Truth and Lies

Some people say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Most certainly that is true in most cases but in the case of mainstream society beauty is in the eye of media creators. The images we see on a daily basis warp our self perceptions because the images aren't reality. They are sculpted and created in a way so that an ideal is created that can never be achieved. Using tools like photoshop and image editor, advertisements play on our fears and doubts by creating images that are essentially perfect. No one is perfect and it becomes so ingrained in our minds that we develop a neuroses to become this something that can never be.

One way to combat the PLASTIC images we see is counter-advertising or subvertising. A few major companies and people have jumped on the subvertising band wagon. Some include Dove and pop singer Christina Aguilera. Aguilera's song "Beautiful" shows a direct reference to media in one scene where the girl is sitting in front of a slew of fashion magazines. Another scene is the girl looking at her reflection in the mirror and sucking in her stomach so that she can see her ribs. The video proceeds to show how these people step above what they see and become themselves.




Dove on the other hand has created a wonderful campaign on real beauty. Dove states "we want to help free ourselves and the next generation from beauty stereotypes. It's this message that's at the heart of our campaign for Real Beauty and Self-Esteem Fund, and its why we continue to create thought provoking ads, confidence-building programs and messages that embrace all definitions of beauty." On doves website there are a number of clicks that lead to quiz's titled "are you media smart", "image manipulation", and "body facts and fiction" http://www.dove.ca/en/#/cfrb/girlsonly/. I think dove is doing a great job on creating awareness surrounding the misconceptions of media images. Hopefully they practice what they preach and continue to put forth images that make us think about what we see and how we feel about ourselves.

We need to see the other side of the coin. Without being exposed to the truth about what we see, we continue to remain inactive in our own lives because covertly media controls some portion of it. Let us all be more aware of what we see and how we see it.