Update on Onslaught: Do We Pay For Hypocrisy?

Kelly Mills — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 16:28:00 GMT

You might remember I posted the "Onslaught" video from Dove last month, and the thing got lots of attention for highlighting how much body image crap our girls get bombarded with daily. But almost as fast as the video hit the internet, there were cries of foul from many corners. See, Dove's parent company Unilever is also responsible for a bunch of cruddy ads, including the spots for Axe deoderant body spray for guys, which imply, to be blunt, that wearing Axe will get you lots of pussy.

I was thinking about this whole thing again after this great op-ed appeared in the Boston Globe. And I think its a real valid question we have to ask ourselves: Can companies highlight issues like how the beauty industry affects girls while also hawking beauty products that don't exactly send a nice message to those same girls? If the Onslaught campaign has a positive effect on people, is that enough, and should we ignore what other arms of Unilever are doing? Was this a case of social consciousness-raising or just clever marketing? Cuz I'm sure this won't be the only corporation caught sending wildly contradictory messages.

What do you think?

Super Brrrrilliant and Intense Video On What Our Girls See

Kelly Mills — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 12:32:00 GMT

Have you seen the new "Onslaught" campaign spot? I saw this yesterday on the 5 Resolutions blog, I have to hand it to Dove, they are coming out with some great stuff about our media-distorted sense of beauty. This one highlights what our li'l girls see, and well, why half of girls in grades three to five worry about their appearance. I've been thinking about the spot ever since I watched. And cringing for my girl. And wanting to do something--anything--to protect her from this.

I highly recommend you check this out, after the jump.

If you are looking for resources, there's the Dove site, and I'd also advise checking the 5 Resolutions blog. They've been keeping a close watch over the plastic-too-skinny-highly-airbrushed crap we and our kids see every day. And they advocate for healthy beauty. I feel extra passionate about getting behind that right about now.

Strollerderby : dove

Update on Onslaught: Do We Pay For Hypocrisy?

Super Brrrrilliant and Intense Video On What Our Girls See