Group 2: Sijiao Liang, Chelsea Cieker, Alex Bowman, Juliana Nascimento
Shapeshifting Beauty through technology
Please click on the hyperlink below to watch the video on Dove Evolution.
Video
The commercial for Dove evolution is an example of our perception on beauty. Beauty relates to the rhetoric of the body as a persuassive method. Often times during commercials, videos, or pictures beauty is the focal point, especially when trying to advertise a product. However, we tend to forget that beauty isn't always how we see it. The video clearly demonstrates how people want to look: perfect. Yet, society's definition of perfect can not be achieved. The way technology alters a persons appearance of looking "perfect", while no one can change their neck size, and the enlargement or shape of an eye, makes perfection not realistic in the public realm. This illustrates a concept of shapeshifting. The way technology can be used to change the body image truly shows shapeshifting at its finest. Do you think if this picture had not been altered as much, would the message be just as effective? Would you consider this picture being as much of a cyborg, based on the fact that the company is so dependent on the way technology can change unwanted features, as a shapeshifter?
I think that if the technology hadn't been included in this demonstration the message would not have been as strong in displaying the "beauty distortion" it was trying to show us. My first thought was that when this woman walked in, she was beautiful, she had great bone structure, a nice arched eye brow, and her face had great proportion, and then the makeup kind of enhanced all of those elements, and I thought that would be the end of the video. But then the digital "enhancement" started, and I was appalled, larger eyes, longer neck, bigger mouth. Then I started thinking about why they would do this..who do I think are the most beautiful people in the world? full mouths, mouldering eyes, slim long necks, high check bones...
ReplyDeleteEven so it's so weird that they altered that girl who was perfectly fine and was pretty to start with into something so blatantly false. After they were done she really did look false to me, too plastic, too boring, before her face had nuances, like an angular jaw that gave a complexity to her otherwise perfectly feminine face, but after the procedure she was so boring. The film was effective in showing our distorted perceptions of beauty, I would argue that this is more cyborg than shapeshifter, because the company that did the ad/billboard probably wouldn't have used this girl as a model without the technology to change her.
I think that the company would have still used the model because even technology cannot make some people look absolutely perfect without them being a whole different person. If after the technological enhancement the girl was still unattractive the producers would have found a new model to represent their product. Though technology can create a whole new person it is still in the best interest of the company to use a pretty person whether with a beginning result or an end result. What Dove is doing is terrific. They are showing women and young girls that what large companies are doing is not real life. Some people may have the ability to change their body through surgery or digital enhancement, but at the end of the day it is still a fake part of them. Dove wants to bring out the most important part of women, which is the inner beauty. All of us have something beautiful about us, even if it is not in physical appearance and that is what everyone needs to focus on. We cannot stop companies from shape shifting their models because it has already gone too far. But everyone at one point or another changes the way they look because they don't like the way they are. Aren't new clothes, a haircut, contacts, and make up part of being a shape shifter? Large companies just happen to take everything one step further that can sometimes cross the line.
ReplyDeleteI would consider this woman a shape shifter, because of how different she looks before and after makeup, and this ad a cyborg, just because of the massive amount of editing done to the picture before it was published. It is sicking to think of how much editing was done, but the majority of companies edit all of their models to fit the ideal "perfect"' image. Even celebrities' photographs are edited. Our culture has such a desire to look "perfect" that it forces people (especially women) to become cyborgs and shape shifters just so they will feel beautiful. I think that had the company not edited the photograph so extensively, their product still would have sold, just not as well. Women want to buy makeup that makes them look "perfect", so makeup will be easier to sell if it is being worn by the "perfect" woman.
ReplyDeleteCompanies and celebrities keep persuading everyone what perfect is and looks like. I believe that the revenue of a product would be higher if the ad showed a picture of a person without any touch ups. This would convince women what a "real" women actually looks like. The woman in this ad is fake. She was a beautiful girl before she had all of the technical touch ups. Being perfect is such a major need and want by women. When women see models in magazines they become convinced that that's what they should and need to look like in order to be attractive to others. This woman in the ad is a shape shifter. She came into the make-up room as one person, and then transformed into a fake model. The editing to the picture just blows my mind. The technology photographers use in today's society shows society what a woman doesn't look like. Why do women think they need to change themselves in order to feel beautiful? Dove's campaign to challenge women to be comfortable in their own skin and feel beautiful is a fantastic idea.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this woman was a cyborg with all the technology used to edit her face and make her look something she's not in real life, a completely different person. She was beautiful as her own-self without the makeup as some have suggested above as well. Doing her hair and makeup enhanced her beauty to focus on her beautiful facial features. I thought that after the make up was done, it was the end of the commercial but it really shocked me how much changes they made to her face with using the technology. They edited the position of the eyes, chin, neck and etc. One question just popped up why do all the make up and hair when you can edit one's face on the computer completely. At the end, the face looked unreal as Mia has suggested "too plastic". I believe that the message given by the video was effective in terms that they were trying to show the steps taken what technology does to change a face to make it beautiful and what our perception of beauty is now. In terms of selling their product they would have been equally successful if they had only done the make up and not the editing afterwards.
ReplyDeleteIt's disappointing watching a video like this - because we understand why these women look so perfect on Tv, pictures, magazines and so on - and this is so fake . And I believe sometimes it's hard for us to figure out how "real"or "natural"a person is, because if she is beautiful, so it was not so hard for them to make her look even better, but I believe it was not necessary. After the technology they used I think the woman on the picture could be consider a cyborg because there's so much there that does not "belong"to her, like all that makeup and the arrangements they did. I believe the commercial could have the same impact without the technology, but not without the makeup, and at least, the commercial would sell a more "realistic"idea of the product.
ReplyDeleteWithout the alterations made using computer aid I still think the ad would have some influence on the viewers because just after the makeup is applied to the woman, which is the product, you can already tell a huge difference in the woman's appearance. I think the rest of the video speaks for the greed of big business. Throwing an already attractive woman onto a billboard, caked in the companies makeup, would have done all right in terms of sells, but big business doesn't want "all right." Big business strives to bring in as much profit as possible and will go to any extent to do so, clearly in this video. I partially blame big business for our perception of beauty, but we are also at fault for this. We normally associate beauty with outward appearance but just look at the definition of beauty, it can mean a lot more than looks. As for the woman's identity, she is definitely a cyborg by the time it is all over. The biggest change for me wasn't the neck or eye bones, but the eyes themselves. The artificial color they made her eyes was, sadly, awesome. So even though it disgusts most people that companies use this process in order to sell a product, we are really the ones to blame since we use these images as a reason for buying the product - even if we don't really know what we are looking at.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the ad would still have an effect on the viewers. Mainly because the makeup alone enhanced her outer beauty, highlighting her features, which is what the products about. It probably wouldn't have as much of an effect without the technology though because women want to look "perfect" so what better way to sell a product than with a "perfect" woman. To me it's upseting that companies cheat a little to sell their product because no one looks like that not even the model. So why advertise something that is 50% false? The makeup was enough all the extra "stuff" like changing the size of the neck, lips, etc was just going overboard. But hey I guess companies are just giving people what they want right? People should just face the fact that no one is perfect and in some cases your nothing wihout inner beauty.
ReplyDeleteI guess that this company had to do it because all the other companies do. If the company chose not to do all the editing it's model would not look "as good" as the other companies' models. If that's the case than they won't be able to sell their product a well as the other companies because the audience want a product that will make them look "perfect." society is so twisted now because everything is about outward beauty when inner beauty should be much more important. Once they started digitally enhancing the picture it becomes false advertising. They should have stopped with the makeup because she looked fake once they enlarged her eyes and lengthened her neck etc. Hopefully society will change to place more emphasis on the importance of inner beauty.
ReplyDeleteActually the Dove evolution is my research topic. As i am concerned , the probably reason why female consumer to purchase this product is they are convinced by the seemingly "perfect" face after the make-up on the girl. There are bunch of the research data shows people are judging each others appearances a lot. The Cinderella's story only exist in fairy tales . The common opinion holding by the public is women with beautiful appearance are more likely and easily to get a better position at job market , being appreciate by guys , and have a satisfying marriage. And plus, women's confidence are somehow based on their appearance more or less. And so based on those, I think even people know the "perfect" face made for the girl is fake and because people's desire is so strong so even know the commercial uses those techniques , the consumers are still willing to buy it.
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting for the technology changes human being’s life in every way. We can become the person we would like to be by plastic surgery or by Photoshop even we are not born like a beauty. Once the technology has the ability to fulfill these requirements, more people are caring about their image on internet and many other situations. However, their stereotype is almost the same. They are trying to get the public’s definition of beauty. Dove evaluation is a typical example. They are trying to make a person to be “beautiful” in the public view by Photoshop. However, what is the meaning of being all the same beauty? The similar beauty finally will become normal one day. What needs our reflection here is that the technology’s mature leads to less time we are thinking about what kind of person we think are really deserved the word beauty because we can get the ideal one the public think is by various technology. Following the trend sometimes mean the loss of real ourselves.
ReplyDeleteThis product would not have sold as well if they had not made up the woman in the way they did. The key to advertising things like makeup is to give the impression that the product can provide something that the consumer cannot achieve on their own. Our concept of beauty is so warped and so fake that it has come to the point where we need computers to illustrate beauty at its finest. I would consider this to be a cyborg, as well as a shape shifter, because of the severe dependence on technology to make their statement. People know that this idea of beauty is unreal but they still buy the product because it gives them hope for a life and image different than their own.
ReplyDeleteThis cross between cyborg and shapeshifter is interesting. One does not usually think of cyborg in the sense of using technology to alter the appearance of someone only by an image. In all the past examples of cyborg that have been discussed the cyborg permanently changed the appearance, but this is more instantaneous. This more the use of shapeshifter through means of a cyborg. They are shaping the way a person usually looks to something that is a deception of our senses through a computer.
ReplyDeleteI think the most interesting thing about this ad is that the woman is initially not ugly. She was by no means our society's truest form of beautiful but she also not the opposite of that either. So although the message of the ad is being demonstrated i feel as though its not to its full effect. I feel like shows like Extreme Makeover show this better than just this ad as only minor changes are made to the woman to change her into something "better".
A reoccurring theme I see in commercials, advertisements, and pictures is the idea that a certain image needs to be represented to grasp the persuasion of buying or using that particular product. Although I feel that image is wrong, and not always ethical, it does typically seem to convince the audience, which is the main purpose of it all. But, do you think, that maybe our version of what we need to see from an advertisement is what is most wrong? The companies change and revise the models appearance off what will make it sell, and if we are the ones giving into this belief that the image a model portrays needs to be blemish less, flawless, and noticeably beautiful, and by buying such a product then aren't we the consumers allowing those companies to think that. As we look at this video, we see exactly how the face, and person, is being shape shifted by technology. This commercial depends on the technology to change the overall appearance. Yet, how can we say that this woman is not good enough to be displayed on a billboard as is. How can a blemish on the face be different from a blemish on the arm or even a scar on the arm? When we saw Aimee Mullins and Aron Ralston, we didn't think they had to be touched up, or pictured differently in movies, commercials, or advertisements because of the fact that they had a metal arm or leg. Each quality a person has, makes the commercial or picture stand out from the rest because of those differences and when we make them all the same were leading to this idea that we all need to be the same, when that is not the case at all. I believe commercials, pictures, and advertisements can touch up some small flaws, perhaps lighting or unwanted shadows, but to change the actual features of a model and shape shift them into something they are not is not necessary.
ReplyDeleteI find that the video really calls attention to a problematic theme that occurs in society; that it's more about looking good than being "real". The computer enhancement surprised me, it really has me thinking about the standards we set for ourselves, not just those of appearance, but in all areas of life. How many of them can we achieve without enhancement? This video communicates that the body is something of natural beauty, but when enhanced can be something that is drab and boring.
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious that this message would not been nearly as effective if the image was not altered as much. This video definitely depicts the problem with model advertising in modern society. Technology can significantly change how a person looks, so almost every image that we as the public sees in advertising is going to be altered in some way. This will naturally skew the standard of what we consider to be beautiful. This is becoming more important now because of the improving technology. Since using models and "beautiful" people has always been a very successful advertising technique, the public is more susceptible to this now more than ever because of the easy access to even better make-up techniques and photo editing technology. What I find interesting is that this even effects us as early as getting our school pictures taken or senior pictures taken in high school. The companies that take these pictures do edit them in some degree, especially the senior pictures. This has just taught our generation that it is okay to alter your image to make it look more like the public perception of beauty.
