Real women, real beauty: It's time for the fightback
Four women, ranging from 21 to 31 years of age, were chosen to feature in Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty in Malta. None of them had ever done anything like this before, but their confidence, spirit and beauty comes through in the photos, as Kristina Chetcuti finds out.
We live in a world where there seems to be one model for beauty: tall, thin, blonde, young. But it seems that finally the foundations are being shaken and real people are entering the scene.
It's been a snail-paced kind of wake-up which perhaps started five years ago when Marie Claire produced two alternative covers for the same magazine issue: one of Pamela Anderson and one of Sophie Dahl, an English model then known for her curviness. Curvy Sophie won by an overwhelming majority.
The primary objection to the fashion world's continued and determined use of thin models is the way in which it seems that the fashion industry rams home the message to millions of other young women that beauty depends on possessing a body that has perfect slender proportions. We are continually exposed to images and footage to support the "ideal body image".
And visual culture is very powerful, says psychologist Dorothy Scicluna: "Unfortunately, people compare themselves to unrealistic images. Some research shows that when we view TV programmes somehow we end up imagining these people to be our neighbours and friends - what we fail to remember is that these people are hugely made over before appearing in front of the camera. Some people seem to criticise themselves because the media passes on the indirect message that young, crisp, size 0 and toned is beautiful."
According to Dr Scicluna, research indicates that people who view less TV experience less sadness around their bodies. One study shows how, up to 1995 when TV was first brought into Fiji, the country had no body-image eating problems, but three years later girls were throwing up over the toilet bowl.
However, she is quick to point out that severe eating disorder cases are not about girls who want to look like models. "Body-image problems can be the result of deep unresolved psychological issues which would then lead the sufferer to hate themselves unconsciously and thus manifest negative body image attitude. Wanting to look like models is rarely the case," she says.
Top fashion stylist Carina Camilleri is in agreement. "Yes, I do think that the industry influences us indirectly to keep thin but a lot of it is brought on by ourselves, our obsessions, our insecurities and above all the desire to remain looking youthful and thin." She believes we cannot keep pointing our finger at the fashion world but should instead promote a better outlook towards life. "Having a positive attitude will help all girls and boys, models or not, to feel good about themselves and respect themselves," she says.
Still, there is no escaping the fact that no model is bigger than a size 8. "Fashion models are between a size 6 and 8 because it is a fact of life, whether we like to hear it or not, that clothes hang better on those sizes. Remember that when we see a fashion show we are seeing a spectacle, we want to be entertained, in fact, most of the stuff we see on the catwalks does not end up in the shops; the models are the actors so to speak," says Carina. She claims that the media in general is deceiving and all the models we see on adverts are touched up so we as common people are seeing an illusion.
"I think that the acceptance of ourselves does not entirely depend on what we see but on how good we feel about ourselves and that goes beyond any image or advert."
Promoting self-acceptance is pretty much what the international beauty brand Dove had in mind when back in 2003 they started the Campaign for Real Beauty, which features women whose appearance differs from the stereotypical ideal and asks us to judge their looks. Now the glamour-moves-away-from-glitz campaign has hit our shores and it's been impossible to walk along the street without being confronted by billboard images of four "real" Maltese women.
The adverts feature four girls aged between 21 and 31, all of them chuffed at being picked "randomly". "They are everyday looking girls, each with their own individual characteristics and qualities," says Emma Mattinson, export brand manager for Dove (Malta).
"One of the girls, for example, has curly hair which she would always straighten as she always felt curls were not appealing; another has battled with weight issues half her life but now is a happy size 14. All four of the women look healthy and vibrant and content, and give out a sense of reassurance that we all have much more life-affirming things to worry about than living on lettuce, being constantly in full make-up and never seeing our friends because we're always at the gym.
"No airbrushing was done and neither were the photos digitally altered in any way. Retouching of women in Dove adverts goes against the entire ethos of the brand and the Campaign for Real Beauty," she says.
But is this just another way of promoting brand identity? Dove are adamant that there is no hidden agenda - their mission in the Campaign for Real Beauty is to perpetuate the idea that beauty is real and attainable. "This is after all the foundation on which all of the Dove products are built on. Dove and Dove products do not promise miracles and bogus ideas on how to achieve beauty. On the contrary, Dove talks about accepting your imperfections and that the key to beautiful skin and hair is just about the way you take care of yourself and treat yourself," says Ms Mattinson.
It seems Dove put their money where its mouth is. It has commissioned a comprehensive 10-country research study, aptly named 'Beyond Stereotypes', to explore self-esteem and the impact of beauty ideals on both women's and girls' lives. The study surveyed over 3,000 girls and women between the ages of 15 and 64 in Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the UK and the US.
The results are flabbergasting: 90 per cent of all women worldwide want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance, with body weight ranking the highest.
As a result of this study Dove set up the Self-Esteem Fund which develops and distributes resources that enable and empower women and girls to embrace a broad definition of beauty.
"Too many girls develop low self-esteem from hang-ups about looks. We want to help free ourselves and the next generation from beauty stereotypes. The fund aims to show girls how their attitudes are manipulated by the media and to educate them about body image issues," says Philippe Harousseau, Dove's marketing director.
There is no denying that it is good news that the media and their advertising machine are starting to become realistic. Bit by bit it is concentrating on promoting health rather than ideal sizes and very liberatingly is saying that we're ok as we are. But in tandem we need to work on simply being content with our lot: the 100 per cent happiness we all seem to be geared to achieve does not really exist.
