A
few years ago, one of Dove’s beauty campaigns “Onslaught” went viral. Their
campaign promoted the natural beauty of women. However, this video caused negative
criticism for the brand. People discovered that the same company “Unilever” owned
both Dove and Axe. Axe’s ads constantly use women for sexual appeals. So are
the individuals who work for Dove hypocrites? Dove is obviously aware that
Unilever interacts with Axe. Dove created an excellent message for women yet
Axe continues to endorse erotic women.
Dove’s
campaign was still successful despite the whole controversy. Their message expressed
certain pressures that are placed on females from the media industry. When I found out that the same company
controlled Dove and Axe, I actually became a tad angry. How can Unilever not
feel guilty? Dove attempted to solve self-esteem issues but Axe just adds to
the problem of body image. This affects me personally because I see ads daily
that feature extremely beautiful women who have most likely been photo shopped.
“Barbie perfect” women are frequently shown through various channels of media.
I always hear girls complain about their bodies wishing they looked like models
or celebrities. It’s always a breath of fresh air when I see “normal” looking
women in the media.
Here is an article that discusses the Dove vs. Axe controversy:
