Koldenburg’s Weblog

I’ve gotten several responses about my last entry regarding women’s shapes and figures, and how the media and fashion industries have formed this unrealistic, size 0 woman.  One blogger wrote about how she loves Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty because it shows the real “forms” of happy, healthy women. They aren’t size 0, or even size 4’s for that matter, but most of the confident women they feature in their campaign sport a curvy, yet proud size 6 0r above. I too love this campaign, for I feel it does an excellent public relations job in communicating the message that Dove thinks women of every size are beautiful, and if you use Dove products, you too can feel beautiful no matter what your size. I am actually very proud to say that my stepsister, Randi Liodice, is in charge of Public Relations for this “Campaign for Real Beauty”  at Dove.  When Randi first got the PR job with Dove, she told me how rewarding it was to give people the message that it doesn’t take dieting and loads of makeup to make someone feel happy, or even just comfortable, about how they feel. Dove has done something that most industries are scared to do. They took a chance and it paid off. They have one of the most well- known campaigns today because of this angle that few others were willing to try. Problems with eating disorders, depression, and insecurity may wither away if more companies were to focus on marketing their products towards “real women.” After all, it’s true that if it were possible to take Barbie and life-size her, keeping her proportions the same as they are in doll-form, she would not be able to function. Her proportions are too skewed. Barbie has tiny hips, large breasts, a skinny waist, long legs and feet that seem to be perfect for 4-inch heels. It’s not only the fashion industry and media outlets that need to change their perspectives. Maybe the concept of “real beauty” needs to be practiced elsewhere. Let’s start with Barbie…