And now for something light.
Transcription:
Chimey music begins playing, song is called “Pretty Baby”. The screen goes all white, with the little dove symbol of Dove and the words “what happens when beauty meets strength?” We flash on a myriad of scenes: a white woman lying on the bed in her undies, casually doing oblique crunches; a white woman in her undies in front of a full length mirror, bouncing and boxing; a hand reaching for a stick of Dove Clinical Protection deodorant, then a white woman wearing a bra with her back to camera, applying the deodorant; a black woman in her undies dancing in front of a full length mirror, shaking her butt, the words, “will flaunt what her mama gave her today” in white across the screen; a white woman lounging on her bed in her undies, painting her toes, the words “will run with the guys today”; a white woman ironing her skirt, while wearing it and a bra only on top, words “will take herself on a date today”; a white woman in her bathroom, staring sideways in a mirror, the words “will carpe diem today”, then we see her cutting a bang/fringe.
Voiceover: What will a little more strength do for you? (Product shown.) Dove Clinical Protection. (A white woman seen applying it to her underarm.) At last, prescription strength wetness protection beautified with Dove moisturizers (a shot of lotion splashing on a slice of cucumber and then pans right, and more cucumber slices appear) and cool fragrances. (The cucumber slices coalesce into a green bar, which becomes the label for a stick of deodorant which appears and morphs into three, with different labels.) Dove Clinical Protection, where beautiful girls find strength.
Matching the voiceover, the words are written next to the three boxes of deodorant. In the right hand upper corner of the screen, Dove’s URL.
End transcription.
Editor’s note: Apparently, ugly girls don’t need strength or wetness protection. Because, y’know, who cares? They’re ugly, so no one will get close enough to notice if they stink.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
“What will YOU do with a little more strength! Why, you could even try being an entire person with her own thoughts and ideas, instead of, you know, your usual state of being. Wanna ‘take yourself on a date’? Go ahead!! Now that you have ‘strength’, it’s no longer totes desperate and wrong that you, a lady, would dine somewhere without a male companion.
Maybe, if you achieve full personhood, you can finally ‘run with the guys’. You know, without it being weird like usual. With the ‘strength’ our deodorant provides, you can!
Buy Dove!!”
Also, can we please have a moratorium on these precious commercials where coy and feminine women are shown dancing and dressing, or eating yogurt, “alone” in their rooms or houses?? Because it says to me “these are all the girlie things ladies do in their lady-rooms when no one is looking!” It’s not reality.
I have drawn a little picture to illustrate:
http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l577/JTPetro/commvsreal.jpg
JT(Quote) (Reply)
I’d like a moratorium on ads that purport a positive message that’s really not that positive upon closer inspection.
sbg(Quote) (Reply)
I look forward to Sarah Haskins taking this ad down a few pegs.
Patrick McGraw(Quote) (Reply)
She’s not on Infomania anymore. They now got Modern Lady: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB7AOdVe3wU
M.C.(Quote) (Reply)
Yes, sadly, and I say that because Sarah is a hard, hard act to follow. I think Modern Lady has had some nice ones recently, so maybe it just takes time to grow on me, but man, Target Women was awesome.
The Other Patrick(Quote) (Reply)
She’s not on Infomania anymore.
Damn. What happened, and what’s she doing now?
SunlessNick(Quote) (Reply)
She went on to better things, I think. And she got pregnant, which delayed the better things?
The Other Patrick(Quote) (Reply)
LMAO, too true. Actually, me and my friends don’t even do all those coy, feminine “gussying ourselves up” shticks IN THE BEDROOM…the bathroom’s much easier. In my room I’m usually on the computer in sweatpants streaming wrestling PPVs and eating pizza rolls, but since that’s far too masculine, I’m an “un-woman” and don’t count, LOL.
Whenever this Dove commercial comes on the TV I just yell “OH, SHUT THE FUCK UP” in my head.
Casey(Quote) (Reply)
You know, I get what they’re TRYING to say with that whole “Beautiful girls need strength too” shtick, but in order for it to be effective, they need “UGLY” GIRLS IN THE COMMERCIAL! To get over the idea that every girl/woman is beautiful (ESPECIALLY IF YOU BUY DOVE PRODUCTS HERP DERP)!
Also, the woman ironing her dress as she wears it is also wearing high-heels…I assume after she’s don ironing she’ll put a shirt on and go out, but wearing heels whilst you’re doing that just seems like a painful hassle to me.
Casey(Quote) (Reply)
What they should be saying is “women need/deserve strength”, period. Not that I think deodorant can give a woman strength*, but, y’know, no need to harp on that “you only matter if you’re pretty” crap.
*I don’t wear any. Plenty strong and I don’t spend every waking minute worrying I am smelly and/or wet. Pinky swear.
sbg(Quote) (Reply)
Yeah, I only wear deodorant sporadically, like in the summer when I’m most prone to being sweaty and stinky…My armpits ARE wet but that’s due to other problems (like weird boils filled with mucous…URGH, TMI).
Casey(Quote) (Reply)
>Implying pregnancy puts a stopper on success?
Anywhoo, the Modern Woman is pretty funny, I liked her bit about women cops on TV, but her video about Katy Perry seemed a bit jumbled, I don’t know what point she was trying to make.
Casey(Quote) (Reply)
It doesn’t put a stopper on success but it does impact timelines and whatnot, particularly because of the ways in which reproductive labor and caretaking are gendered.
Maria(Quote) (Reply)
And even if her family labor patterns are completely egalitarian, that just spreads the costs over both (all) partners. Realistically, children take up time that could be used to further one’s career, thus delaying advancement.
Attackfish(Quote) (Reply)
@Maria and Attackfish
Yeah, when you explain it like that it’s no big deal really, but the way TOP phrased it came off kinda fucked up in a way I can’t properly articulate.
Casey(Quote) (Reply)
Also, other people’s often misguided perceptions of how reliable a pregnant women/women with newborn will be. And you know, her smugness! Will she be smug?? My god, let’s not work with her, then!
Jennifer Kesler(Quote) (Reply)
@Jennifer Kesler’s comment on pregnant/mothers of young children’s reliability: I know when my mom had us triplets (this was some 22 years ago now…) my dad told EVERYONE because it seemed like a good way to be remembered by potential employers, etc.
My mom didn’t tell ANYONE –she didn’t lie about it, but it definitely wasn’t up for random chitchat, either– because she was afraid employers would freak out about her reliability, as a mother of THREE young kids.
That difference between my parents’ actions always struck me.
Raeka(Quote) (Reply)
Maybe it’s just the only way she can reach the height to get the whole of her skirt onto the ironing board?
Debi(Quote) (Reply)
IDK, she seemed reasonably tall to me…maybe she could’ve used a step or some big dictionaries? Then again using those for a platform wouldn’t have been as cute and femmy. *blargh*
Casey(Quote) (Reply)