ReplyDeleteThis campaign could not be effective if there was not such a drastic change, but the message would be shown in anyway. This issue of what's real and what is not is shown all over in commercials, movies, and especially reality television. Reality television is not about the body, but producers use the same type of "cyborg" technology to alter our perception of what is really happening. Producers can take multiple tapings from multiple days to create drama when nothing is there. The same goes for the Dove commercial. The editors and producers take a woman and completely alter her image to be someone she's not. And Chelsea brings up a good point, we didn't see Aimee or Aron as people with flaws, we saw them as heroes. But an average woman who, like all women, is not perfect. Women are forced to think they need to be perfect and do anything to be perfect.
ReplyDeleteWithout all of the technology used in this advertisement campaign, I believe that the ad would not have been as effective as it was. The real reason behind this, and the shame behind it, is that, in order to compete in today's advertising market, it is almost necessary to use computers to alter ones image. It has almost become an industry standard that you alter the image to make that "ideal image" of beauty. A common saying is that "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". The way that one person sees beauty is going to be different from another does. In this case, who says that the large eyes are what is truly beautiful. Who says that longer, thinner necks are necessary for beauty. It is awful to think that we have gotten to a point in which there is a standard for beauty. It is a shame, but this is the way that modern advertising portrays women.
ReplyDeleteNot only is this advertisement of a shape shifter (the woman’s facial appearance is changing) and a cyborg (the company is using makeup tools to change the woman’s appearance) but it is also of a femme fatale. Women who are considered beautiful in society often get the most looks from men, which is unfair in a way because beauty comes from the inside too. Furthermore, the women who have the looks that men die for often times get what they want such as getting a free drink at a bar. The ad in the street gives women the impression that they have to change their body in order to be accepted by society, yet this is not true. The video clearly shows how technology can create superficial people by taking a normal woman and making her look fake with all the makeup and accessories and plastering her new face on a billboard. What every woman or person as a matter of fact should take from this is that there is no such thing as perfection. Everyone was made to look their own unique way and comparing ourselves to an unreal computerized image will only lead to the demise and destruction of who we are.
ReplyDeleteFrom my point of view, what the companies are doing, such as photoshoping models pictures, is totally understandable. Companies goals are maximizing their profit and making commercials more effective will definitely help. Even though we keep saying beauty is not only about looking perfect is more about being confident and something internal. I definitely agree that, and actually I’m the one who keep telling my friends to not wearing heavy makeup. But the truth is, looking is always the first thing people notice. I wouldn’t say appearance is the most important thing in a person, but I wouldn’t say it doesn’t matter at all either. Especially in commercial, producer want to show people strong messages in a one minute video, therefore the message has to be strong and clear. I would say the using of photoshop and makeup in commercial doesn’t mean people only appreciate good looking people. There are two different things.
ReplyDeleteWhat Dove is doing in this commercial is very deceptive. By saying that they are above making advertisements with photoshopped people in them, they are trying to set themselves apart from the rest of the beauty department. This is an effective strategy because the customers will see them in a positive light but they have been doing the same thing since photo editing was invented. By separating themselves by showing the flaws in other companies, they themselves will bring in more profits from the average consumer.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of effectiveness, an advertisement that wants to sell a beauty product must display 'beautiful' models in their advertisements. However, this definition of beauty is often predetermined by the media itself in an effort to promote the newest fashion trends and what not. So in my opinion, it is a vicious cycle. The media tells an audience what is considered beautiful, and they bombard that audience's life with this image of beauty until the audience is persuaded that this image is true 'beauty'. The sad fact is that this image that they are pushing is virtually unattainable. Companies know this is the case, so they make thousands of different products that will enable a person to look 'beautiful'. Basically, they sell you and image and then sell you products that will enable you to live up to this image. But since the image is constantly changing, no one can ever get there, without computer photo shop, of course.
ReplyDeleteIn class, we saw a picture of a Greek statue of a very very large woman. This woman was considered to be the image of beauty back then because she was able to birth children because of her wide hips and ample frame.I take that to mean that beauty meant the preservation of the human race. In present day, it seems that beauty is unattainable, merely a way for companies to make money and advertisers to push an agenda. This is a sad reality.
I really liked this commercial. I think that it is great to see that dove is making an effort to change society's perception of beauty. It is a wake up call to see that these models that everyone sees on billboards and commercials and posters don't actually look like that. Companies have to use technology in order to make someone that will sell their product. This is such a shame. That woman was beautiful before the transformation but companies know that society won't see her as beautiful because of the high standards that are put on models. I am glad that I saw this commercial so that I know how terrible it is that they have to take an already beautiful woman and change her so drastically to make her acceptable for their advertisement.
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