Thoughts On Beauty And Society, Act III

This is the final installment of my students' feelings about the Dove Soap short film on the distortion of beauty. I have found that boys and girls tend to have much different reactions to this piece of video. Some of the younger boys actually thought it was saying that if you used Dove, you will end up looking like the finished version of this woman. Girls did not see it that way. I have to admit that men, including myself, really do not comprehend the battlefield many women feel they are maneuvering in a society where perceived beauty is the queen of all. I think it is much easier to be a guy and appreciate the differences between the genders. To watch the Dove spot, please go back to yesterday's entry and I thank all of you who have left comments. Interestingly, all the comments have been from women.

"The Dove commercial showed an average woman and her evolution into the look everyone wants. Dove didn't use words to promote the commercial, but their actions spoke louder than their words could. Their point is that how people look on the outside is not who they really are on the inside. Today in chapel, Coach Carr talked about how we promote ourselves to be something we are not; something that is fake, not beautiful on the inside. We are beautiful the way we are. This video was very effective because it it shows what happens behind the scenes and basically shows us that beautiful models are not the people we think they are."
Laura, grade 8

"The Dove commercial about how these days, with advanced technologies and diverse ideas, people, especially women, care about their appearance and how to make it better. It makes us rethink what is true beauty. I think beauty is how people live their lives, how they think of themselves. The inner part is what's important; the outside is just a plus. To be honest I'm not confident about my look, I've always thought that Kim, my sister, was prettier than me and I'm always lacking SOMETHING. That commercial kind of made me rethink how everything works. It doesn't matter what you look like; if a person is breathlessly gorgeous, yet it is all a joke, then that beauty is not hers. The commercial is very effective as it inspires people to love themselves for who they are."
Jenny, grade 10

"Throughout the Dove commercial, I gathered two pieces of information. One very important one was the makeup made the young lady look attractive to others. Also, I saw that people cover up their flaws to look attractive so that people will accept them. To me, however, beauty is more than skin deep; it also matters what you have on the inside. Partially, the Dove commercial conveyed their point negatively but it also made me realize that beauty is just beauty, no matter how you define it."
Taylor, grade 8

Applicable quote of the day, # 1:
"Beauty... when you look into a woman's eyes and see what is in her heart.''
Nate Dircks

Applicable quote of the day, # 2:
''You can take no credit for beauty at sixteen. But if you are beautiful at sixty, it will be your soul's own doing.''
Marie Stopes

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com