Impossibly Beautiful
More than two thirds (69%) of women feel beauty advertisers are selling them unattainable images of perfection, and have low body confidence (40%) as a consequence, according to new research by real beauty brand Dove.
Released on the five year anniversary of the launch of the groundbreaking Campaign for Real Beauty by Dove, the research examines the extent to which the real beauty debate has evolved since the campaign challenged beauty stereotypes, with the use of 'real' women in its advertising.
1,000 UK women were questioned and research originally conducted in 2004 was repeated, to reveal that images used in advertising continue to impact negatively on women's self-esteem. A significant proportion (42%) of women revealed they are self-conscious about the way they look, feeling inadequate (28%) and less confident in their daily lives (20%) as a result.
Dr Susie Orbach, psychotherapist comments: "On a daily basis, women are bombarded with impossibly perfect images created by artifice, which they will always aspire towards, but can rarely achieve because these images depend on serious transformation by photographers.
"The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty was conceived to address this problem by using real women of varying shapes, sizes, races and ages to mirror the diversity of beauty in society."
The research, which examines perceptions of beauty and impact on self-esteem, also reveals an increase in the number of women who want to see more real women used in beauty advertising rising from 74% in 2004 up to 95% in 2009.
An overwhelming 96% of women questioned, also said they felt the models used in beauty advertising are not a realistic representation of women today.
When it comes to airbrushing women are split as to whether they could tell the difference between images which have been airbrushed, with 58% thinking they could and 42% admitting they couldn’t.
The study also found that the majority (96%) of women would like advertisers to be honest about the extent to which they airbrush or digitally manipulate images.
Katie Adams, Dove Senior Brand Manager comments: "Since the launch of the iconic advertising campaign featuring real women in their underwear, the Campaign for Real Beauty has continued to challenge the narrow definition of beauty.
"Our research shows that women want to see more realistic representations of beauty in the media and advertising, so it’s no wonder that the campaign has continued to resonate with millions of women worldwide."