Face 17cm, Eye-Mouth 6cm Listed, Then "There Is No Right Answer to Beauty"... Japanese Ad Slammed

Dove Faces Controversy Over 'Appearance Supremacy' in Major Japanese Ad

The global beauty brand 'Dove' faced public criticism for an advertisement released in Japan. The ad, planned to commemorate 'International Day of the Girl,' was instead criticized for promoting appearance-based discrimination.

Japanese media outlets such as Fuji News Network (FNN) reported that Dove displayed large advertisements around Tokyo's Shibuya Station on the 11th (local time) to mark the 'International Day of the Girl.' The ad featured the catchphrase "There is no correct answer to Kawaii (カワイ·cute)" and detailed the beauty standards demanded by society.

Controversial advertisement of the global beauty brand 'Dove' in Japan
[Image source=Captured from the official website]

The beauty standards presented in the advertisement included "the value obtained by subtracting weight from height is 110," "an appropriate thigh gap," "a small face with a 6 cm distance from eyes to mouth," "no shadow between the mouth and teeth when smiling," "a short philtrum," and "a face size under 17 cm," among others.

Dove appeared to subtly express that there is no universally agreed-upon standard of beauty by listing the 'beauty standards' from various countries around the world. However, this message backfired. Japanese netizens criticized the ad, saying that it was contradictory to try to convey "there is no correct answer to beauty" by meticulously detailing beauty standards from different countries.

Regarding this, FNN analyzed that the reason the Dove advertisement caused negative reactions was due to "presenting unnecessary information in public places where an unspecified large audience can see it, thereby fostering complexes and including provocative phrases that demean others."

Dove is a global beauty brand primarily selling cleansing foams, soaps, and other hygiene products, and is part of the British multinational corporation Unilever. This aspect also worked against the advertisement. There were criticisms that it felt hypocritical for a beauty brand to preach messages about beauty standards.

Additionally, Dove conducted a survey on appearance and body shape targeting 400 women aged 16 to 19 in Japan, and once this fact became known, calls for "immediate cessation" of such activities were raised.