We've spent a lot of time in this class discussing how society, the media, men, other women, our friends, our families, even our enemies-- basically, everything and everyone around us demand/expect/require that we look a certain way, act a certain way, etc. Many of us expend an inordinate amount of energy "fighting the good fight." There are those wonderful days, at the end of which, we look back and beam with triumph; then there are those days, when we limp back home, our bodies tired, our egos bruised, and we wonder if we still have anything left in us to fight that "good fight."
For those days, I offer you this video. Admittedly, it is part of a campaign sponsored by a cosmetics company. And yes, it is guilty of some of the very things that we decry in this class including lack of diverse representations across race/ethnic groups and social classes. We may also want to discuss its merits as a product by and for a cosmetics company (one that still conducts animal testing, no less-- Unilever!). Nevertheless, it comes by way of a student in one of my classes and I thought it might be worthwhile to remind ourselves that we are often more brilliant, engaging, gorgeous, etc. than we usually think.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDespite it's lack of diversity, this is a very powerful video. Although as we've learned in lecture, there is a vey important connection between gender, race and class, when it comes to self-esteem in women the feelings and issues involved are pretty universal. For instance, regardless of race or class, most women are concerned with their weight. Dove also has a campaign that is sponsored by their Self-Esteem fund, uniquely Me and the Girl Scouts of America. It is targeted at young girls ages 8-12 and their mentors. Their goal is to "free the next generation of the stereotypes related to beauty and body image." The women pictured in the workshop videos and materials are actually quite diverse. You can actually sign up to receive workshop materials and hold one yourself at http://www.dove.us/Social-Mission/Self-Esteem-Toolkit-And-Resources/default.aspx. I plan on holding a workshop for my daughters' girl scout troop because I believe that if we build our young girls' self-esteem from early on, then their future portraits of themselves will be quite different.
ReplyDeleteIn seeing this video , I am also reminded of another video made by Dove. This particular video showed a step by step process of how they took a woman and "beautified" her. They did her make up and fixed her hair. After such, then shot her photo. But after that, they then processed the photo of her through photoshop and performed enough edits to the point where the photo looked like a completely other person than the woman who sat for the photo.
ReplyDeleteWhat is seen as beautiful in society is often unreachable considering what unrealistic standards have been set by both people and also the media. Not everyone can be really skinny, have flawless skin, or be a size 3 or 2.
What Dove is doing with these commercials and videos is quite an achievement since it runs counter to what is normally seen in the media. Cosmetic companies can always sell a lot of their products. There will always be a demand. But I feel like they would do just as well or even better if their customer base first knows and understands that real beauty is not something that can be bought and everyone has the potential to realize it.
I was very moved by this campaign, maybe not by the video itself but at the message behind the exercise. Yes the campaign could have shown a bit more diversity when it came to their subjects, but it relays a powerful message about how people, women especially, see themselves. Most of the pictures of the women described by other people not only looked better, but actually looked more like the person than the pictures made by their own descriptions. The lens in which we view ourselves comes from the many versatile experiences we have throughout our lives. A little of what others think, and a dash of what society tells you to be, and BAM, a warped self-image is created. Ok, so maybe not quite like that, but there are reasons why women constantly feel like they do not measure up, be it by their own standards or someone else’s. The moral of the video that we need to drop the negative lenses and try to see ourselves clearly is as true as it is necessary. Perhaps when we can see ourselves for what we really are we can begin to change the socially constructed lens that others see us through.
ReplyDelete