Unilever brand Dove tackles the sensitive topic of the arranged marriage in India, in its new campaign by Ogilvy Mumbai called ‘Stop The Beauty Test’.
Working from the insight that three out of four Indian women are “rejected for their looks during the arranged marriage process”, the campaign recreates the real-life stories of Indian women who have faced rejection based on their appearance.
This could be down to their “weight”, their “height”, their “complexion”, their “hair type”—even the position of a facial birthmark, Dove said.
According to the brand, 90 per cent of single women in India feel they are rejected for marriage because of their looks.
In creating the campaign on behalf of Dove, Ogilvy Mumbai collected the real-life stories of rejection after a nationwide search, and found the women featured in a film directed by Amit Sharma of Chrome Pictures.
You can check out the personal stories of Mahak, Noor, Rajeshwari, Hemali and Deeksha, here.
“This is a telling matrimonial statistic,” Dove said of the campaign.
“It’s time society takes notice of how ugly the quest for beauty really is. Dove believes if we look beyond tall, slim and skin colour, we will discover a whole new world of beautiful.”
In a statement published via Ad Age, Dove’s executive director, Hindustan Unilver & VP beauty and personal care South Asia, Priya Nair, said: “In a country of 631 million women, it is unfortunate that there is such intense pressure to adhere to one definition of beauty.
“As owners of some of the largest beauty brands in the country, the onus to make beauty more positive and more inclusive is on us. Dove has always believed that beauty should be source of confidence, not anxiety. With #StopTheBeautyTest, we want to go one step forward in that direction.”
Dove has also urged women who have faced rejection to share their stories with #StopTheBeautyTest #DoveIndia on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, or all three.
The campaign comes as part of Dove’s broader Self-Esteem Project, which aims to help women break free from beauty biases. You can learn more about Dove’s Self-Esteem Project here.
Featured image source: YouTube/Dove India
