Conclusion

Well, that was intense. I have learned a lot about cosmetics, how they want me to think, feel, look and what is expected and demanded from me as a woman.


Wow, I feel completely inadequate. I fit none of the perimeters of any of these ads. The only role model I could possibly look up to is Queen Latifah and she had a breast reduction. 


Hopefully through the evidence I have shown you, with respect to a few brands who chose to stand out from the crowd, you have learned that the majority of these companies see women as wallets with eyes. They are after our disposable income and they will not think twice about making you feel inadequate in order for you to buy their product to make you feel complete again. 


Let's be honest, we are constantly being inundated with drains on our confidence. Diet pills, impossible examples of  modeled beauty, and crash diets have created an ever growing void that women are failing to fill by not being a super model or a celebrity. This has driven the female sect of society into the dark recesses of bulimia, anorexia, and an increasing deficit of self-esteem and confidence. We are shown over and over the impossible standards and goals that the media says we must meet. The damage of the media's absurd conquest of women's minds is obvious. Can you just look away? Yes, you can disconnect your TV, your internet, never pick up another magazine, watch a cinematic film or listen to another song. But the destruction from the media has already been achieved through all those around you. Even if you choose not to participate yourself, this negative influence will reach you through the brainwashed minds of all those you know. It is ridiculous to assume that the smartest option to do is cut yourself off. Balance is the answer. Live the life you choose to live, live the life you desire. No one can make your choices for you or make you choose what you want for any other reason but your own. Common sense is the teacher in this lesson. Cosmetics are not evil, making yourself feel good using cosmetics is a perfectly fine thing to do. But to succumb to the influence and follow blindly the messages that you are shown on a daily basis is an insult to your own intelligence. We are all different, individuals and completely unique in our own right. This should be embraced and celebrated. Measuring ourselves by a ruler that someone else sets up next to us is only pure idiocy. However, being comfortable in your own skin is not easy and it is not widely encouraged by society. To proclaim that you are happy with who you are means that you are daring to reject the messages of the media, the messages ingrained in the masses. And those messages have been adopted by the mass populace and they chant them religiously. You will be seen as a heretic to their precious philosophy and your boldness will cause them to fear that their brainwashing strength is weakening. They will try to weaken your resolve because misery loves company and so do the brainwashed. Those who are mindlessly inert cannot help themselves but to look down on you for not "holding yourself up to a higher standard."


Thank you for following me on this journey. I hope you have learned even a fraction of what I have come to understand about the beauty industry. 

Dove

In the 1950's the Lever brothers, William and James, introduced Dove bath soap to the American market. The first production of the soap was in the Netherland's and was called De Duif which means "the dove." Until this point American bath soaps were made from stringent detergents which left a mess in the bathtub and were harsh on skin. Dove's claim to fame was the fact that it solved both problems; it doesn't leave a ring around the bathtub, and it moisturizes your skin. In 1979 Dove soap was analyzed by a dermatologist and scientifically proved to be the healthiest soap on the market. When this study was published the popularity of the brand skyrocketed and this is the biggest contributing factor for the brand's longevity and positive public opinion. 
Marketing demographics for Dove products has been consistent since the introduction of the original soap. The Dove products are marketed to anyone. All age groups and genders are included. Their current product categories consist of five main areas: Bar/Body Wash, Lotions, Hair, Deodorant and Men+Care.  
I have chosen Dove to be included in this project because of the controversy of their Real Beauty Campaign. I have looked at nine leading cosmetic brands, the models used, who they market to and what their messages are. Dove rejects the status quo of the media's traditional version of marketing to women. They take a stand when it comes to a woman's definition of beauty and self-esteem. They have exposed the truth of models in magazine and commercial advertisements by showing that the advertising standards that women are expected to live up to are unrealistic and ridiculous.  
Dove realizes that they will sell more products and win more loyal long term consumers by telling the truth. They point out that their competitors  are selling a lifestyle that is unattainable. The following videos and advertisements are proof that Dove cares more about women than making an easy dollar. 
  The devil's advocates of the Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty, harp on the photo-retouching in Dove's own advertisements. Claiming that Dove is being hypocritical and therefore the models used are not as "real"as they are advertised to be. Really and truly these rebuttals are nothing more than bitter, pessimistic nit-pickers looking for anything to use as evidence to bring down the positive message of this campaign. It is a standard practice of any photographer or digital software user, to use photo editing to eliminate or marginalize certain negative aspects that are inherent in the digital photographic process.  Dove has shown to use these techniques in a conservative manner and no where near the same extent of their competitors. They are not enlarging eyes or elongating necks, they are removing dust and changing lighting effects. Their opponents would say that because their advertisements are re-touched at all, they are being hypocritical.    

Campaign for Real Beauty

CITATION

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LadyGagaVEVO. "      YouTube          - Dove - True Colors    ."       YouTube        - Broadcast Yourself.    . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUsKIApTewQ&playnext=1&list=PL8317943A6BCA4A1A>.

