Are ‘Real Beauty’ Ads Just Another Voice Defining Us by Our Appearances?
“Real beauty” campaigns such as Dove’s have grown in popularity over the past few years, ostensibly encouraging women to see beauty in their bodies whether they fit social ideals or not.
But are these ads actually empowering, or are they just another voice telling us that we are only defined by our appearances?
That’s the case that Kristin Salaky, a writer based in New York, makes in the Washington Post.
She writes, “If you’re alive and online, you’ve seen the Dove ‘Real Beauty’ ads, where people react to being called beautiful. They smile, break into tears and hug. These campaigns are meant to make me (and all women) feel good in their own skin. But while I love a good compliment, it doesn’t work on me.”
She explains that she is treated differently by society due to her appearance.
“I’m ugly, and I know it. … I’m not an idiot, my vision is fine,” Salaky writes. “I’m treated by men like an obstacle to get around. Sometimes, guys walk away from me mid-conversation to talk to a better-looking girl.
“When I write pieces on this subject or even allude to having an opinion online, anonymous Twitter trolls tell me I wouldn’t be so unattractive if I didn’t dye my hair, got a good chemical peel and stopped ‘eating Oreo’s more than vegetables.’
”I’m not the only one to experience this. Attractive waiters earn more tips. Beautiful people get more job interviews, get promoted more quickly and make more money than their unattractive counterparts.”
She’s not wrong. Research estimates that better-looking people will make about $230,000 more over their lifetimes than less attractive people.
“This is why the ad campaigns that tell everyone they’re beautiful are so dangerous,” Salaky says. “They link beauty with worthiness and kindness, doing nothing for the people thrust into the world knowing that simply isn’t true.
“Instead, we should teach people, especially women, that their beauty doesn’t define them. We need to teach them that their worth comes from much more than their appearance. We need to lift women up to be competitive workers, voracious learners and empathetic people. No matter what they look like.”
She writes of coming to accept herself, as we all should: “It is crazy. I know I’m worthy. I might not be beautiful, but that’s only one good quality among many. Playing with my appearance became fun again and I began to do things because I liked them, not for other people.”
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