Dove's "Selfie" campaign and how social media views beauty

By Sonya Davidson

I admit to taking a “selfie” or two and may have added a filter or Photoshopped out a wrinkle before posting up on my social media channels. No duck faces though.

Dove (Unilever) recently released a 7-minute short film titled Selfie at the Sundance Film Festival as part of their ongoing “Real Beauty” campaign.

In this piece, the filmmaker asks mothers and daughters to take photos of themselves using their mobile devices, without editing or using filters, and then discuss their insecurities. The images were then displayed in public. Those viewing the portraits were asked to use Post-it notes to leave compliments on each. What was noted as positives reflected the personal insecurities of each participant. No surprise. The message is what makes you different is what makes you beautiful. 

Dove does a nice job with their  “real beauty” campaigns. We all know that we should be accepting of ourselves and of everyone else regardless of gender, culture, sexual preference, size, shape and everything in between. We all know the need to give our kids both girls AND boys positive messaging.  Hello…yes, boys too! They seem to get lost in the shuffle.

The Dove campaigns are taking steps in the right direction using social media as a relatable medium for teens. Although this is pretty much the same message as their previous campaign Sketches, I’m hoping that the company can find a way to take it to the next level – to take it where the message isn’t so predictable.

On another note, while I was on the subway earlier to day and was thinking about this Dove campaign, I noticed a group of teenage boys standing in front of me discussing an ad they were looking at. One boy said, “Sex sells. That’s what Mr. G told us in class.” At this point I had my ears perked. He continued, “there are three things that grab your attention in advertising: food, money and sex.”

And you know the same parent company of Dove also produces Axe, right?

Here’s the video…I’d love to hear your thoughts.