By now, odds are, you’ve seen or heard about Dove’s “Real Beauty” sketches, in which women are asked to describe themselves for a sketch artist, and then compare those drawings to descriptions of them by another person.
If not, here’s the video:
It’s an interesting campaign, and one that clearly took a lot of time and thought.
In fact, it’s easy to forget how much work goes in to something like that. There were a number of drafts before the final version. For example, it took several attempts before settling on the forensic sketch artist. So what else did they try?
Wow. I’m so glad you asked.
For starters, there was the version in which women were asked to describe themselves while being drawn by one of those street-fair caricature artists. It didn’t go so well.
“I put you two chickies at a concert! You like music, right? Suuuuure, everybody likes music.”
There was the quickly halted version in which tried to capture innocence by having the women sketched by little kids.
“THAT’S what I look like?! Oh God, is my head that big?? And my nose!!” *sob sob sob sob*
“I drawed you as a alien! She talks to the other aliens by barfing. Ha ha! You barf when you talk! Ha ha ha ha ha!”
Bringing in that Anime artist was just asking for trouble.
“Uh… I REALLY don’t remember saying anything about a giant sword…”
“Yes, I suppose I did say my face had a certain ‘cat-like’ appearance, but… I have to go now.”
Having art students come in probably seemed like a move in the right direction, but, well…
“You know, I think I’ve said enough about my breasts at this point.”
Then there was Randall. Randall turned out to have issues.
“YOUR VOICE IS A DRILL! OH GOD, STOP THINKING YOUR CRUEL, DIRTY THOUGHTS! I’M DRAWING AS FAST AS I CAN, MOTHER! YOUR SKIN IS LIKE PESTILENCE!”
Sometimes it’s nice to peek behind the curtain, isn’t it? So kudos to Dove for settling on – I think we can all agree – the right choice for the artist.
The Byronic Man 
April 22, 2013 at 3:59 am
I’m so upset! That artist guy, Pablo, he drew both my eyes on the same side of my face! The second guy, Peter Paul, just made me look fat!
April 22, 2013 at 6:32 am
You should see the portrait I had Salvador do. It’ll give you nightmares.
April 22, 2013 at 4:32 am
I hadn’t actually seen that commercial – that’s pretty cool! I’m allergic to Dove soap, though, and now suspect this is the root cause of my insecurity.
I had to stop reading for a sec because I lost it at, “I’m drawing as fast as I can, Mother!”
April 22, 2013 at 11:39 am
That’s why I never use soap: allergy potential. I let my body clean itself naturally via sweat and rainfall.
April 22, 2013 at 12:01 pm
Yeah, a group of concerned citizens asked me to speak to you about that ..
April 22, 2013 at 4:48 am
So funny! And I love this lighter side to the series. So many people have their panties in a bunch about it. I loved the message – and this one, too. Don’t take life so seriously, you doojie-butts! 😉
April 22, 2013 at 11:39 am
Yeah, I think it’s a little odd how much people are reacting negatively to it.
April 22, 2013 at 5:00 am
I don’t know. I might be more partial to kids’ drawings. I like when my son draws a bunch of circles and says it’s me…because that is what I look like.
April 22, 2013 at 11:41 am
Maybe it’s a metaphor. “These circles are you.” “Aw, that’s adorab–” ” You, traveling in an endless cycle of birth and rebirth, both literal and microcosmically.”
April 22, 2013 at 5:22 am
How funny! Loved the anime.
April 22, 2013 at 5:33 am
If only I could be drawn by an Anime artist. Instead my daughter often draws a striking resemblance of me–my eyes all bugged out, looking like a hot mess.
April 22, 2013 at 11:41 am
A hot mess in a catholic school girl’s outfit with a giant sword?
April 22, 2013 at 5:35 am
I had not viewed that previously, but for you, B-man, I did. And seeing as I’m on an emotional tsunami of a roller coaster presently, thank you so much for my early morning cry. Damn.
I especially loved the anime. I think I need an anime artist to draw me. My boobs would look spectacular!
Psst . . . you might wanna check out Randall’s attic. There may be some remains there, is all I’m saying.
April 22, 2013 at 11:43 am
That’s why I always have comic book artists do my portraits: muscles, rugged jawline, cape.
April 22, 2013 at 5:41 am
My favorite is the anime. Do woman REALLY want a reason to feel angry and bitter over a stereotypical view of beauty? If so, they should don a short, skimpy sailor dress, put a red bow in both their pigtails, grab a katana and watch some anime…let the anger begin.
April 22, 2013 at 11:44 am
It’s that weird line between empowerment and just ghastly objectification.
April 22, 2013 at 5:58 am
I’d love to see what I’d look like in anime–rowrr!–because I have a lot of those kid drawings of me. I don’t get better with age.
Hadn’t seen that video. Thanks for sharing that. It’s a great campaign.
April 22, 2013 at 11:46 am
I’ve got a six-month-old, so I’ve aged an alarming amount in the last half year.
April 22, 2013 at 6:46 am
My twisted response to the use of the forensic artist was that if any of these women go missing, there will be a sketch readily available for the media.
April 22, 2013 at 11:45 am
My immediate thought was of him drawing what he thinks they’d look like dead.
April 22, 2013 at 8:35 am
I loved this ad and totally cried when I watched it. It kinda pissed me off that so many people wanted to lambast it, but I guess I am in their target demographic. And it worked on me. Anyway…your post slayed me. SO funny. I think that there’s a real market for anime artists who want to portray real women. It’d be like an illustrated version of a boudoir photo session 🙂
April 22, 2013 at 11:49 am
Actually, anime versions of political/public figures would be kind of funny. Supreme Court Justice Kagan with a kitana?
