real beauty

There's something to be said about a jingle that gets in your head and you can't forget it. "I am stuck on Band-Aids, so Band-Aid's stuck on me..." remains imprinted on my brain to this day (and did you know that Barry Manilow wrote that?). Well, there's a current commercial that has a song that's wormed it's way into my noggin, only I can't stand it.

Before I tell you more and present the video, I want to go on record saying that I like the idea of the ad. It's a collaboration between Dove and Wal-Mart, presenting real women. The thought is that there is Real Beauty in real women, not models or celebrities, but just everyday people.

Ugly Betty is joining the fray in fighting for young girls' self-esteem. ABC has announced a new public service campaign - Be Ugly '07 - to hit the web and the streets on December 30th. The campaign's aim - aside from scoring more viewers for ABC's hit dramedy - is to debunk conventional notions of beauty. The campaign's slogan - "Be real, be smart, be passionate, be true to yourself and be ugly."

ABC, which pulled its plastic surgery show Extreme Makeover from the airwaves, is hoping to capitalize on the recent super-thin model backlash started on the catwalks in Europe and the Dove "Real Beauty" ads. ABC marketing executive Michael Benson would like you to know that redefining beauty is "in the cultural zeitgeist."