Dove’s 50+ Nudie Beauties
The “real beauty” evangelists at Dove are at it again, this time with a campaign that features women aged 50+ wearing nothing but…nothing.
The copy reads: “Too old to be in an anti-aging ad,” and it promotes Dove’s new line of Pro-Age products, which are aimed at the pictured demographic. I think the photos are beautiful, and the campaign has the potential to be nothing short of revolutionary. That is…if anyone actually sees it. It turns out that the TV commercial portion of the ad blitz was banned in America by the FCC for showing, get this, too much skin. (It is being shown in Canada, however.) Dove has gone ahead and posted the commercial on their site anyway, so do give it a look.
This whole debacle is fascinating to me on two fronts. 1) How can it be that Ms. Spears is allowed to gyrate in a bikini top on MTV with a snake whilst singing “I’m a slave for you” to 12 year olds, but 50-something women are not allowed to be shown sans clothes in what I would argue is a completely tasteful, if not downright elegant manner? And 2) why is said “debacle” not more of a…well…debacle? The only mainstream coverage I was able to find on this was here, and that’s on a Canadian news site.
Women, beauty, body, aging, and the media representation thereof are elements that are intrinsically braided together, especially here in the states. If the commercial itself can’t be a conversation starter in this country, hopefully its censorship will be.
More to come on this, I’m sure.
March 2nd, 2007 at 12:05 am
hey! thanks so much for the tip. i’d like to do trend on this topic…maybe along the lines of how the media shies away from older women. i remember when helen mirren showed a lot of cleavage at the golden globes, she got a lot of flack for it. or maybe how the fcc is evil?
thanks again! i had no idea about this.
peggy
March 5th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
hi
just a complement of info : the photographer is Annie Leibovitz.
March 8th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Just wandered in from the HuffPo. Let me say, as a fifty-plus man, that the lady in the above photgraph is, as the young folks say, hot! I, for one, am certainly not offended.
March 8th, 2007 at 11:16 pm
How can this be offensive? Ludicrous. As usual, Ms Leibovitz does fantastic photography, and as usual, the forces of US conservatism want everyone to return to the middle ages. Preposterous.
March 14th, 2007 at 11:10 am
i’m shocked they banned it, hope it’ll be good hype for dove
April 3rd, 2007 at 12:37 am
I was appalled and disgusted by them (and not just them - that goes for all of the nudity or near nudity on TV). I applaud the FCC for saying enough is enough.. Now if we can get them to take off the Victoria’s Secret ads…………..
April 19th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
Whilst beauty is subjective, if more women at age 50+ stayed in healthy physical shape, people wouldn’t have negative stereotypes of them. Really, that goes for men, too. People who are in good physical shape are often more attractive than those who don’t. Walking can be lifelong activity, perhaps a recumbant excercise bike in the home, besides the good loooks that comes with excercise, healthy people will be more active and available to be with family.