Dove Onslaught

The viral advertising piece from Dove entitled Onslaught is a double-faced ploy. Adults realize that Dove is condemning the nasty tactics that the beauty industry has employed for years. These unfair portrayals of women and beauty have most certainly damaged the women's rights movement and created false ideals in a majority of young women. A child watching the advertisement may only see the erotic images and the 'ideal' figure that is thrown at an infinite rate at the young girl. Young children would still be seeing these beautiful people and maintain the same ideas concerning the individual, beauty, and society. It is not too difficult to imagine a child viewing this ad and seeing the images that are supposed to be read as negative as positive. This scenario would only enhance the beauty industry sales and profit Dove, which is owned by Unilever, a company that owns many other bathroom and beauty products.

The idea that one arm of a large company sells a product that another limb deems unhealthy and harmful is so underhanded it is almost laughable. One of a few options may explain why such a situation may occur. First, the company may be so large that when new campaigns are launched the ideals in said campaigns may not be thoroughly checked by existing branches. Second, the new venture may know about the contradictory branch, but just does not care or think that the consumers will care or know about it. Third, the two contradicting branches may be getting quotas and orders handed down from the mother company so that the almighty dollar overrules any objections. No matter the reason, such contradictions are harmful to consumers.