April 22, 2013 at 7:30 pm
…or Sarah Palin in a short, skimpy sailor dr…uh,oh…must watch less Hentai!
April 22, 2013 at 8:56 am
Where can I get an original Randall art piece?
April 22, 2013 at 11:50 am
He’s having a gallery show this weekend at the state mental hospital.
April 22, 2013 at 9:12 am
I hadn’t seen this video before. Thanks for sharing. Brought tears to my eyes.
I wouldn’t mind having a children’s book illustrator paint my portrait. “Where the Wild Things Are” is right on target for how I look when I wake up in the morning. 🙂
April 22, 2013 at 11:48 am
Yes, apparently I decided to do a parody on an ad that no one’s seen. It’s thinking like that that’s launched this site in to the big time!
April 22, 2013 at 9:31 am
Well, I can see how being drawn by an anime artist might be kind of cool. But sure sure, I suppose they made the right choice here. 😉
I’ve actually only heard of this commercial through you and another blogger. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
April 22, 2013 at 12:04 pm
I didn’t see that ad. I liked it, but if course I like your send-up more. What schoolgirl doesn’t carry a huge scimitar in her back back?
April 22, 2013 at 12:56 pm
I had not seen this ad until now but it was very well done. I personally adore the kid drawings. My nephew’s drawings are astonishingly accurate. He always draws his dad with an enormous head and my sister with no ears…both sound about right to me! There was that time he drew me with little tiny T-Rex hands & my husband with a peanut head. I don’t want to talk about that though…
April 22, 2013 at 1:25 pm
On a serious side… check this out.
http://bellejarblog.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/dove-does-not-give-a-shit-about-whether-or-not-you-feel-beautiful/
April 22, 2013 at 7:39 pm
Maybe the only way to deal with this kind of thing is to remember the message and forget the messenger.
April 23, 2013 at 4:06 pm
On the other hand, that may not work either…consider the problems caused by the Insurance Industry’s “Freedom 55” advertising campaign. Now, there’s some serious food for thought…
April 22, 2013 at 4:12 pm
Dove certainly got a lot of attention, so I think they succeeded with their campaign. Whether or not they sell more product, well who knows. Have you seen the parody with the guys? You must watch it if you haven’t seen it!
April 22, 2013 at 7:47 pm
Hilarious! I can see Hair Club for Men making a killing with this, not to mention the plastic surgery industry (Slogan: If she doesn’t like what she sees…let us help you make her romantic dreams come true.)
April 23, 2013 at 9:28 am
Right! The possibilities are endless! Glad you enjoyed it.
April 23, 2013 at 6:13 am
That was hysterical!! My favorite part of it was, “his eyes were kind of . . . rapey?” I actually guffawed at that one. Priceless.
I also like that they used the EXACT lines from the commercial, except for the actors descriptions. Priceless.
April 23, 2013 at 9:21 am
Yeah, I agree this was well done! That “rapey” line stood out in my mind, too. Hilarious! Glad you enjoyed it.
April 23, 2013 at 3:28 pm
“Rapey” – I watched the video JUST because you said someone said that, Misty. I was not disappointed.
April 23, 2013 at 4:01 pm
Me, too! I better go see my eye doctor right away to find out if my eyes are “rapey” or not. (Come to think of it, my eye doctor is a man; better see his girlfriend – who is also an eye doctor – just to be sure.)
April 26, 2013 at 6:51 am
Oh my God… the sex jokes about two eye doctors dating are almost too much to bear…
“Better now? Or better now? Better now? Or better now?”
April 23, 2013 at 7:20 am
Always brilliant, always makes me want to be a better writer. “I drawed you as an alien!” sent me into convulsions!
April 23, 2013 at 7:51 am
I’m pretty sure that Randall could get me accurately on the first try.
This really was a brilliant campaign. Whoever comes up with these ideas is worth more than they are getting paid. But, as much as I love their campaigns I still do not use their product.
April 23, 2013 at 8:51 am
I had not seen the video. It made me cry. Everything makes me cry today.
April 23, 2013 at 9:04 am
I don’t know, I think I might like being drawn by Randall. He had a crazy charm to his portraits.
April 23, 2013 at 6:04 pm
I’ve seen so many posts about this ad, and yours is by far the best! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
April 24, 2013 at 4:00 am
I personally loved the final choice and the campaign, hadn’t seen it before. What is wrong with people.
Love your post, the alternatives were spectacular.
April 24, 2013 at 6:50 pm
I think I’d really like someone to draw me as an anime person! 😉
April 26, 2013 at 6:49 am
It’d be a mixed blessing, I think. On one hand, your physique and hair would look great and you might get a kitana out of the deal, and you might get to look all powerful and sexy. On the other hand, there’s a reasonable chance you’d look like something someone inflates and gets out of the closet on lonely nights.
April 30, 2013 at 5:28 pm
I friggin love kitanas
May 13, 2013 at 3:36 pm
LOL!! That’s very true. There’s a 100% chance that I’d end up with a Pamela Anderson boob job.
April 24, 2013 at 6:51 pm
Reblogged this on a2shato's Blog and commented:
Loved this!
April 26, 2013 at 6:50 am
Thanks, I appreciate the nod.
May 13, 2013 at 3:36 pm
Anytime!
April 24, 2013 at 9:21 pm
Reblogged this on Little things in my life.
April 26, 2013 at 12:03 pm
Reblogged this on Signed and commented:
True Beauty. Powerful.
June 8, 2015 at 4:48 am
cuteeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!
June 8, 2015 at 4:48 am
cuteeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!! it pretty ilove it