I chose the Dove Real Beauty
Sketches as my artifact because low self-esteem is a problem for women that
contribute to serious health problems like depression, anxiety and eating
disorders. This video shows women that they are all beautiful and they should
have confidence in themselves. With higher self-esteem comes greater happiness
and health. This video is truly a creative way to get the point across that we
are all more beautiful than we think. The video inspires and makes women
reflect. It is eye catching and entertaining all while teaching a valuable
lesson. Even if we are not faced with depression or anorexia ourselves, knowing
that people out there could be may inspire us to think twice before saying
something or judging.
This video increases confidence for those
with low self esteem, it shows people with health issues like eating disorders
and depression that they don’t need to change to be beautiful and it
illustrates the way women view their body in negative light, but need to
realize how beautiful they truly are. My analysis of the artifact matters
because nobody likes everything about himself or herself and we have all faced
moments of self-loathing. This issue is relatable and could be detrimental to
our health if left unchecked. As I said before, it also could help us
understand what others are going through and make us reconsider judging others
based on their looks. We don’t really ever know what other people are going
through.
Discussion Questions:
Discussion Questions:
1.Do you think low self-esteem and a
skewed perception of beauty can lead to
things like depression, anxiety, eating disorders or self-harm?
2. Has society and the media warped our perception of beauty to the point that we will never view ourselves as beautiful no matter what we do? Does this mean that on the inside we are all a little bit depressed and anxious about our looks?
3. What ways can we combat these insecurities and increase our self-esteem? What would it take to make you feel beautiful?
2. Has society and the media warped our perception of beauty to the point that we will never view ourselves as beautiful no matter what we do? Does this mean that on the inside we are all a little bit depressed and anxious about our looks?
3. What ways can we combat these insecurities and increase our self-esteem? What would it take to make you feel beautiful?
I love this Dove campaign. It sends a powerful message to women about not criticizing their own and others physical looks. It was a very persuasive campaign because of the women of different races and backgrounds asked to participate, the side-by-side drawing comparisons shown at the end of the video, and the reactions of the women to their own portraits.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the media has warped our perception of beauty. As the general public, we are constantly bombarded with magazine covers of the "most beautiful women in the world" and articles explaining how to be more beautiful--I'm looking at you Buzzfeed. While our perception is clouded by the media's constant criticism of fashion and women's looks, I believe that women have the ability to overcome this pressure. The video makes an important addition to the women's beauty conversation in that it features men. By adding men to the mix of participants in the Real Beauty campaign, Dove broke the gender stereotype that women are the only ones that feel negatively about their looks.
From my own experiences, I have seen low self-esteem lead to illnesses such as depression and eating disorders. These illnesses, like beauty in some ways, are cast in a negative light by the media. When diseases are looked down upon by society, people who are facing them are less likely to seek help. So, by forcing a stigmatized idea of beauty on society, the media and all who contribute to the discussion are only adding to this negativity and skewed perceptions.
In my opinion, Dove did an amazing job in promoting a healthier perception of women, beauty and happiness.
I, too, love this campaign from Dove. I think that Dove does an amazing job of illustrating people's insecurities that we as the audience can relate to. In our modern society, our perception of beauty is one that has been altered over time. As I discussed in my paper, I believe that our perception of beauty is one that can not be achieved. The women that are depicted in magazines and advertisements represent a particular beauty that women try to replicate. Though women are typically more aware and concerned about beauty, this campaign depicts men as well to show they they, too, struggle with insecurities regarding their body image.
ReplyDeleteI believe that low self-esteem has lead to different illnesses like depression, eating disorders, and or self harm. I think that the pressure that media creates to look a certain way effects how people view themselves. And when men or women fail to look a specific way, they will go to extreme measures in order to obtain that ideal image.
In order to combat these insecurities, I think it is important to question social media and their particular ways of depicting men and women. Society needs to change the standard of beauty put on men and women. Campaigns like this Dove Real Beauty campaign, are a great start to highlighting true beauty and viewing beauty in a completely different light.
Not to say the exact same thing... But this is great. It really shows how we are so hard on ourselves and our appearance. I definitely believe low self-esteem can lead to certain disorders and I think a lot of this has to do with the idea of discipline. Everywhere we look we see airbrushed actresses and size 0 models and we are told that that is what we have to look like in order to be considered beautiful. What we don't necessarily realize is that even the people who are put up on that pedestal aren't that perfect. Models are airbrushed and photos are retouched making even the most "beautiful" people on the planet almost unrecognizable in real life. I think this makes it nearly impossible to ever be completely satisfied with our looks.
ReplyDeleteThe only way I think we can overcome these insecurities as a society is to start portraying more realistic examples of beauty. Models who aren't 5'11" and weigh 90 lbs. Actresses who aren't doused in makeup and hairspray and then have their photos retouched taking away even the slightest of flaws. I think only then will we be able to see ourselves as truly beautiful. In our current society, the terms beauty and flawless are synonymous. That's why it's unattainable.
This Dove campaign does an excellent job of showing women they are beautiful from other's perspectives. The media has created this image of an ideal woman for society by casting only certain sized actresses and models. In magazines, the airbrushing effect adds to this "perfect" and almost unattainable appearance. Because of this, I definitely believe that self-conscious women are more prone to depression and eating disorders. The emotions portrayed in the ad about body image emphasize the melancholy the women felt about themselves. When they were described by other men and women, though, their emotions were uplifted. The two images were drastically different showing how hard women are on themselves.
