A Dove-ly Website

I was originally going to talk about the website of a Philippine newspaper, but as I was browsing through their articles, I stumbled on one about the Dove campaign (and an interesting one about Lost star, Evangeline Lilly). I was surprised to find out that the Dove campaigns that were going on here were also present in other countries. There's one in Canada, the UK, New Zealand, and many more. Had I been called on, I would have presented this foreign website.

According to the article I read about it, the company distributed surveys at the start of the campaign in which only 5% of Filipinas thought they were beautiful. Later in the campaign, another survey was handed out where 15% felt they were beautiful. I know that isn't very much, but it's definitely a good start. Anyone can share their stories online, read others' stories, and/or donate to the Dove Self-Esteem Fund, which aims to inspire young girls and widen their definitions of beauty.

Unlike the campaign here, the Philipines used 7 local celebrities as their spokespersons. I think that was a smart move because it's hard enough to break down the barriers of society's definition of beauty, let alone with ordinary people, if you will. Celebrities have a better chance of getting through to their audience. After all, majority of them have solid fanbases. Look what they did for being unrealistically thin. Unfortunately, there are very few plus-sized celebrities, if any at all. The only lucrative one I can think of is Queen Latifah.

However, she's already working for CoverGirl. There are actresses, Camryn Manheim (The Practice, Ghost Whisperer) and Monique, but they aren't half as successful or appealing as Queen Latifah. Maybe, with the success of Ugly Betty, America Ferrera, could champion Dove's cause. In the Philippines, 2 out of the spokespersons are plus-sized. In addition, all 7 of them are from different fields--from models to actresses to editors to VJs.

Last but not least, I'd like to end with a quote from Pam Pastor, one of the Filipina celebrities' who shared her story:

"I've seen beauty in old men with big hearts, in people willing to risk their lives for others, in selflessness, in fearlessness, in perseverance, in people's ability to pick up broken pieces, in a person's strength to turn their back on stability and pursue a passion, in their willingness to share so much of themselves with the world. I see beauty in imperfection, beauty in chaos, beauty in the eccentric. I think it's a big gift to be able to find beauty in the unconventional."