December 16, 2006 5:50 PM
Dove - evolution of beauty ad
If a picture says a thousand words, this little clip says a million:
No wonder American women battle depression.
Here's something I wrote in Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room:
The push for mothers to be glamorous has been a serious setback for American moms, just another impossible yardstick to measure ourselves against. I saw it clearly one afternoon while ironing (yes, ironing!) when I turned on the TV to see what was offered for moms to watch while their kids are in school. There, between the soaps and the talk shows, the ads for diapers and detergents, was a pair of back-to-back commercials that said it all: Victoria’s Secret and Zoloft.The Victoria’s Secret minute, backed by pounding runway music and bordering on soft porn, held out the image of a femme fatale in sexy bikini and bra – but held it out to whom? The audience for that noon-to-three TV slot is strictly housewives, so the message is clear that in addition to having babies and raising them, to keeping our homes a haven for our families, we are also supposed to be buying sexy underwear and practicing provocative poses.
No wonder we have post partum depression.
The Zoloft commercial made it clear that women could erase any unwanted negative feelings with just a little pill.
Was this a set-up – the Zoloft ad following on the heels of Victoria’s Secret? I mean, it just seems too perfect in terms of sales potential to have been unplanned. Think about it: a young, overtired mother with a toddler or two or three might feel so depressed at the impossibility of measuring up to the Victoria’s Secret ideal, she might opt for something more doable – like asking her doctor for a prescription to take away the depression caused by a gnawing sense of inferiority caused by all the TV images of women she can’t live up to.
Be sure to show the clip above to your daughters - and sons!
Posted in Culture, Mothering, Teens and Tweens | Permalink
Comments
Wow! Thanks, Barbara. GREAT clip.
Posted by: Tara Barthel | December 17, 2006 7:44 AM
Barbara,
This is right on. I'm currently writing a series on how secularization has effected young women. I'm planning a post on how, in our psychologized culture, we tend to think of depression only in terms of an individual's personal circumstances. The truth is that in this culture depression might, in fact, be the right response.
Posted by: Dean | December 17, 2006 9:35 AM
I showed this to 2 of my kids. My very impressionable 5 year old daughter has told me she wants to be a model. My husband and I are suggesting she be the photographer instead. It was great to show her that even models don't look like models. I am also thankful that we turned off our TV about a year ago and all my kids get is movies that mom and dad have OK'ed. Less influences to be something that is not actually possible.
Posted by: Jane Duquette | December 17, 2006 11:38 AM
OUCH! As someone struggling w/ PPD right now, this entry surely hit home with me!
Posted by: Jessica | December 17, 2006 9:34 PM
How sad. How did it get to be this way? It really makes me fear for my future daughters. I am glad that Dove has a new campaign portraying what a real woman IS. Now if only others could catch on. (don't even get me started w/ Victoria's Secret! Lingerie store and they don't even carry nursing bras!)
Jessica-you are in my thoughts and prayers. I struggled w/ PPD after my first was born. Those were the hardest 4 months of my life. Hang in there!
Posted by: Sharon | December 18, 2006 8:20 AM
