Real women have curves, and ads

[sugarimp]

Real women in their unretouched glory are rising stars in personal care and fashion ads, showing a different way to pitch beauty-related products.Big advertisers such as Nike and Wal-Mart have joined a real-women trend that took off in June with ads for Dove firming lotion that showed six curvy women wearing nothing but undies and smiles

Comments

[dodging_fate]

[I, for one, am getting sick of hearing "real women have curves". No, real women come in lots of different shapes and sizes, thank you very much.]

exactly. I have curves... the waitress who served me yesterday at Denny's doesn't... both of us are lovely, imho.

[shaydlip]

I agree. One doesn't need to put down another body type (in this case, Kate Moss), in order to feel good about ones own body type.

[dodging_fate]

:)

When I read things like this article, I'm seeing yet another 'trend where nothing else will do' develop... and I simply don't like it. But, then again, it's up to me to be happy with my own body and not let the media influence me so much. This also seems like a manipulation (though it can be argued that all advertising is) to make me feel as though I *belong* and they *understand* me so I should buy-buy-buy-away!!!

[shaydlip]

You have no idea how much being able to relate to a customer helps a sales pitch. That's exactly what it is. It is different for what you're marketing though. If you're marketing something like a handbag or things that cost way too much, such as couture, you use impossible-looking models becuase it creates an unattainable desire for most people, which is why they can charge so much money for that stuff.
For something like Dove or Nike, they are marketing to a totally different group, and so it is better for them to A) have someone who is famous (i.e. Halle Berry doing Clairol or whatever she does) do thier marketing so people can look like the unattainable, or B) go with this real women have curves thing to have relatability.

[dodging_fate]

*nods* I can see that.

[smirkin]

Exactly. These companies are trying to act like they are trying to change advertising for the good of the average woman, but really, they could care less. It's just a marketing ploy to get you to side with them. If you buy their firming cream, you're trying to change your body -- so you're back to bowing to society's typical standards of beauty.