They’re bAAaack! August 28, 2007
Posted by Mrs Flipphead in Campaign for Real Beauty, Dove, Unilever, boycott.trackback
I’m actually starting to get a little X-files paranoia going here. Two hits from Unilever “blog monitoring” today. Maybe they are starting to take notice.
I am seriously disgusted by the hypocrisy of a company that can put forth such diametrically opposed points of view. I fear that in my previous post on this subject, the waters were muddied when I put the link to “A Girl Like Me” first.
The main point in showing that video, related to my call for a boycott, was simply to illustrate how damaging social and cultural mores can be to a young, developing mind. Some of the comments spoke directly to that point. Some commenters felt that it is a a cultural problem that Unilever shouldn’t have to be held accountable for.
I would argue that Unilever did not start the trend, to be certain, but selling the product in the manner in which they have fans the flames. To me it is no different than the irresponsible marketing tactics of the tobacco companies. People sure held them responsible for marketing and selling an unsafe product!
I will grant you that bleaching of one’s skin may not be on the same level, danger-wise, as smoking. But damage to one’s self-image and the effect that it has on society as a whole is much more difficult to measure. Especially when you consider that it is affecting more than just a few people. (Not to imply that tobacco affects only a few people.)
If this was a company that just sold the skin bleach, I would be disgusted with them, yes. But my real problem with the company is that it also owns Dove. Dove recently started the “Campaign for Real Beauty” which was prominently featured on Oprah Winfrey.
I e-mailed Oprah pointing out this oxymoron to her (or should I say, I e-mailed Oprah’s lackeys) and haven’t heard a thing back. I’m sure they get millions of e-mails a day. So maybe they will get around to seeing my e-mail and checking out the conflict of interest they are supporting sometime in the next millenium. I just hope she doesn’t donate a bucketload of her billions to them to start some sort of “young women’s self esteem project” in the mean time. Egads! What a joke that would be!
That’s all I have to say on the subject right now. But I’ll be revisiting this subject again, I’m sure.
OMG, I had three hits one day in July from unilever.magus.co.uk (is that where yours was from?) and some blog monitoring deal. I think it’s great to have their attention! Keep it up!
Two Knives-Yep, that’s them. I am getting a hit or two a day for the past few days.