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1 2 Racism in Dove’s “Real Beauty” Advertising Campaign Gordon Lester Academic Upgrading, Humber College ACE Communications Gordon Lester April 22, 2022 Racism in Dove’s “Real Beauty” Advertising Campaign INTRODUCTION Purpose: The purpose of this report is to examine racism in Dove’s “Real Beauty” advertising campaign and to make recommendations. Scope: The scope of this report is the 2017 ad on Facebook and the immediate public reaction to it. The ad was shown in North America in October 2017. Limitations: The limitations of this report are time and space. The period to complete the report was four weeks. If there was more time, the report could have been more thorough. Also, the report is only 3-4 pages long. A longer report would have allowed for more information. BACKGROUND Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign was launched in 2004. The stated aim was to promote self-confidence and body positivity in women and children. Their advertising and marketing partners were Ogilvy & Mather, Edelman Public Relations, and Harbinger Communications. In October 2017, Dove released a three-second GIF ad on Facebook. In the GIF, a Black woman takes off a brown shirt to reveal a White woman wearing a light-coloured shirt underneath. Since a bottle of bodywash sits in front of the woman, the ad associates Blackness with dirt and Whiteness with cleanliness, which is an old racist trope. The public reaction was negative and swift. The ad was pulled in less than a week. In 2011, Dove also published a racist ad for bodywash, where darker skinned women stand in front of the word “Before” and a white woman stands in front of the word “After.” Dove issued an apology: “Dove is committed to representing the beauty of diversity. In an image we posted this week, we missed the mark in thoughtfully representing women of color and we deeply regret the offense that it has caused” (qtd. in Astor, 2017, para. 5). The stress of constant experiences of racism and systematic racism can have negative effects on Black and Indigenous Peoples’ health (Omole, 2018). DISCUSSION Body positivity should include skin colour. Not just size and body type. The Dove “Real Beauty” campaign has targeted white women and as a result there have been two racist ads that associate dark skin colour with dirt. How can we combat racist tropes in body positivity advertising? Many of the articles on Dove’s ad campaign include a short history of how the association of dark skin with dirt has been used. Greater public awareness of racism in media should reduce the instances of racist representations. One way to do this is by adding racism in media to the school curriculum. However, the quick response to the ad by the public shows that many already know this history and are sensitive to racist tropes. Perhaps we should place the responsibility on the advertising company. They were the ones who created the ad. More diversity throughout advertising and marketing is essential to creating messages targeted for our multicultural society. The fact that the ads are targeted to a white audience also shows that there is a racial disparity for income and wealth in North America. Advertising companies target money that can buy the products. Perhaps the negative reaction to the ads was because they threatened to expose the racist wealth distribution. This is a complex issue, but to address this disparity, we need to prioritize a wide range of social services. Are we being naïve, though, expecting advertising companies to have positive social messages? Dove is owned by Unilever, who also own Axe body spray. Axe regularly hyper-sexualizes women in its advertising. Unilever also own Fair & Lovely, a company that sells skin lightening creams in India. No matter how socially aware an ad campaign is, it becomes hollow when the company is promoting systemic racism through its other products or operations. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Dove’s racist ads in their Real Beauty Campaign shows that body positive messaging doesn’t always include diversity of skin colour. More awareness of racist imagery and its history is needed in advertising and the public. There are also racist structural problems and inconsistencies that we need to address to create a body positive society that includes skin colour. Based on my research, I recommend the following: 1. More diversity on advertising creative teams and the executive positions. 2. A racism in media component to the school curriculum. 3. A more diverse distribution of wealth across society. REFERENCES Astor, M. (2017, Oct. 8). Dove drops an ad accused of racism. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/08/business/dove-ad-racist.html Omole, M. (2018, Feb. 4). How racism affects your health. The Walrus. https://thewalrus.ca/how-racism-affects-your-health/. Assignment Instructions (only for people who missed class): Read through this flawed research report. Name five ways this report can be improved. When referring to a section, name it as part of your answer: for example, In the Discussion section, there should be… Think about the research provided, phrasing and clarity, grammar, formatting, and arguments made. Write the answers into this document, save it, and submit it. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.