: one, helping the audience feel better about themselves and two, setting themselves apart. By focusing first on their consumers rather than on their products they are sending the message that they care for the women who buy their products - not just the sales.

Dove has continued to set itself apart from other beauty companies through their campaign for true beauty. Other companies market products that erase wrinkles or cover up bad spots while Dove is proclaims to women of all ages that they are already beautiful - a clever marketing technique. Naturally, women appreciate sincere compliments and reassurances of self worth, and will remember Dove’s kind words when deciding between two products. Rather than buy products from a company that tells you beauty comes after buying their goods, Dove tells their customers they are already beautiful. With each positive campaign add, Dove is appealing to that part inside each woman that wants to feel loved. On their website, there is a link that tells “how your purchase helps build self-esteem.” Not only do they tell women of their natural beauty, they donate a portion of their profits to charitable organizations such as Girl Scouts of America that helps build self worth in young women. Now we can buy products from a company that celebrates our natural beauty, and our money spent with them goes to help other women reach the same understanding.

Pathos is further seen through interviews and commercials with everyday women. They put themselves on a move realistic level- a company that can relate to real people. Other companies in the same field use woman who have been created through the work of professional make-up artists and computer programs to advertise their products often times leaving the viewers feeling inadequate. Dove does not prey on the feelings of vulnerability that plague all women at some point through impossibly perfect spokes models, but by having normal woman endorse their products. These are the women who shine from within sharing their happiness and beauty with all those they encounter. This appeal to the everyday woman makes them unique in a market swamped with unrealistic standards of beauty.

Dove utilizes various multimedia forums to send their message of beauty that all can reach. Besides television commercials, YouTube has a plethora of videos from the Dove Foundation with similar messages: discover real beauty. The central hub of activity is their website which is chalk full of articles, quotes, sayings, and movies that can help anyone feel good about themselves; I have never felt so uplifted when researching than I have reading the Dove website for this project. When I clicked the link to the page, I was greeted by a video of two sweet young girls playing hand games and giggling. A few seconds later one girl says she does not like her dimples because people make fun of them. These words touched my heart as I thought about how beautiful she was and how little of her beauty she actually saw. It caused me to remember the times when I have been unhappy with my appearance and reminded me that I, like the little girl, am beautiful. Dove again used pathos to make themselves remembered in a touching way.

To fight the affects of hurtful words, such as the words that made the little girl dislike her dimples, when signing up for the movement, one has the opportunity to share advice to share with 13 year old girls. Hundreds of tidbits people have shared on the site to help young girls feel better about themselves. Even though I am not in the vulnerable stage of middle school, I too found the advice uplifting and encouraging. Jen said, “Follow your dreams and never let anyone tell you you can't do something because of the way you look.” Regina said, “You matter- you are smart, pretty, not just outside, but inside. Your heart is tender and also compassionate. Love yourself!” April shares, “Beauty is far more about the way we treat others and how we handle the way others treat us. [Beauty is a] positive attitude toward life.” Sara shares my favorite advice: “the things that made me feel so *different* then are the very things that I love the most about myself now.” Fifty years ago, assembling words of wisdom from individuals across the country and placing them within arms reach of 75% of Americans for free would be nearly impossible. With the increase in technology, Dove has been able to share their message to a much broader audience-anyone with Internet access.

Other features of the website include quizzes, self-esteem tutorials, announcement of nation-wide conferences, online workshops, and global studies. There is something for everyone from the little girl to the elderly woman. Reading the study’s findings amazed me; only three out of ten girls happily view themselves while the other seven do not believe they measure up; 75% of girls with negative self esteem harm their bodies through cutting, drugs, smoking, drinking, and disordered eating to name a few (compared to the 25% of girls with high self esteem). These statistics establish the ethos and show how big of a problem this issue is. Not only do American teens deal with these issues, but women of all nationalities struggle with poor self worth. As you enter Dove’s site, it is necessary to pick a certain country to get to the website specifically tailored for each region establishing the fact that we are not alone - women around the globe are going through similar struggles.

Dove uses the media to spread their message far and wide: women, we are beautiful! Through television ads, YouTube videos, and a useful and interactive website, their message is reaching a wider audience everyday. The cynic may wonder if their motives are sincere and not purely profit based. However, it is important to remember, that a company cannot help the community if it does not have the financial means to do so. Dove needs to first meet its basic financial needs before it can reach out to others While employing their rhetorical devices help make them memorable and may increase their product sales, I believe their marketing strategies are doubly useful. While making their customers feel more confidant, they are also making themselves memorable, a win-win situation for all. I believe we should support their cause and by their products because “because every woman deserves to feel beautiful!”