Ad
campaigns bring in more appropriate models
Eric
Thompson
A
fashion model is often thought of as
a thin, tall, tan and toned girl who
looks perfect in every outfit without
a flaw in sight. Well, only about 2 percent
of the women in the world fit that category,
while the rest of us try to see where
we fit into the definition of beauty.
Women have a much wider array of beauty than the typical airbrushed and digitally
mastered, 5-foot-8-inch, 110-pound, size-two model.
These unrealistic and unhealthy models who have been presented as beautiful
drastically limit the boundaries of the aesthetically pleasing and diverse
ways a woman can be beautiful. The range of beauty is so massive and varied
that the stifling presentation of a “beautiful” model does not
account for women in the real world.
But still, women are trying to fit into an impossible expectation, as shown
by widespread plastic surgery and weird, restrictive fad diets.
As the accepted standards of beauty in American society widen, more women may
be able to see themselves as the lovely, unique, curvy women we always have
been.
With a wider definition, a woman won’t have to feel like she is fighting
to be herself, and she could express herself with more ease.
Media is often credited as having a large impact on how women and girls view
themselves and how much self-esteem and acceptance they experience, not to
mention the current “ideal” body, which is usually physically impossible
for most women to meet.
The
role models women and girls see and often
try to emulate need to be healthy, diverse
and realistic women.
Recently there has been a change in advertising that has attracted attention.
Dove has launched a Campaign for Real Beauty that portrays women of more realistic
shapes, sizes and ages, while questioning whether they can be considered beautiful
women or if the distinctions that make them unique are negative.
In
doing so, Dove makes a loud, visible
statement that real beauty has a much
wider application than skinny models.
The change of direction this advertising has taken and the responses it has
received is a signal that the portrayal of women may be changing to a more
positive, varied and diverse attitude.
The
Dove Web site at www.campaignforrealbeauty.com
has opened a dialogue that allows women
to talk about aging, body image and the
standards of beauty in society. Dove
sponsors programs to help girls with
self-esteem and provides a grant through
Harvard University to study the way people
talk and think about women’s beauty.
It has also created a touring photography exhibit that captures women in unique
images. These actions are a start to change, but it needs to be taken further;
it needs to be taken personally.
One amazingly common idea I have seen and heard is that women are trying to
fit into the stereotype of beauty and in the process are losing who they are
as a person. This is one of the greatest losses of power and confidence a woman
can experience.
Thinking you have to become someone you are not in order to be seen as a
lovely, gorgeous woman is heartbreaking. Accepting and embracing the little
differences and uniqueness of your body and celebrating the contradictions
of your personality create an aura of confidence that is the greatest beauty
possible.
So, instead of wanting and trying to be someone who has been digitally altered,
try embracing who you are and what you look like. The changes in the media
portrayal of women, like Dove’s campaign and the dialogue it has created,
need to be continued and broadened, but the real power is within women to see
themselves as beautiful.
This article originally appeared in the Kansas State Collegian. |
