SFU students shoot down Dove Campaign for Real Beauty with #BeautyBag parody

by Stephen Hui on July 31st, 2015 at 10:26 AM

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You're probably familiar with the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty.

The Unilever-owned brand launched the hugely successful marketing campaign back in 2004 in order to strike up a "global conversation about the need for a wider definition of beauty", and, you know, sell more beauty products.

Dove's ads have been applauded for the diversity of their models, but some of its ads have been criticized as being "very patronizing" and "manipulative".

Here's a recent Dove video:

Now a group of students in a Simon Fraser University communication class has produced a video satirizing Dove's campaign.

Diana Durbalau, Maddy Galts, Mirelle Mokhtar, Roni Simunovic, and Gabriela Torres have posted "Dove Beauty Bag" on YouTube:

They state:

Hey guys! We're sick of Dove and their ridiculous marketing campaigns telling women they're insecure. Share this video to send Dove a message: you're worth more than what's on the outside. #BeautyBag

How do you grade the students' work?

Comments

2 Comments

I was never a fan of the Dove ads

Jul 31, 2015 at 1:16pm

but bad parody isn't social commentary.

I like the Dove ads

Jul 31, 2015 at 5:07pm

if only because they're not screaming at you that you deserve the best while flashing 1.57 second images of people living the "good life". I think they're intention - besides drawing attention to their soap - is healthy.

I also liked the originality and critical thought that these SFU students display. I laughed and I thought about the issues. That's never a bad thing.