Dove Real Beauty Sketches

The ideal beauty standard bombards women and men every day through advertisements, TV, and now social media platforms. As a woman myself, It’s safe to say my perception of beauty is a product of society’s collective belief, leaving little room for me to like what I see in the mirror. According to the Social Issue Research Center, 80% of women over the age of 18 are unhappy with what they see in the mirror, and that many will not view an accurate reflection of themselves. Such an issue has led to women experiencing damaged self-esteem and confidence, something the brand Dove realized was essential to address.

In 2013, Dove released a 6-minute short film for their Real Beauty Marketing campaign called “Dove Real Beauty Sketches.” The film aimed to depict how women see their physical features compared to how strangers see how they look, reinforcing the notion that we are our worst critics. Such a campaign fits perfectly with Dove’s brand initiative — “to help women develop a positive relationship with how they look.”

At the beginning of the film, various scenes were used from the film’s middle to foreshadow the experiment to follow which established the story's arc. Multiple women of all ages were speaking about their appearance with accompanying footage of them getting ready in the morning and during the actual experiment interview. Much of their descriptions focused on their insecurities, such as changing their lips if they could or developing wrinkles. Scenes such as this one resonate with many women, myself included because it mirrors the self-talk we use throughout our daily routines when it comes to our appearances. The tone, setting, and music used in the opening scene play on one’s emotions and are utilized to put the viewer in a state of self-reflection.

The setting then changes to an empty warehouse with a curtain divider, chair, and sketch station where an FBI Forensic Artist is introduced. There, the women meet one by one on the other side of the curtain and are asked to describe their features to the artist since he cannot see them. As they continue the interview, close-up shots of the women’s faces and mannerisms demonstrate the conflict that they are insecure and uncomfortable with explaining their features. Along with this visual, there are brief close-ups of what the artist is illustrating based on their descriptions. The colors in this scene are dull, cool-toned, and lacking light.

After the artist completed his sketch, he sent the women away and then brought in individuals that the women became close with during the experiment to describe how they saw that woman. At this point, the music starts becoming uplifting. More light is present in the scene, giving a feeling of warmth and happiness. The strangers use positive descriptors to describe each woman, such as having bright eyes, a nice chin, and a cute nose. The artist explained that the women were highly critical of moles and scars while the strangers were “describing a normal, beautiful person.”

At the end of the film, the women were brought back into the warehouse where two drawings of themselves were displayed. One sketch being the description they gave of themselves and the other that the stranger gave of them. As the women gaze at the two images, they face the reality that their perception of their appearance is heavily distorted. Seeing that the stranger’s description was more accurate, beautiful, and happier than their own description brought the women to tears in realizing how harshly they speak of themselves. The scene is heavily illuminated now as the women gain clarity that they are more beautiful than their mind lets them perceive.

Dove’s campaign was highly successful with currently sitting over 10 million views on Youtube and being featured on various news outlets. The brand’s ability to physically demonstrate that society’s standards can alter the way we view our appearance was captivating. The campaign film spoke volumes to me as a young woman who faces the ongoing battle of not liking what she sees in the mirror. Seeing these women talk negatively about their features made me reflect on all the times I spoke down about the way I looked and was extraordinarily eye-opening. It had me question how much I doubted the beauty others saw in me. After viewing this film, I realized I needed to take the initiative every day to speak positively about my appearance, as Dove noted, feeling beautiful is the first step to leading a more confident and happier life.

References

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=litXW91UauE
2. https://www.dove.com/us/en/stories/about-dove/our-vision.html
3. http://www.sirc.org/publik/mirror.html#:~:text=Adults%3A%20Among%20women%20over%2018,be%20seeing%20an%20accurate%20reflection.

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