When I ask Dr Scicluna if she thinks we are living a life quest of unattainable happiness, she summarises the whole saga: "We seem to be living in a culture which promotes acquiring happiness through objects and looks. Maybe we are becoming obsessed with buying what could possibly make us happy. And in the process we are forgetting about living life and its unique beautiful moments - this I would call happiness."
It's been a snail-paced kind of wake-up which perhaps started five years ago when Marie Claire produced two alternative covers for the same magazine issue: one of Pamela Anderson and one of Sophie Dahl, an English model then known for her curviness. Curvy Sophie won by an overwhelming majority.
The primary objection to the fashion world's continued and determined use of thin models is the way in which it seems that the fashion industry rams home the message to millions of other young women that beauty depends on possessing a body that has perfect slender proportions. We are continually exposed to images and footage to support the "ideal body image".
And visual culture is very powerful, says psychologist Dorothy Scicluna: "Unfortunately, people compare themselves to unrealistic images. Some research shows that when we view TV programmes somehow we end up imagining these people to be our neighbours and friends - what we fail to remember is that these people are hugely made over before appearing in front of the camera. Some people seem to criticise themselves because the media passes on the indirect message that young, crisp, size 0 and toned is beautiful."
According to Dr Scicluna, research indicates that people who view less TV experience less sadness around their bodies. One study shows how, up to 1995 when TV was first brought into Fiji, the country had no body-image eating problems, but three years later girls were throwing up over the toilet bowl.
However, she is quick to point out that severe eating disorder cases are not about girls who want to look like models. "Body-image problems can be the result of deep unresolved psychological issues which would then lead the sufferer to hate themselves unconsciously and thus manifest negative body image attitude. Wanting to look like models is rarely the case," she says.
Top fashion stylist Carina Camilleri is in agreement. "Yes, I do think that the industry influences us indirectly to keep thin but a lot of it is brought on by ourselves, our obsessions, our insecurities and above all the desire to remain looking youthful and thin." She believes we cannot keep pointing our finger at the fashion world but should instead promote a better outlook towards life. "Having a positive attitude will help all girls and boys, models or not, to feel good about themselves and respect themselves," she says.
Still, there is no escaping the fact that no model is bigger than a size 8. "Fashion models are between a size 6 and 8 because it is a fact of life, whether we like to hear it or not, that clothes hang better on those sizes. Remember that when we see a fashion show we are seeing a spectacle, we want to be entertained, in fact, most of the stuff we see on the catwalks does not end up in the shops; the models are the actors so to speak," says Carina. She claims that the media in general is deceiving and all the models we see on adverts are touched up so we as common people are seeing an illusion.
"I think that the acceptance of ourselves does not entirely depend on what we see but on how good we feel about ourselves and that goes beyond any image or advert."
Promoting self-acceptance is pretty much what the international beauty brand Dove had in mind when back in 2003 they started the Campaign for Real Beauty, which features women whose appearance differs from the stereotypical ideal and asks us to judge their looks. Now the glamour-moves-away-from-glitz campaign has hit our shores and it's been impossible to walk along the street without being confronted by billboard images of four "real" Maltese women.
The adverts feature four girls aged between 21 and 31, all of them chuffed at being picked "randomly". "They are everyday looking girls, each with their own individual characteristics and qualities," says Emma Mattinson, export brand manager for Dove (Malta).
"One of the girls, for example, has curly hair which she would always straighten as she always felt curls were not appealing; another has battled with weight issues half her life but now is a happy size 14. All four of the women look healthy and vibrant and content, and give out a sense of reassurance that we all have much more life-affirming things to worry about than living on lettuce, being constantly in full make-up and never seeing our friends because we're always at the gym.
"No airbrushing was done and neither were the photos digitally altered in any way. Retouching of women in Dove adverts goes against the entire ethos of the brand and the Campaign for Real Beauty," she says.
But is this just another way of promoting brand identity? Dove are adamant that there is no hidden agenda - their mission in the Campaign for Real Beauty is to perpetuate the idea that beauty is real and attainable. "This is after all the foundation on which all of the Dove products are built on. Dove and Dove products do not promise miracles and bogus ideas on how to achieve beauty. On the contrary, Dove talks about accepting your imperfections and that the key to beautiful skin and hair is just about the way you take care of yourself and treat yourself," says Ms Mattinson.
It seems Dove put their money where its mouth is. It has commissioned a comprehensive 10-country research study, aptly named 'Beyond Stereotypes', to explore self-esteem and the impact of beauty ideals on both women's and girls' lives. The study surveyed over 3,000 girls and women between the ages of 15 and 64 in Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the UK and the US.
The results are flabbergasting: 90 per cent of all women worldwide want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance, with body weight ranking the highest.
As a result of this study Dove set up the Self-Esteem Fund which develops and distributes resources that enable and empower women and girls to embrace a broad definition of beauty.
"Too many girls develop low self-esteem from hang-ups about looks. We want to help free ourselves and the next generation from beauty stereotypes. The fund aims to show girls how their attitudes are manipulated by the media and to educate them about body image issues," says Philippe Harousseau, Dove's marketing director.
There is no denying that it is good news that the media and their advertising machine are starting to become realistic. Bit by bit it is concentrating on promoting health rather than ideal sizes and very liberatingly is saying that we're ok as we are. But in tandem we need to work on simply being content with our lot: the 100 per cent happiness we all seem to be geared to achieve does not really exist.
When I ask Dr Scicluna if she thinks we are living a life quest of unattainable happiness, she summarises the whole saga: "We seem to be living in a culture which promotes acquiring happiness through objects and looks. Maybe we are becoming obsessed with buying what could possibly make us happy. And in the process we are forgetting about living life and its unique beautiful moments - this I would call happiness."