Issue date: 3/29/07 Section: Features

Media Credit: Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty Dove's campaign for real beauty emphasizes inner beauty for one's self and for others, no matter what shape and size one might be.

While professional models strut their six packs and defined bodies down the runway, Dove, a company that provides women's beauty supplies, is redefining the ideal image of models parading down the runway.

Dove believes that women today should bare all. Unlike the professional models today who walk the runways, Dove believes that women should display their shape, size and spirit since it is a part of their unique beauty. Dove set out across 10 countries and interviewed 3,000 women to find out what they think of their own beauty. Only 2 percent of the women described themselves as beautiful. Also, about three-fourths of them rate their beauty as average and almost one-half of them think their weight is too high.

Linda Ruhl, a junior psychology, explained that the media shows a perception of woman to be one way, and it is the way females believe they should be accepted.

Ruhl said, "They don't show their flaws."

Dove also discovered that 90 percent of women in the United States consider their looks average or above. Now, Dove's mission is to give beauty a different definition. Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty is working on creating a definition for beauty that is multi-dimensional and defined by women themselves.

Mary Krystyne Burgess, a junior psychology major, said, "Real women are not photo-shopped. I love it."

Dove's campaign to change the definition of beauty launched in 2004. While showcasing women of all shapes, sizes and ages in commercials, magazine advertisements and videos, it has captured female audiences of all ages. Also, the website, www.campaignforrealbeauty.com, has pulled audiences in worldwide. The webpage features an interactive forum to express ideas on beauty. The webpage also has a fundraiser that helps focus on women with self-esteem issues.

A main attraction on the webpage is the video, "Evolution Film," that has attracted more than 9,000 responses. The video shown on the webpage is the story of a professional model. During the video, Dove questions why women's perception of beauty is distorted. As the video plays, it shows a professional model that appears to be an average woman. Then, the woman sits through hours of makeup, preparing for the creation of a future billboard that is to be displayed in a busy city street.

After the woman's makeup is completed, photos are taken of the woman. The photos are shown on the video to be heavily distorted in a computer program that thins the model, thickens her lips and eyebrows as well as other changes. The video ends with Dove questioning why the perception of beauty is distorted.

Beth Briggs, a freshman psychology and sociology major, said, "She looked like a human before."

As Dove tries to redefine beauty, it was also discovered that 75 percent of women agree that beauty does not come from a woman's looks, but from her spirit and love of life according to Dove.

Loquitur welcomes your comments on this story.

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