If you’re a TV junkie, you might have ran across the Unilever beauty soap line, Dove advertisements featuring “average-looking” commercial models. I say “average-looking” by media standards, to which the majority dictates, I didn’t mean to offend. This line of ads running across the globe is dubbed “Campaign for Real Beauty“.The above version, entitled “Evolution”, was produced in Toronto, Canada, directed by Tim Piper and Yael Staav of Reginald Pike. Tim also conceptualized the whole thing together with Mike Kirkland of world-renowned advertising agency Ogilvy.Amazing how in 1 minute and a quarter they were able to send forth a significant message to an alarming number of people who are so affected by what they see on TV, in their Hollywood idols.
My favorite part is when the video hit the 40-second mark during the photo modification bit, or the more household name “Photoshop”, if I may (hang in there, GIMP). Let’s see, blemish-free skin, check. Wrinkles, gone, check. Collagen lips, easy! Give me some neck! Eyelid-lift, ok. Make them big because small slanty shifty eyes are uber ugly. Big almond-shaped eyes are perfect! And quickly, make her jawline a little softer because I’m dying to shout out loud, “It’s a wrap!”
The Photoshop Cosmetic Surgeon at the Soho Post Production may have been jumping for joy the whole time doing this gig, retouching the poor model, but how sad reality has been. We’re living a lie. From this problem stems a lot of mental disorders and social issues, from social anxiety, low self-esteem to racial media representation.
“70% of girls aged 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activites,” according to an international survey. “90% of all women 15-64 worldwide want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance (with body weight ranking the highest).”
Life is twisted. Everybody wants to be Jessica, Angelina, Charlize, Scarlett, Paris. At the end of the day, you wouldn’t want somebody tell you something similar to what most girls from a prepubescent demographic yell at each other, “You look better in MySpace!”
Popularity: 9% [?]
Thanks Emma, actually the production company was Reginald Pike. It was directed by both Tim Piper and Yael Staav in a collaborative effort. Yael is a director at Reginald Pike. Tim works for Ogilvy (advertising) Toronto as a creative conceptualizer, and is a director part time.