Critique of “Those Unnerving Ads Using Real Woman”
by Megan Daum is an writer for the LA times. In 2005 she wrote an article criticizing the Dove campaigns. I particularly enjoyed the article. Not looking much further into it three years later I was writing a critique on it for my comp class. I am sharing this article because It is my favorite of many.
“Let’s not confuse the Dove ad campaign with a political movement — the company is really just trying to sell cellulite cream.”This is a quote from Those Unnerving Ads using “Real Woman,” an LA Times editorial written by Megan Daum. Why is the author so disgruntled? Six woman sizes six through fourteen represent Doves idea of “real woman.” Throughout Daum’s examination of this campaign, she is abhorred by Doves hypocritical Rhetoric. The logic and accuracy in her view is on target. After careful review and analysis of the article, it is impossible to find fault in the author’s scrutiny. Daums examination of Doves “real woman,” the “Machiavellian irony,” and the invasion of intimacy depicted by this campaign makes a credible statement.
Megan Daum reviews the alleged “real woman” of the Dove campaign. “Dove is sounding the trumpets of body acceptance while also selling woebegone “real woman” a cure for their realness.”(Daum). This is an excellent and precise observation. Upon the first reading of this article, the quoted statement appeared as simply an opinion of the author. An assumption that is personally agreeable, but based on speculation. However, researching Daum’s hypothesis brought evidence to support her assertion. Philippe Harousseau, Doves’ marketing director made this statement: “Our mission is to make more women feel beautiful every day by broadening the definition of beauty” (dove.com). As ideal as this sounds it is one more contradiction. Almost three years after Daum released Those Unnerving Ads using “Real Woman,” , an interview in The New Yorker with Pascal Dangin, the world’s “premier retoucher of fashion photographs” exposed the truth. Dangin made this statement about the Dove campaign: “Do you know how much retouching was on that?” He asked. “But it was great to do, a challenge, to keep everyone’s skin and faces showing the mileage but not looking unattractive.”(The New Yorker). Daum was unaware of this at the time. This revelation credits Daum’s opinion and ability to see through a campaign cashing in on poor body image and self-esteem.
Following Megan Daum’s observation of Dove’s usage of “real woman,” she examines the “Machiavellian irony” used in the campaign. Daum describes it as. “..employing vaguely feminist rhetoric to sell cellulite cream.”(Daum). Machiavellian irony is political gain over values, and dove uses self-acceptance to sell a product to fix perceived flaws. Once again, her idea is strongly supported. Two weeks following Pascal Dangin’s interview Dove released a statement confirming Daum’s idea of Machiavellian irony. “…We have made the commitment not to distort any of our images to create an unrealistic or unattainable view of beauty since the inception of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty in 2004. Color corrections and other small adjustments are needed in order to meet professional standards-even in the best run photo shoots with the best photographers. These corrections do not mean that people don’t see the woman as she really is and do not change the Dove brand’s commitment to Women…” (dove.com) the statement posted on Dove’s website truly defines the concept of “Machiavellian irony.” Daum once again using insight and educated opinion to expose the truth.
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