Unilever UK and Ireland has signed up to the Be Real Body Image Pledge which calls for the advertising, fashion, music and media industries to show more reality and diversity in advertising.
The Pledge has been developed by Be Real Campaign and responds to research, commissioned by founding partner Dove UK, which shows that women and men want advertising to be more reflective of today’s society.
Organisations that sign up to the Pledge are committing their intention to reflect diversity and reality in their messages and advertising, and to promote health and wellbeing. It also indicates an intention to promote the Pledge amongst staff, and in external communications to consumers. The Pledge is designed to provide direction for brands and advertisers that want to help encourage healthy body image amongst the UK public.
Dove UK is taking the lead in supporting the Pledge and in driving forward a national movement to ensure the responsible portrayal of all people in media and advertising, and especially women and beauty. This is the latest step in the brand’s ongoing commitment to create a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety.
“For 60 years, Dove has stood for Real Beauty – it only uses real women in its advertising and follows a strict policy on airbrushing and photoshop,” says Mark Bleathman, Vice President Personal Care at Unilever UK Ltd. “That’s why we are so passionate about Dove taking a leadership role on the Be Real Body Image Pledge – the time to end body image anxiety is now, and Dove is fully committed to driving change in the UK for the benefit of everyone.”
For Unilever UK and Ireland the Pledge supports the company-wide commitment to more progressive advertising which was publically announced with the launch of its #Unstereotype ambition earlier this year. As part of the global ambition, Unilever brands will vow to stop the stereotypical portrayals of gender.