Being Real in Advertising

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We live in an image focused world = Truth.

We define ourselves against these images = Truth.

Girls and women of all ages face body shaming because of these images = Truth.

It doesn’t have to be this way. = TRUTH.

 

Images of “super”model women are everywhere we look. We are inundated on a daily basis through TV, magazines, Social Media and beyond. Let’s face it, images are powerful. They prove to have a negative impact on a girl’s self-esteem and self-respect. In fact, 69% of girls in one study said that magazine models influence their idea of the perfect body shape[1]. It’s time for change.

Women across the world are taking a stand and fighting back for their body image independence. As a women-owned advertising agency, we at Oblique Design are proud to witness this movement through multiple advertising efforts.

Who among us didn’t tear up when we watched women describing themselves to a sketch artist in the Dove Real Beauty campaign? Not because we felt bad for these women, but because we could relate. Since the kick-off of this multi-level campaign, Dove has almost doubled their revenue.

Lane Bryant’s #ImNoAngel campaign is a bigger hit on Social Media than Victoria’s Secret “The Perfect Body” campaign. It also led to a noticeable increase in new customers; proving that women are ready for change.

American Eagle has joined the fight with their new lingerie line, Aerie. They’ve stopped re-touching their advertising photographs to proudly show relatable models with healthy bodies. Since making this bold move, they’ve seen a 9% rise in sales.

The real truth is that we may never see society change enough to fully remove unrealistic body images and photo re-touching from advertising. But it’s refreshing to see more and more companies taking the right steps in that direction. So we raise our glass to them, to those that come next and to you – Beautiful. Perfect. You.

[1] Eating disorders: body image and advertising. (2008, December 11). Retrieved from http://womeninads.weebly.com/statistics.html

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