In 2004 Dove launched their “Campaign for Real Beauty.” Their mission? “Make more women feel beautiful every day by widening stereotypical views of beauty.” With a series of edgy commercials and print advertisements starring regular women, not supermodels, Dove claims to have rejected the unrealistic standards of beauty created by mass media.

For those that missed the print ads, the “non-model” types are shown smiling and confident in their white underwear, refusing to hide their pretty good, cellulite-free, size 12 to 14 bodies; perfect skin; and white smiles. Whose idea of “regular” is this?

The message behind the “Campaign for Real Beauty” is important—I am not denying this. The influence that advertising has on our perceptions of beauty and what constitutes the ideal physical standard can be demeaning for many and destructive for some. But is Dove really helping matters? I don’t think so.

From my perspective, Dove is merely profiting from the illusion of enhancing the self-esteem of women while simultaneously reinforcing the message (and myth) of firming cream to eliminate cellulite as a necessary part of a healthy body image.

If Dove’s intention is to protest the unattainable beauty standard seen in most beauty product ads, their authenticity is lacking. Simply replacing this standard with their only slightly more attainable version of beauty and then selling products to perfect it is not a solution. Dove’s campaign aims to illustrate “real” beauty, but how does it feel to the woman or girl that does not feel represented by their new standard?  What message is Dove sending to the person who doesn’t even measure up to their artificial norm?

What about the men? It’s no secret that Unilever, Dove’s parent company, also owns Axe, the popular men’s body-care line. In a way, Axe has their own version of the “Campaign for Real Beauty.” Axe markets to young men with the message that it is perfectly normal to expect two things from women: they’ll become insatiable sex maniacs upon smelling Axe Body Spray, and they should look as if they haven’t eaten in weeks.

And don’t get me started on Unilever’s ads for skin lightening products in India called Fair and Lovely.

If Unilever’s efforts were authentic, it begs the question of why they’re not using their limitless global influence to change the way advertising depicts beauty for all their products. Why attempt to fix the problem with Dove’s “Campaign” while simultaneously sending a contradictory message with their other brands?

Bottom line: Dove’s efforts are almost worse than those of the Axe brand, as they have managed to succeed in launching a campaign that manipulates the insecurities of women (Love yourself, but don’t forget the firming cream!) under the guise of female empowerment.

So, let’s hear it from you: How do you feel about the authenticity of Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty and the ads Dove’s parent company runs for their Axe brand or Fair and Lovely?

Those of you who still have the freedom to make plans on Sunday nights might not know that there’s a full-blown beauty/gender debate unfolding on the fourth season of AMC’s stellar show Mad Men. The television series is set in the ‘60s and centers on the forward-thinking Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce advertising agency. Recently, they landed a big account with Pond’s Cold Cream. While brainstorming for the Pond’s campaign, the marketing team was at a stalemate: Freddy, the sexist but harmless fuddy-duddy, says that if they market Pond’s as a means for women to land a husband, it’ll sell. Peggy, the young proto-feminist copywriter, insists that focusing on Pond’s as part of a woman’s beauty ritual will speak to women who wish to indulge themselves in front of the mirror.

Of course, it’s clear that Peggy has her finger on the pulse of the women’s movement to come, but that doesn’t mean that Freddy’s take on what motivates women to purchase beauty-related products is all that archaic, even by today’s standards. Believe me, I would know. As someone whose job description means being uniquely steeped in beauty product marketing with a critical eye, I can assure you that while the goal may not be to get married, it’s definitely still important to get noticed by men. Don’t believe me? How many beauty products—makeup, skin care, hair care, fragrance—are described as flirty? Sexy? Seductive? A lot. If sex sells anyplace, it’s with beauty products, which are almost exclusively marketed to . . . straight women.

This Pond’s debate on Mad Men got me thinking about what marketing angle sparks my own interest in a beauty product. With everything that Paula has taught me about the beauty industry and as a bona-fide member of The Cosmetics Cop Team, that’s not an easy question to answer. While I can’t say that I shop Dove exclusively, their Campaign for Real Beauty ads have definitely resonated with me. And Dove’s short films like this one that critiques the power that advertising has on women from an early age is compelling. I’m well aware that there’s an inherent hypocrisy to Dove’s marketing angle (particularly the image retouching), but the campaign’s aim seemed true enough to make a lasting impression on me.

What do you think? Are beauty products still aimed at helping a woman find a man or is it about female empowerment? And, for better or worse, which products’ ad campaigns speak to you?