This ad’s perception of beauty is a subset, not the standard
Belo Medical recently received backlash on social media for an ad that features what they call the ‘Pandemic Effect.’
The controversial video features a young, slim, and pretty woman, whose appearance gradually changes with every horrible news— she gains weight, exaggeratedly grows out body hair and a unibrow, acquires eyebags, and her face becomes plastered with pimples.
The scene mentioned above shows the result when a woman “lets herself go” during a pandemic. To add fuel to the flame, the friend who called her even asked, “Anong nangyari? (What happened?)” after seeing her.
Belo Medical’s type of ‘beauty’
Belo Medical’s roster of endorsers paints a picture of the kind of beauty that it markets: glass-like skin, sharp jawlines, toned arms, the type of ‘perfection’ that ordinary people strive to achieve.
To be clear, there is no harm if a person willingly opts to avail of treatments that transform them into gods and goddesses. But while this perception is valid, we must remember that Belo Medical’s type of beauty is just a subset and not the standard.
Reality check
The ad’s mistake is that it sets its own idea of beauty as a barometer, not as an option that people could follow. The average person cannot afford to maintain clear skin, sleek eyebrows, and chiseled abs — characteristics that society supposedly deems to be acceptable. Not with the demands by work from home setups, the pandemic’s current toll on mental health, and supporting a family.
Instead of acknowledging these realities, and the physical effects they may have on a person, the ad treats them as a disability, capped with the off-hand remark of ‘Anong nangyari?’.
It’s reminiscent of pesky titas during family events, who ask ridiculous questions like ‘Did you gain weight?’ or ‘Do you have a boyfriend already?’. It’s annoying then, and it still is now.
Belo Medical then swoops into the picture to save us from our shameful insecurities, complete with the tagline, ‘Tough times call for beautiful measures.’
The entire setup feels like being ‘beautiful’ is the priority right now. No, advertisers, not all people have the luxury to worry about how they look like. Getting a weekly facial or buying the best skincare products isn’t on every woman’s to-do list.
It’s okay if we’re not our best
Rather than posing as the end be all solution, the ad could’ve set Belo Medical as an alternative. Yes, people should have the freedom to put any skincare product on their faces, or get something done if they want to. But they should also be free to be at less than their 100 percent — and that’s okay.
To be fair, Belo Medical acknowledged the sentiments of people who expressed their frustrations on their recent ad. They also took down the video, as they should. It said in a statement, ‘We commit ourselves to learning from this and to bring our learnings into the future.’
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While there are countless beauty ads with flaws in the past, this can be another stepping stone that proves how the media people consume does have an effect. Beauty brands and creatives alike should take on the challenge of conveying relatable stories without attacking the struggles of others.
The post <b> This ad’s perception of beauty is a subset, not the standard </b> appeared first on WE THE PVBLIC.
Source: we the pvblic
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