LadyGagaVEVO. "      YouTube          - Time-lapse beauty / Dove evolution commercial    ."       YouTube        - Broadcast Yourself.    . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omBfg3UwkYM>.

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"Noreen Farooqui - Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, Dear Body." Noreen Farooqui - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.noreenfarooqui.com/dove_campaign_for_real_beauty_dear_body>.

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"The Making (Or Possible Breaking) Of a Megabrand - Page 3 - New York Times." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/22/business/the-making-or-possible-breaking-of-a-megabrand.html?pagewanted=3>.

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TheBdougals. "      YouTube          - Dove Discovering Real Beauty    ."       YouTube        - Broadcast Yourself.    . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvJ8Ww_JGD8&feature=related>.

Tomashei. "      YouTube          - History of Dove Campaign    ."       YouTube        - Broadcast Yourself.    . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZSEt1xnFJM>.

Tomashei. "      YouTube          - "Campaign For real Beauty" - Dove film by Ogilvy    ."       YouTube        - Broadcast Yourself.    . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5Ynz3eje9s&playnext=1&list=PL2A279B9550B24D83>.

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alanle12. "      YouTube          - Dove Pro-age Campaign    ."       YouTube        - Broadcast Yourself.    . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vilUhBhNnQc&playnext=1&list=PL8317943A6BCA4A1A>.

alanle12. "      YouTube          - Dove Pro-age Campaign    ."       YouTube        - Broadcast Yourself.    . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vilUhBhNnQc>.

desmipublications. "      YouTube          - Case Study: Dove Campaign For Real Beauty 'Amy'    ."       YouTube        - Broadcast Yourself.    . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkFPN1WYi3E>.

diethealth. "      YouTube          - Dove - onslaught    ."       YouTube        - Broadcast Yourself.    . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bseHFrdTm8k&feature=related>.

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diethealth. "      YouTube          - Dove Commercial    ."       YouTube        - Broadcast Yourself.    . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq_dQC7Udcg&feature=related>.

heartbeatinthis. "      YouTube          - Dove Real Beauty, Real People.    ."       YouTube        - Broadcast Yourself.    . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCndpUYUads&feature=related>.

laughsnmore. "      YouTube          - Dove and It's Campaign for Real Beauty, Real Fake?    ."       YouTube        - Broadcast Yourself.    . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0NB2pcMhmk&playnext=1&list=PLC7FCFA1067460A42>.

mysticxingjing16. "      YouTube          - Extreme (Photoshop) Makeover    ."       YouTube        - Broadcast Yourself.    . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHLpRxAmCrw&feature=related>.

nickmurwayphoto. "      YouTube          - Dove Real Beauty    ."       YouTube        - Broadcast Yourself.    . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2ImnyzaKS8&feature=related>.

seyieyitayo. "      YouTube          - a Dove film - Girl's self-esteem    ."       YouTube        - Broadcast Yourself.    . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ytjTNX9cg0>.

tpiper. "      YouTube          - Beauty Pressure    ."       YouTube        - Broadcast Yourself.    . N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei6JvK0W60I>.

way, this, the intention of Dove is clear. The more people search for “real” beauty, and this ad campaign is one of the perfect ‘false consciousness’ examples. In fact. " Konos in the air."  Konos in the air. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://konos.wordpress.com/>.

"“Your Skin Color is not a Stain!”: L.A. Teen Takes on Unilever’s Bigotry | Atomic Tango." Atomic Tango: The Creative Strategy Agency. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://atomictango.com/2008/07/12/unilever/>.

MLA formatting by BibMe.org.

M.A.C.

MAKEUP ART COSMETICS

   M.A.C. is an extremely young cosmetic company. It began in 1984 by two Canadian men, Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo. Angelo was the owner of a hair salon, and Toskan was a makeup artist and fashion photographer. They were both involved in fashion photography and saw the need for a cosmetic line of makeup that was aimed at this industry. They created their company with the philosophy "All ages, all races and all sexes." Their desire was to create a cosmetic line that included products that had a more flexible and long-lasting aspect. They wanted to see a cosmetic line that had a more expansive palette of colors and a makeup that could better withstand hour after hour of photo-shoots. They originally created their cosmetics with the professional fashion industry market in mind. M.A.C. is an acronym that stands for "Makeup Art Cosmetics." They saw the need of a cosmetic company that could not only keep up but also set the ever changing trends of the fashion industry. 

