Day in and day out, society encounters images of beautiful women in magazines, movies, and on television. In all instances, beauty obtains the same definition: gorgeous models and actresses with slim figures and beautifully flawless faces. This definition is especially true in the cosmetics industry. The model in the Cover Girl advertisements looks exactly like the model used in the Maybelline commercials. Similar companies set the same narrow definition of the term beauty and fail to realize that beauty attains to all shapes, colors, and sizes.In spite of industry norms, one cosmetic brand is setting out to change the meaning of beauty. Recently launching the “Be a Force of Beauty” campaign this past September with commercials and print ads, the company Bare Escentuals is shifting the industry’s definition of beauty in the opposite direction. The bareMinerals brand is taking a completely new approach to defining beauty by broadcasting innovated and industry changing television commercials; by taking the focus away from outer beauty and positioning beauty as a quality someone possesses from within.
Specifically, one commercial encompasses the Bare Escentuals definition of beauty by focusing on one specific statement. The phrase goes as follows:
Pretty is not enough. Pretty is nice. It's fine. Pretty can turn heads. But Beauty? Beauty can change the whole world. Pretty is what you are, but beauty is what you do with it. Pretty lifts spirits. Beauty makes them soar. Pretty is a fact. Beauty is a force.
In other words, the company is saying that anyone can have physical attractiveness, but it takes a whole lot more to have the characteristic of beauty. They want every woman to BE A FORCE OF BEAUTY. When the company makes this call to action, they are telling every woman to look within and make a difference in the world by using the strength and power they have inside; not by using their outer appearance.
By using emotional appeals both verbally and visibly throughout this commercial, Bare Escentuals is expanding the definition of beauty. Additionally, as a respected and credible company in the cosmetics industry, audiences naturally trust what they have to say. This commercial effectively defines an issue: that beauty is a one-sided definition, and explains a solution: to be a force of beauty. They want every woman to act upon their outer appearance by using inner beauty to change the world.
The Bare Escentuals definition of beauty challenges individuals to change the world from the inside out; using empowering actions to be a force of beauty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBxv-YdKkcY&feature=relmfu
This is a very motivating piece. I believe every woman can relate to this. Often, women have low self-esteems due to make-up choices. However, this blog brings out all of the positives in the relationship between women and their make-up.
ReplyDeleteI liked the commercial you chose and the message behind it. Though wanting to sell their product, they are able to reach out to women emotionally about their inner beauty and you did a great job explaining that.
ReplyDeleteYou did a good job of explaining the commercial and your decision to use the quote adds a lot of emphasis and clarity to the argument. It's is impressive for a cosmetic company, which are generally considered superficial, to openly say "I want you to by this product, but I also want you to care about more than your looks." The only part of the argument that irks me is saying that Covergirl and Maybelline use similar models and do not recognize that beauty comes in many different forms. A quick Google search of "Covergirl ads" shows me ads including Rihanna, an advocate against domestic violence, Taylor Swift, who has given millions to help flood victims in Tennessee, Drew Barrymore, who has been open about her struggles with addiction and thus is an inspiration to others to get their life under control, and Queen Latifah, who is one of the most easily accessible and influential African American women of our time. These women are more than a pretty face, and that is why they were chosen to represent Covergirl.
ReplyDeleteI like that this campaign talks about inner beauty and it is more than physical attractiveness. Yet i feel that it is very contradicting in itself,, in one hand you have a commercial telling you beauty comes from within, in the other hand they are advertising makeup which is designed to cover "flaws" and make you look "better".
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