Does it matter if Dove's real beauty ads were retouched?

Guys...

We're talking about advertising here... Remember George Orwell's definition... "Advertising is the rattling of a stick in a swill pail!" Why is everyones so shocked?

Cheers/George

I wish my butts were retouched too!?

I think that anyone who sees a commercial photograph these days doesn't think that it has been retouched is out of touch.  If that controversy continues, it should travel through all beauty and image advertising photography.

 

I like you Parker!

Very professional advertising. Right message. But I understand that these girles have passed casting. They are the same height, weight and look good together. They were retouched, of course, but it doesn't matter after all I've said above ;)

It is very interesting how the board has split on this one and it becomes clear that it depends on the perspective you take.  I can understand that consumers may feel cheated by the accusations of digital touch ups after all this may be seen as going against the entire main ethos & USP of the campaign.  From an advertiser's POV, investments in this campaign should be protected and thus would argue that retouching is an evitable part of the process to ensure its success.

At what point should the line between reality and enhancement be drawn to be deemed acceptable.  In this case, body firmness is the issue at heart and I therefore think we can all agree that body shape & skin imperfections that relate ie. creases but not scars should not have been altered in order to stay true to the campaign.  All other elements could be completely transformed without damaging the specific products intentions.

If the allegations are correct, I do think it will damage the brands credibility in the short-term however I suspect women will continue to purchase Dove firming to a simular extent because its the subliminal messages that are important in consumer behaviour - embrace your curves.  Food for thought:  It is not the actual advertisement but this short ‘evolution’ film included on the website that worries me - would they really shot themselves in the foot to this extent? http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/flat4.asp?id=6909

 

of course it does. Its just a complete lie...dove's real beauty ads...well not so real anymore. It goes against their philosophy, its futher impyling that real beauty isnt achievable without photoshop. Erm big contradiction.

 I do not agree with you Nicky, if they say that it is a natural beauty then nothing should be retouched.  What is the point then.  The campaign says it is all about natural beauty.  It promotes ordinary women.  Ordinary women do not normally have the option to retouch their photos and therefore the point of the campaing is lost.

I understand your point Eliska but I think you have to be realistic, Dove are trying to sell a product. Also some ordinary women do retouch their pictures using photoshop or select the best ones and delete the rest. Lots of real women wear make-up so not many people are completely natural all the time. As I said before the women in the Dove ads do look more natural than a lot of other beauty campaigns so I think that's a good thing.

A certain irony that the word realistic is used bearing in mind the context of the thread.

 

Nikki Sandison:

I understand your point Eliska but I think you have to be realistic, Dove are trying to sell a product. Also some ordinary women do retouch their pictures using photoshop or select the best ones and delete the rest. Lots of real women wear make-up so not many people are completely natural all the time. As I said before the women in the Dove ads do look more natural than a lot of other beauty campaigns so I think that's a good thing.

 

Hi Nikki,

I take your point :).  I do agree that "Dove women" look much more realistic than models used by other companies.  Whilst I was criticising Dove for not being really real, I need to give them credit for trying to promote natural beauty.  However, it depends on how much retouching on the pictures is done.

 

Eliska

 

ha ha ha, it only matters if they got caught at it.  Which they did and now it does put them in a bind since it contradicts their whole campaign.

That is exactly what I was trying to say :)

It really does matter - I find the whole concept of 'real beauty' demeaning anyway, implying that somebody slimmer/different to those they portray is in some way artificial. It seems to me that the whole campaign has become exactly what it didn't want to be; a derisive, false attack on stereotypes.

I will have to disagree with you here.  I don't think the concept of real beauty means that slim, model-like individuals are not real.  What I think the campaign tries to say is that you don't have to have plastic surgery, tonnes of make up and strict dieting to be beautiful.