Well, here's a little insight into their casting process from New York Magazine. It seems that Dove posted this casting call on Craigslist NYC last Friday:
DOVE “REAL WOMEN” PRINT CASTING JUNE 28-30, 2010 in NYC
ABSOLUTELY NO ACTRESSES / MODELS OR REALITY SHOW PARTICIPANTS or ANY ONE CARRYING A HEADSHOT!!!!
REAL WOMEN ONLY!
LOOKING FOR 3-4 REAL WOMEN for a DOVE PRINT CAMPAIGN!
AGES 35-45, CAUCASIAN, HISPANIC, AFRICAN AMERICAN, & ASIAN!
SHOOT: SUNDAY, JULY 18 in NYC! MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR THE SHOOT!
RATE: $500 for Shoot date & if selected for Ad Campaign (running 2011) you will be paid $4000!
USAGE: 3 years unlimited print & web usage in N. America Only
YOU WILL BE PHOTOGRAPHED FOR THE CAMPAIGN IN A TOWEL!
BEAUTIFUL ARMS AND LEGS AND FACE WILL BE SHOWN!
MUST HAVE FLAWLESS SKIN, NO TATTOOS OR SCARS!
Well groomed and clean...Nice Bodies..NATURALLY, FIT Not too Curvy Not too Athletic.
Great Sparkling Personalities. Beautiful Smiles! A DOVE GIRL!!!
STYLISH AND COOL!
Beautiful HAIR & SKIN is a MUST!!!
PLEASE SUBMIT SNAPSHOTS of FACE & BODY ASAP & WE WILL CALL YOU IN FOR A CASTING NEXT WEEK 6/28-6/30 in NYC!
urbanproddovecasting@gmail.com
(bolding mine)
The ad has since been removed from CL, but Adrants notes that the ad is still live on Casting Call.
Hmmm... Let's put aside the accusations of significant digital retouching in their ads. That's as expected as McDonald's using fake food for their ads, because nothing ever looks as good in raw footage as it does in reality.
But the hate on scars and tatts? I guess they consider women with injuries or body art to be flawed. And what constitutes "too curvy"? Or "too athletic"? Man, real beauty is complicated...
Oh well, at least they still appreciate freckles:
And wrinkles:
And (gasp!) women over 40:
But apparently, "real beauty" still has its limits. I suppose it's part of their "natural" brand, that they want people to have skin that is unmarked by accident or culture. I wonder what would happen if a woman showed up for the audition with a prosthetic limb?
Postscript (2:30 pm): Looks like the "no tattoos" thing was a change of heart.
I don't see what the issue is. The campaign isn't just about showing "real women" for the sake of it - it's a commercial for their lotion how it brings smooth, beautiful skin to everyone, not just models. It's expecting a bit much to think that means they'll be completely indiscriminate about who they chose to be spokespeople for those "real" women...
ReplyDeleteI still think Dove is doing something wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI mean this casting call could be worse:
6'2, 100 lbs, caucasian female with long brown hair and copper highlights. No freckles or moles anywhere on the body. Head/body shots required.
Every casting call is looking for something specific, in an effort to uphold their brand image. Otherwise, they might as well just take the first 4 women who happen to walk by a busy intersection wearing green.
Every casting call does require prejudice. The fail here is that they based their whole brand on self-acceptance, then publicly limited who could represent that ideal — in writing.
ReplyDeleteThe agency and client should have done their weeding out behind closed doors just like everyone else. I have a feeling this casting agent is going to take a very big fall for exposing the cynicism of the brand.
Realistically, who can afford a casting call for "anyone and everyone, as long as you're female" in NYC? It's way too expensive.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather they spend their money on thier philanthropic endeavours, than host an unnecessarily large casting call.
but that's just my opinion.
I don't think it's cynical, I think think the casting agent was just keeping it "real"...
ReplyDeleteIf they wanted to make it easy on themselves, they would not have posted the casting notes on Craigslist.
ReplyDeleteLet's sit back and see just how this plays out.