Where does the time go, am I right?!
Dove's latest ad campaign on the RB-X beauty patch has triggered quite the hot debate, and of course, it is time for me to add my two cents.
At a stretch, I can appreciate Dove's emphasis on natural beauty. However, at the end of the day, it is a marketing ploy intended to win the favour of your average, insecure woman... who now feels Dove understands her and shall therefore shell over her hard-earned cash to buy their skin-rejuvenating foaming cleanser. Oh well, at least the execs at Buy My Shiznit HQ are catering to the non-supermodel demographic.
Before you call me a big bully, let me establish myself as an even bigger bully by saying that I am not just against Dove, but pretty much the entire beauty industry in general. Whether by presenting you with a plain, sullen laywoman to seem more down-to-earth, or else by showing off a bedazzled bombshell (no fault of the models themselves), these companies want women of the Earth to believe that being "beautiful" is the epitome of success.
Well, what about being intelligent? Friendly? Compassionate? Can you live a successful and fulfilling life with those qualities independent of how you look? Could a young girl who is considered to be ugly go on to make a scientific discovery that changes the course of mankind, or heal people of their emotional afflictions simply by her words and actions? Would she not then be successful, even if she was deemed to have the sexual appeal of a rusty nail?
Yes to all of the above. Our society is obsessed with physical beauty. If we were as obsessed with enhancing the lives of our fellow living creatures (my cat included), then God knows our planet would be in the finest condition since its inception.
Okay, I love my makeup and facial scrub. I enjoy being pretty. But unless I am feeling up to the task, I do not need flawless skin and curled eyelashes to feel fulfilled. My appearance will not leave one ounce of a legacy after I die. My body is a piece of art that will disintegrate when I am gone, and trying to make myself a permanent fixture is a waste of my skills and talents. We all have beautiful minds that can truly change the world when we accept the impermanence of our looks.
So, let's not perpetuate that everyone (men included) needs to be beautiful to be successful. There are so many more adjectives to describe the amazing you. Let's use them, shall we? (SMART, FUNNY, BOMBDIGGITY, etc. etc.)
P.S. I do not mean to put down those who enjoy looking their best and enhancing what their mama gave them with the use of skin products and cosmetics. I just mean to say that it should be enjoyable, kind of like a hobby, something that doesn't consume you. Thank you.
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