ReplyDeleteI do think that the "standard" body image that the media is setting is changing, though. It was this idea of actresses being almost sickly skinny. Now, curves are being portrayed more, and actresses are telling directors that they won't lose weight for movies. Actresses like Jennifer Lawrence are standing up to the media about weight. Other celebrities that have had eating disorders are speaking up to help teens fight against anorexia and bulimia. Even though all of this is an improvement, I do believe the media will always shape and influence our perception of beauty.
I do think that low self-esteem and a skewed perception of beauty can lead to negative things. For some reason, especially females, we always talk down about ourselves and never talk positively about our features. I do think that a lot of this comes from the advertisements in magazines and on TV of models that have actually been edited themselves. The models tiny waste and skinny, long arms all come from a computer program and are very hard to obtain in real life. Females these days are pressured to look like these unrealistic models and because of this, depression or eating-disorders come about.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that society and media have warped our perception of beauty because of these unrealistic ads that come about. For a long time, all we saw in the media was perfect, stick skinny ladies and it was not until Dove came about that we realized it was OK to look the way we do and not be able to be 6'2 120 pounds. I do think we are always in competition to look good, and that we do become anxious or depressed because we feel like we have to always look the best.
I think that more companies need to take the approach that Dove has, because they are using real women and showing that we should not be ashamed of our flaws, that it is how God made us. Personally what it would take for me to feel beautiful would be to not see perfect, flawless models every where I looked and feeling like I have to measure up to them at all times because that is what men want.
I really enjoyed the message of this DOVE campaign. It really hit home for me and made me think of ways I can improve my mental self and the thoughts I have about others. I think they did a great of grasping the attention of males and females. They captured those that do not struggle with self image and those that do, but also emphasizing things like eating disorders, depression, etc. I do think that society and media have warped our perception of beauty. I think that it is almost impossible for one to feel happy with themselves. The "you are never good enough" mentality is constantly out there and makes men and women feel as if they always have something to work on or that they can always look better if they did _____. Media has definitely improved some with using models of different shapes and color, but not enough. I still look at ad's and think, wow they look great in that dress and I can't buy that because it would not look as great on me. I think a key thing for the public to do in order to help avoid the messages the media portrays is to avoid looking at magazines as much and/or commercials. I rarely read magazines and if I do it is a sports magazine and I do not watch television except for football and running. This has helped me stop comparing myself to those in the media.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI think that low self-esteem and skewed perception of beauty definitely lead to things like depression and anxiety. Skewed perception of beauty is a major cause of low self-esteem. Eating disorders especially result from these skewed perceptions. Girls strive to look like the underweight women we see in the media and turn to unnatural ways of losing weight and changing their bodies. I guess it’s only fitting that we use unnatural ways since we try to achieve a body type that is unnatural and unrealistic. For the most part, I think we have been exposed to warped perceptions of beauty for so long that it would take a very, very long time to undo the damage that it has done. It would require a universal effort and I think that the television, movie, fashion industry, advertisements, etc. rely too much on the false images created for any big change to occur.
I don’t think I know of one person that doesn’t think that there is something wrong with their body. Even the skinniest people claim they are “fat” and I can’t count how many times I’ve heard someone complain about their height, their nose, their smile, etc. I think that the only real chance we stand of overcoming our insecurities is accepting ourselves for who we are and making an active effort to stop comparing ourselves to what we see on television. That fake image of beauty is never going away but we can change how it makes us feel. It’s not going to be easy, but it needs to be done.
I have not seen this advertisement until now, and I must say that it was great at providing emotional appeal. The artifact's goal was to raise awareness about self esteem and the realities of how women view themselves today in society. Watching this clip, I believe that the video is bringing out the reality of how beauty is a socially constructed ideal. Dove's use of real women, a believable atmosphere, and showing their emotional response during the side by side sketch comparisons were the strongest forms of persuasion. Dove is using these elements of pathos to create the emotional response in the audience. These responses can include their rethinking of media's skewed portrayals, waking up to society's idealist brain washing, and realize the toll of idealism on the female population.
ReplyDeleteI personally love this video and the Dove campaign that supports it. I think it promotes a great message, especially for a culture consumed with appearance. I totally think low-self esteem and a skewed perception of beauty can help lead to depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. There is social construction of what beautiful is in a society where beauty means a lot. People cannot help to compare themselves to that beauty and unfortunately how they do not match up. I once heard someone say comparison is the thief of joy; I think there is a lot of truth to that. I know a good number of people who suffer from eating disorders in hope to help get closer to that construction of beauty; I hate that.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that we have been warped beyond repair. Consider the real people in the commercial. Consider how you felt after you watched the commercial. We love to hear the truth of beauty, we just need to have it put in front of us. Kudos to the Dove Campaign.
Great ad! I remember when this came out. I definitely believe that the media and our society has warped our perception of beauty, and that this skewed portrayal of beauty and low-self esteem cause depression and other disorders among people. Our society for decades has been pushing the envelope on what is beauty, just as it has been pushing the envelope on what is appropriate to wear in public. If you look back across the decades, the models were more conservatively dressed, and also actually had curves to their bodies. They weren't all skin and bones. If we look at one of the biggest sex symbols in our countries history, Marilynn Monroe, and stand her next to one of the current big time models, we would see a major difference. She was definitely no size 0 and it has even been stated by some that she would possibly have been a plus-size model today. This is an absurd concept to me, but I do not think that all is lost. With celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence who are willing to speak out about how they were bullied for their size and weight, and models like Kate Upton who, although is still skinny, actually has curves on her, I think our perceptions can be turned around. It will just take more people in the spotlight telling the public that it is ok to just be yourself. The more the issue is brought up in public discourse, especially by influential and persuasive individuals, the more the issue will be remedied.
ReplyDeleteWomen self esteem and health both are important thing. Good work they done for doing it.
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