   M.A.C. was a private owned company until 1996. Estee Lauder offered to buy their company and bring them the reputation of a long standing and reliable brand. A year later Frank Angelo passed away from heart complications after a surgery. Before his death, Angelo made large strides in creating and bringing awareness to his own charitable organization. In 1994 he focused his efforts on the AIDS ( Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) issues and called his program the M.A.C. AIDS Fund. Under him, Ru Paul and K.D. Lang were employed as spokespeople to bring attention to AIDS needs. Ru Paul is a drag queen and female impersonator and K.D. Lang is a lesbian singer and performer. Ru Paul and K.D. Lang were used in advertisements for the Viva La Glam cosmetic line. The retail sales of five lipsticks and one lip gloss from this cosmetic line go directly to the M.A.C. AIDS Fund. These profits are used to give immediate care and living essentials to AIDS patients. A week of meals or a single vaccination can be provided to AIDS patients in need, through the purchase of one Viva La Glam gloss or lipstick.  
   M.A.C. is also environmentally conscious. They do not test products on animals and instead use vitro tissue models. They have a recycling promotion; bring back six empty plastic or glass makeup containers and you can receive a free lipstick. These products are recycled to create building and construction materials, snow scrapers, toys etc. 

   M.A.C.'s marketing target core is mainly women within the age bracket of 18-25. They also have a marginal consumer group of female teenagers and middle-aged women. They are well known for their customer service and highly trained representatives with a vast knowledge of all the cosmetics in the product line. M.A.C. does not do a large amount of marketing. The media they use to market their products are mainly magazine advertisements and mail outs. Their fundraisers for AIDS draw a larger portion of their consumers. Their television commercials are few and focused on the products. The models they do use in their magazine advertisements are found to be ethnically diverse. M.A.C. is sold in over 70 international countries and is the leading brand of Makeup Artist's makeup. At the end of their fiscal year in 2010, they estimated their sales revenue to be $1.65 billion. 

The most recent marketing campaigns by M.A.C. are: Quite Cute, Packed to Go, Primed for Perfection, Viva Glam, Sheen Supreme Lipstick, Cremeblend Blush, Wonder Woman Colour. As you can see from these 2011 ads M.A.C cosmetics uses pure fantasy as their biggest marketing ploy. It is obvious that these ads are severely retouched and Photoshop-ed. No average woman could look like these models naturally nor would they use these products in this way for everyday use, they would look ridiculous. This marketing ploy is used to sell women a romantic daydream, an unrealistic ideal. I cannot argue against the creativity of these ads. These are definitely beautiful and full of imagination. The talent and skill of the photographers and digital manipulators are the finest in their field. I have a lot of respect for those individuals responsible of these fancy little visions. 

Quite Cute, 2011

Packed to Go, 2011

Primed for Perfection, 2011

Lady Gaga

MAC Viva Glam - 2010

Elle, April 2010

Teen Vogue, Mar 2011

 Cyndi Lauper

M.A.C. Viva Glam

Elle, April 2010

Fergie 

MAC Cosmetics 2009

Viva Glam VI - 2009

Sheen Supreme Lipstick, 2011

Cremeblend Blush, 2011

Wonder Woman Colour, 2011

Here are other examples of the creativity of M.A.C.'s advertising.

   M.A.C. has also tried its hand at marketing to the average male population through a 2006 campaign called Boy Beauty. This campaign was also known as Pretty Boy in Japan. The Beauty Boy cosmetic line was not very large. They only offered six products; an Eye Shadow Quad, Lip Conditioner, Brow Set, Blot/Pressed Powder, Bronzing Powder and Pigment. Their goal was to provide males with a makeup line made just for them. It was not intended to be used as a line of products to cover over their complexions but to enhance what was already there. They did try to make this cosmetic line appealing to average homosexual men but the demographic it ended up appealing to was male models in the fashion industry. Still this demographic was not enough to sustain the cosmetic line and was soon pulled off the shelves. This link I have provided below leads to a larger image of the Boy Beauty advertisement I found. 

Boy Beauty/Pretty Boy

"Hallo possums!"   
This is another fascinating character that M.A.C. employed as a spokesperson in 2008. Dame Edna Everage is actually a man by the name of Barry Humphries. An international comedian and drag queen star, she is originally from Australia and recently had a Broadway show in 2010 called "Dame Edna: The Royal Tour." Dame Edna's cosmetic line contains five products: highlight powder, nail polish, lip gloss, lipstick and trio eyeshadow palette compacts in "Royal Tour" and Wisteria." 

Disney

M.A.C. Venomous Villians Collection, 2010

Allure, Aug 2010

Venomous Villains Collection

I find this marketed line disturbing.  I think it is very interesting to make a line of cosmetics after the villains and not the heroes. However, idolizing a woman who curses a baby, a woman who wanted to drown puppies to make a coat, a vain woman who tried to kill her stepdaughter and a man who sold his soul to evil spirits does not appear healthy to me. I can imagine that this would appeal to a social group such as a Gothic or Emo mindset but I wouldn't want to put something on my face that represented negative characters as a role model. This cosmetic line makes me wonder if it was a desperate attempt at coming up with an original marketing idea. Believe it or not these products are not intended to be marketed toward minors. High-school to college aged females are the demographic these products are intended for.  



M.A.C. Commercials:

M.A.C. Cosmetics Want You to Look Like Death






CITATION

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