I love The Ellen DeGeneres Show . As a work-at-home mom, I don't often get to watch a lot of TV, but sometimes Brady and I will just sit and play on the floor, watching Ellen. Yesterday, during the commercial, I picked up a copy of Prevention to do a bit of research for a health article, and when I opened it, I saw Ellen in an ad for Cover Girl. While this isn't news (Ellen made the announcement back in September.), seeing the ad really got me to thinking.
Lots of advertisements you see are just lame, especially television ads. So often I find myself asking my husband, "Who writes this stuff?" But Cover Girl really got it right. Ellen is beautiful. She's funny, talented, intellegent, caring, generous. Oh yeah, and she's a lesbian. Of course, we all know that. But a lesbian as the face of Cover Girl? Unexpected. And awesome. Thank you, Cover Girl, for having the courage to highlight true beauty.I do believe it was a risk on the part of Cover Girl. Sure, lots of people love Ellen, but I spend a lot of time online interacting with people of all political and moral beliefs. I've seen just how many are against homosexuality and gay marriage. Just look at the results of Prop 8. Again, I applaud Cover Girl for their courageous campaign.
Another advertising campaign of merit is that of Dove, showing real women's bodies and encouraging us to be proud of our beauty, no matter what our size. Check out Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty. Dove says they, "want to free ourselves and the next generation from beauty stereotypes.", and they're doing this through the Dove Self-Esteem Fund.
Dove's goal is to reach 5 million girls by 2010 through educational programs. Thus far, they've reached 2 million. Visit the site to learn more. There's a section just for girls, and there's even a way for us moms to get involved. Become a mom mentor. Dove's set up guides to download and activities to share with the girls in your life; you can also visit discussion boards. You can even host a Dove Real Beauty Workshop. Register and you'll receive a free copy of the facilitator's training guide and other materials so that you can conduct workshops in your area. Sign up - I did!
I'm so proud of these campaigns. Cover Girl and Dove got it right, and that means a lot in light of recent advertising debacles aimed at women, in particular, moms.
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