Some Complicated Feelings About the New Dove Campaign

On Tuesday I learned about the Why2K? campaign; an offshoot of Dove's Self Esteem Project. It popped up in a reel by Laura Adlington who described the impact that early 2000s beauty culture had on our collective body image. She described some new research by Dove which apparently shows that millennials have the worst body image of any generation and then goes on to describe the impact of the societal obsession with size zero and the ways media in the early 2000s dissected and scrutinised bodies to sell magazines. She then talks about Dove launching the #WeightOfWords campaign that 'highlights the damaging "beauty" language of the 2000s and invites millennial women everywhere to help remove their impact for good'.

Laura then goes on to signpost to Dove's 'tips, tools, and resources to really help boost our self-esteem'. There's also a podcast playlist where episodes of major podcasts have been sponsored by Dove.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Laura Adlington (@laura.adlington)

And I guess I just have a couple of questions about all this.

Mainly, what the fuck?

Ok let me explain. Dove have identified that early 2000s beauty culture did a number on us. I don't think this is exactly groundbreaking. And at the same time as identifying a problem with the culture of 20-odd years ago, the ask is that we all each...individually sort our shit out? It's giving victim blaming. It's giving hyper-individualism.

At the same time as – I don't know – not doing anything to address the systemic and structural issues that drive body fascism (ableism, anti-fatness, anti-Blackness, capitalism, cisheteropatriarchy etc...), it's also re-centering THIN WHITE WOMEN. I'm sorry but no, there is nothing – and I mean not a single thing – that Fearne Cotton can teach me about 'body image'. GTFO.

I will concede that the conversation with Nicola Adams might be worth a listen. But even with their token attempt at 'diversity', the message here from Dove is clear. Only thin women get to speak authoritatively about the impact our culture has on our bodies, diluting it down to a problem of language and not one of deep-seeded violence.

And yes, they have roped Laura in to promote the campaign. I'm glad she's syphoning off some of that Unilever ££, but why the fuck did they not ask for her input? Why are they not sponsoring an episode of Fats on Film or Is It A Fat Thing? If they were so serious about changing the culture, then why not campaign against the NCMP, or for making body size a protected characteristic? Why are they not using the words anti-fatness, or even weight-stigma? Why aren't they screaming about the fact that the Labour Government is pitting poor children off against disabled folks? Or that Wes Streeting is forever scapegoating fatness?

It's really quite simple: corporate body positivity is incompatible with body liberation.

But I mean, you tell me. Have you seen this campaign, and what did you think of it? What are your thoughts on the way Dove has seemingly disposed of the marginalised bodies they've used in previous campaigns and centerd thin, mostly white or light-skinned women? Is this a reflection of who 'gets' to feel OK in their bodies in this particular cultural moment? Why haven't they made the connection between early 2000s diet culture and *whatever-the-fuck-this-is* ? Is anyone still buying Dove products fr? Does making 'self-esteem' and 'body-image' a personal project do anything to help anyone besides those who already hold a lot of body privilege?