Dove's 'Real Beauty' Pics Could Be Big Phonies

AdAge.com: Photo Retoucher Says He Improved Images in Controversial Campaign-- Dove's "real beauties" may not be so real after all, at least by the account of a renowned airbrush artist. In a May 12 profile in The New Yorker posted online, Pascal Dangin of New York's Box Studios is quoted as saying he extensively retouched photos used in the Campaign for Real Beauty, which, if true, could seriously undermine an effort that already has subjected Unilever to considerable consumer and activist backlash in recent months

Looks like the old ugly fat cat is out of the bag
How amusing. Really.
Before I even begin to laugh, I do acknowledge that the accidental arrangement of Ogilvy and Unilevers ad program changed the way people market today. Combining so many different social components into a movement rather than just selling a product, makes so much more sense in today's society.

The movement is not bogus- encouraging people to feel comfortable in their skin, giving young girls a chance to build their self esteem...it is a lovely initiative. And they tried and they took a massive leap. They moved a lot of those regular ad dollars to give something back to the people, over and above a tv program sponsorship. Just some things they couldn't pass up on- like the retouching and other BS.

It's a miracle they even got the whole campaign off the ground- with so many marketers sticking to what's safe and not even caring to venture out into this shit scary unknown, which to those in the know is the new and exciting.

We see it all the time- marketers going back to advertising of the 1940's- they need jingles, they need a face, they need a catchy slogan- and they ALWAYS need something old school to hold on to. i.e. The retouching.

Still the bottom line remains and no one has been able to answer that question definitively. Come on Unilever- cough up the results. If it really is successful, no one in the marketing world will give two shits about the retouching.

Speaking of which, apparently this is how it panned out:

Elephant man, big bum, peg leg, dog ugly, elongated arm and 3rd leg.

Click to enlarge!