DOVE / MY BEAUTY MY SAY

Dove is a personal brand owned by Unilever originating in the UK. Dove products are manufactured in many countries around the world. The products are sold in more than 80 countries and are offered for both women and men. Dove’s logo is a silhouette profile of the brand’s namesake bird.

Nowadays women are being judged for their appearance. Whether that is in gossip columns, conversations or on social media. 7 out of 10 women get more comments at work about their appearance than their achievements. However, Dove has been criticized for some of their campaigns in the past.

In 2011 Dove prompted criticism after publishing an ad for their body wash showing a ‘before’ and ‘after’ image of cracked and smooth skin with a black woman below the ‘before’ and a white woman below the ‘ after’.

In 2017 a second Dove campaign prompted criticism. The video showed a black woman removing her t-shirt to reveal a white woman, who then lifts hr own t-shirt to reveal an Asian woman. The video included 7 women from different races. The ad received criticism and accusations of racism, leading Dove to remove it.

In 2004 dove created a revolutionary research about beauty which negated all the standards we had about beautiful people and role models. All these years Dove is putting a big effort in order to build a world where beauty is going to be a source of confidence and not a source of stress. In 2018 with the campaign ‘My beauty my say’ Dove creates a manifesto and calls all the women to be a part of world movement ‘My beauty my say’.

‘MY BEAUTY MY SAY’

Somewhere along the way it has become normal to judge women based on their appearance and use beauty against them. With ‘my beauty my say’ campaign we feature stories of amazing women who stood up for their own beauty. What does a dancer, a poet, a model, a boxer, a fashion blogger, an inspirational speaker, a filmmaker, a lawyer, and an eccentricly dressed old woman have in common? These nine women compose the video of the new Dove campaign “My Beauty, My Say” and trigger the creation of the first Dove movement that invites all women to speak openly against the stereotypes surrounding beauty!

Meet Rain an androgynous model from Vermont who was called ugly when growing up. Now Rain is a well known model who represents many fashion brands around the world.

“They said … I’m very masculine and ugly. I told them … that’s how a beautiful girl looks like.”

As she grew up, she took part in an open casting for catwalk models and was eventually asked to return the next day with the rest of the men. She was successful in the audition, and she did not reveal her gender until after the show. It was at that moment that she realized her mission. He would use the opportunity to challenge the perceptions of the industry about what it means to be a woman.

Today, Rain is working as a successful model in New York, representing many brands that do not ask her to choose one side, male or female.

Then there is Jessica who was told that only skinny girls have a place on fashion world. Today she is a fashion icon and proves that size does not matter.

“They said … Only the skinny girls can dress well. I told them … I will wear anything that makes me feel good “

She became a pioneer in fashion, posting pictures and writing about what makes her feel good. Her blog, Tiny Red Shoes, has become a way to tell the world that she did not feel ashamed but proud of her appearance. Today, her blog represents women from around the world who think that regardless of your weight, you can be beautiful and in style.

Meet Heather. After she became a mother, Heather wanted to regain her form and decided to start boxing. Soon she started working professionally despite being told she was “very beautiful to fight”.

<<They told me … I’m too beautiful to fight.>>

Judith does not dress like the typical big lady "- but again, she never dressed like an ordinary young woman, nor as the daughter of an inventor, her father always encouraged her to stand out from the crowd, but that did not stop her unique Appearance to receive regular comments that they are very hippy and eccentric. Some also said that as a psychologist with experience, they should not dress in that way.

"They said ... dress for your age. I told them ... I'm not dress up for my age, dress up for me "

But what these people have never realized is how Judith is and how it will always be. She always has an eclectic sense of clothes, with an awesome style and impressive haircut. She has not changed her appearance, her clothes, nor has she succumbed to social checks - she has never done it before, and certainly does not intend to start now.

Judith is a person who loves herself for who she is and nobody is going to change this, regardless of any comment. It will always be expressed as desired, whether it is 6 or 66 years old.

