One day after Women's Day is hopefully one day closer to self-acceptance for all the ladies out there, and not just in blogger-land. This post comments on one of the set-backs that I see in the media, but concludes that we are smarter than that! And although Women's Day is about economic, social and political achievements as well, where are we going to start if not with ourselves?
Unilever's "Campaign for Real Beauty", a subset of the increasingly popular line of Dove products, promotes real women and real curves. The campaign sparked numerous magazine spreads featuring women that up until today, only a painter like Rubens really understood. Chatelaine, for example, presented magazine spreads dedicated to women with scars, sags and wrinkles, featuring their stories of self-acceptance. Runway designers also fed off this movement (they fed their models too!) and started sending "real" women down the catwalk...curvaceous beauties wearing stretchy knits, busting out.
Consequently, Unilever is also the company responsible for the Axe body spray advertisements, which feature women in an *ahem* very different light, shall we say? The women here are consistently tall, thin, appear over-sexed, probably don't use Dove soap and wouldn't be caught dead on the runway with a fatty.
I find this incongruity within the company rather hilarious.
Whatever side of the Dove/Axe debate that you are on doesn't really matter. Love your body and encourage your lady friends to do the same. Even if you know that you are amazing, others might need a little bit of help getting to that point. This type of encouragement trumps the one behind Dove product sales or praising whatever body type is fashionable at the time.
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