Is Loving Yourself Trendy?

Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty

It was ten years ago that Dove launched its campaign for real beauty. In the movements that have followed since, Dove has worked hard to present themselves as the company that encourages every woman to feel beautiful regardless of shape or size. While I think the message is an important one I get frustrated that the "Loving Yourself" movement has just become a trendy marketing strategy. For example, Dove's parent company Unilever, also owns Axe, a soap company for men. Their ads are blatantly sexual and in my opinion, degrading. If the powers that be really wanted to promote self love and acceptance, they would. Unilaterally. Instead it feels a lot like they want to sell a product.

Axe's latest line of ads. This *really* looks like an ad for shower gel to me. 

Special K cereal has a line of commercials that talk about how worth isn't the number on the scale and how we need to fight "fat talk." Well, that's great but they also tell you that if you replace 2 meals a day with their cereal you too can lose weight! I'm pretty sure replacing 2 meals with about 150 calorie substitutes most people would lose weight, but no—buy their cereal and you will not care about the number on the scale either.  

I get tired of companies capitalizing on women's insecurities. Almost always when I see ads about loving yourself and acceptance I think about who is making money in this. Colbie Caillat just released a new video about not trying so hard. I know you've seen it. Our office posted it last week and it showed up on my Facebook about a million times this weekend. In fact, since its release last week it has nine million views. It's a really beautiful message about being okay with you . . . but I think: Is this a popularity stunt? Nine million in 5 days is, well, a lot of people listening to you sing. This woman doesn't work out of the kindness of her heart. She is in a money-making business. I would take off my makeup for that too.  

Don't get me wrong, talking about loving yourself is better than the trash that is in that Axe ad up above. Perhaps I'm just a cynic at heart, but I wonder if it is our buying in to a 'love yourself' trend that is actually making a mockery out of serious things. What do you think? Are you also fed-up with companies cashing in on our insecurities??

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