Identities

The Hypocrisy Of Unilever – Dove and Lynx

After reading a journal from one of our Multimedia students Steven Carroll, I decided to write my own journal and my views on the subject.
‘Dove’, a beauty brand under Unilever, was first launched in the 1950’s in the US, and then in the 1990’s in the UK. From this time Dove has come along way in developing further products such as deodorants, hair care products etc and is well known all across the world.
In 2004 Dove launched a ‘Campaign For Real Beauty’, which supposedly highlighted Dove’s commitment to broadening definitions of beauty. Here’s a video showing the ad shown on TV for this Campaign aimed at our young generation (I’m sure many of you have seen this before).



(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RADYaTvTGts&feature=related)

Following on to this in 2005, Dove launched the ‘Self-Esteem Fund’, which acts ‘as an agent of change to educate and inspire young girls on a wider definition of beauty. It aims to boost the self-confidence of young girls and women, enabling them to reach their full potential’ (As written on Dove’s website under ‘How it all started’: http://www.unilever.co.uk/ourbrands/personalcare/dove.asp ).

The same company Unilever also has a brand called Lynx, which I’m sure all of you have heard of. Lynx is a brand for deodorant aimed precisely at men. Unilever boasts themselves with this product with ‘The Legendary Lynx Effect’, which they say is ‘the smell of desire. As said by on their website and adverts ‘Lynx gives guys serious pulling power’ (http://www.unilever.co.uk/ourbrands/personalcare/lynx.asp ).

Ok, this is the thing I don’t understand and I find very hypocritical is that in the Lynx adverts, Unilever show women with hardly any clothes on and portray woman as sex symbols:



(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29HXaYkhOzk)

(See more examples at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8eUGtZr4Co&feature=PlayList&p=CD2FE47E1740228F&index=0 ).

On the other hand, Unilever, in their Dove adverts promoting their so-called beauty campaigns, boasting that their products ‘boost women’s confidence’. How on earth can you ‘boost women’s confidence’ with your products? When on one hand your launching Self-Esteem Funds and Campaigns For ‘Real Beauty’ with Dove, and then portraying them as sex symbols with Lynx. This in my view is very hypocritical of Unilever and the way in which they promote their many different products, just in order to draw people in.
And then they say woman are not happy with their figures. Well, of course they won’t be…

A Dove Film called ‘A Girl’s Self-Esteem).


(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ytjTNX9cg0&feature=related)