Elizabeth our beautiful poet. Born with curly hair, Elizabeth never had the chance to love them as she grew up. She had learned that straight hair was a sign of elegance and style, unlike curly hair. So she always straightened them, but she never felt like her real self.

“They said … Your curls are very wild. I told them … That’s me. These are my hair “

Later that Elizabeth discovered poetry and started using her words to speak against the beauty of society, and wonder why only straight hair is combined with beauty. Her poem, Hair, became viral after she touched women all over the country - and she also acted as an awakening for her.

Today, Elizabeth has left her hair naturally and curly. She is proud of her curls and the journey she has made until she loves them.

Elaine. “They said…Fix your gap teeth. I said…This is an expression of who I am.”

But even when they were told to "fix" the gap in her teeth, they just made her love her teeth longer. Elaine believes that this void does what she is. Her father and her grandfather have a similar gap in teeth and she likes that she has this family characteristic.

Now, not only has Elaine loved her unique beauty but she is talking about it through blogs and videos, hoping to inspire other girls to embrace their unique features.

Next Grace . “They were telling me … The nose is too big to be beautiful. “I told them … I will not let others define my beauty.”

As she grew up, Grace began to find ways to accept her nose. Punk rock music gave her the confidence she needed to find her style, including a monkey and a nose with a earring. New York helped her find her style with short, red hair and colorful clothes - a style that made her nose appear more. Again, it has been criticized.

But it was this critique that made it stronger. Today, she is a burlesque dancer and continues to dress in a way that emphasizes her nose. She considers her to be her most beautiful feature and can not imagine being different.

Hannah. Hannah moved from the provincial Colorado to the bustling Philadelphia for a more challenging life, but never waited for the roadside to be the biggest challenge she would have to face. The bad comments she heard on the streets every day shaken her, and eventually she decided to do something about it to raise her stature for herself and everything that women had to face.

“They said … Calling you on the street is sad. I told them … I turn to them through my pictures”

After constantly shouting her on the road, Hannah decided to turn her camera to them so they could feel a little what she felt. Her photos were very successful on the internet and received positive feedback from women from around the world.

Even when men tried to justify this giddling of women on the road, Hannah raised her stature and continued to focus on them. Its camera became its most powerful tool, as it managed to change the balance of power at times when it felt vulnerable.

And finally Marcia. Lawyer Marcia regularly receives compliments about her striking looks. However, during her college and her early career her intelligence has often been questioned as a result. People could not seem to understand that someone with such beauty could also have brains. People ranging from colleagues, clients, and even judges have all chosen to judge.

“They said … I was so nice to be smart. I said … My looks have nothing to do with my capabilities”

For her today, beauty is not a physical feature. It’s success, intelligence and being comfortable in your own skin. Even with a busy schedule, Marcia volunteers her spare time to help women get out of abusive relationships, further expressing her passion in helping and standing up for other women.

What do these women have in common? They did not based their lives on comments about their look, but they made their own story.

COMMENTS ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN

-Yes, love the authenticity in this video.

-Great commercial, this is what we need: a broader more diverse definition of beauty.

-I actually watched this advertisement all way through. That is rare for me, for ads this long. Love the massage behind it.

Dove through the global campaign "My Beauty, My Say" inspires all women to support and disseminate the same idea: MY BEAUTY, OUR MY OPINION! Because the belief in your beauty affects not only your self-confidence but it is a driving force to pursue your goals with determination and use your potential to the fullest, without allowing everyone to become a "hindrance" to your own wishes and pursuit.

Supervising Teacher: Betty Tsakarestou Dimitra Iordanoglou Lina Kiriakou

PRocrADstinators Team: Maria Hanioti Vickie Gatsiou Mpleona Tzaka Aristea Papadopoulou Eirini Tsv Antzela Golikai ,Angela Douka.