Thoughts On Beauty And Society, part 2

Last week, I had my classes watch a short film by the Dove Soap company. To view it, please click here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U
I had the students write their reactions to the video. Here are some more of their insights. The girls' thoughts are in purple and the boys are in blue.

''To me, this means that you need to be who you are, and not try to be someone else. In this clip, the before and after scenes are phenomenally different and it shows how you are a human, not a computer. They made about 20 changes and did changes that probably can't get done with surgery or makeup or anything but photoshop. This was very effective to me because it shows that everyone is beautiful and you don't need anything to make you more beautiful on the inside. Beauty comes from the inside, not your physical characteristics. I am always going to remember this video when I put my makeup on and do my hair in the morning."
Taylor, grade 8

"In this commercial, I think they were trying to build ordinary people's self esteem. This commercial shows that all the people that you see on TV that look really good aren't always what they seem. Some people think that they are ugly because they see other people that look better. But, in reality, they are just wearing a load of makeup and they probably look just like you. I think this commercial was very effective because there are a lot of young women with low self esteem. They need this commercial to tell them that they are just as beautiful as these other famous people. I think that it does a good job of getting the point across."
Christan, grade 8

"The Dove commercial is trying to bring attention to the fakeness of the media and beauty industry. It's message is conveying that the way we see models is not real. People, especially women and young girls, suffer from self esteem issues. Dove is trying to make the truth known to all people so that hopefully we can stop hurting ourselves trying to imitate models and actors. I think that the commercial was effective, but there needs to be more commercials about this issue. It is an eye opening video that was very shocking to me when I first saw it. I have talked about this topic and thought about it for a long time, and I feel that commercials like this should always be on TV. I personally know people who have suffered from many issues, which in part were fueled by these fake people. I was so happy that you showed this video so that more people can become aware of this topic."
Audrey, grade 11

"In the Dove commercial, they were trying to say that everyone shouldn't try to live up to the world's standards. Most folks who are the poster people for the world's standards don't even live up to them. All the people we look up to are merely the image of what they appear to be. Their message was effective because I clearly understood what the point was. I could go home and explain that commercial, and it really sent a strong message."
Imani, grade 10

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