Unilever
I was disappointed that the latest issue of Mount Holyoke's Alumnae Quarterly suggested to "reward companies that go against the cultural grain", and uses the Unilever brand Dove's "real women campaign" as an example.
So yeah... This is the same company that makes a killing off skin whitening products in India (which account for 60% of cosmetics sold there). They launched a Facebook app (under another brand, Vaseline) where you can "whiten yourself" in your photos. They're also responsible for Axe body spray, which has advertising that decidedly does not go against the cultural grain when representing women in their advertising.
By the way, last year Unilever was fined 1.3 million dollars by the state of California for polluting the air with Axe body spray. Which was actually due to the level of propellants than the nauseating smell, but at least it's a step in the right direction.
So yeah... This is the same company that makes a killing off skin whitening products in India (which account for 60% of cosmetics sold there). They launched a Facebook app (under another brand, Vaseline) where you can "whiten yourself" in your photos. They're also responsible for Axe body spray, which has advertising that decidedly does not go against the cultural grain when representing women in their advertising.
By the way, last year Unilever was fined 1.3 million dollars by the state of California for polluting the air with Axe body spray. Which was actually due to the level of propellants than the nauseating smell, but at least it's a step in the right direction.