Chubby Cheeks,
Dimpled chin,
Rosy lips,
Teeth within,
Curly hair, very fair,
Eyes so blue, lovely too,
Teacher’s pet, is that you?
Most people are acquainted with this famous nursery rhyme children are taught in their formative years. It’s followed by an enthusiastic “Yes, Yes, Yes” after the last sentence and a lifelong aspiration to have curly hair and be very fair.
Just like this, millions of little children are unquestioningly taught nursery rhymes, that in the long run, set standards for physical appearance that are unrealistic and exclusionary.
The new Dove ad which wants to #ChangeTheRhyme promises us that there is more than one kind of beauty and the rules which dictate what beautiful actually is, need to be broken for women to be themselves freely and happily.
This new advertisement traces the life of a few sportswomen, and shows their efforts to become even better at what they do. By the end of the ad, not only are they tanned, sweating, bruised and bleeding but they also exhibit an inexplicable level of beauty that comes with their brilliance and dedication towards their sport.
But do they have rosy cheeks and a dimpled chin? Absolutely not.
In this way, Dove puts forth multiple kinds of beauty that are embodied by these talented and focused women.
This advertisement was powerful, as it effectively broke down a nursery rhyme that we may treat as trivial, but maybe subliminally responsible for forming our notions of beauty and ugliness.
In a country that is worried about daughters becoming ‘too dark’, or ‘broad’ and even ‘too muscular’ if they played sports, this advertisement, coming from a beauty brand, is a step in the positive direction.
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