Sketching the Distortions of Self-Perception
Dove Soap is an icon in the American health and beauty industry. They have long been celebrated for their targeted ad campaigns exploring true beauty. One of Dove's recent tag lines is "You are more beautiful than you think." So, for its campaign titled Real Beauty Sketches, the company used a forensic artist to prove it.
Dove asked an FBI-trained forensic artist, Gil Zamora, to create sketches of seven women. The women were hidden behind a curtain; he never saw their faces. Rather, he “blind sketched” each one based on their self-descriptions. He then created a second “blind sketch” based on the descriptions of strangers who spent time “observing” the seven subjects.
The sketches were then revealed, side-by-side, to the subjects for them to observe the often startling difference between their self-perception and the perception of others.
Can you say “eye opening”?!
Dove says, as a company, they are committed to helping all women realize their personal beauty potential. This particular campaign was all part of a broader marketing campaign to help women discover their “real beauty.”
God is all about helping us to see our "real" beauty — not the beauty of external features, but the true beauty revealed from within as we conform ourselves to the image of Christ. There is no other, no greater image to which we can conform ourselves or compare ourselves.
Alternate Application: The question is not how we see ourselves, or even how others see us. The only question is how does God see us? In Him, we are declared perfect, blameless, holy. We are His beautiful Bride for whom He is returning. Walk in the light of how HE sees us!
"For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7, ESV).
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27, ESV).
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV).
"And to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:24, ESV).
Beautiful or Average, You Choose
Beautiful or average? As a woman, how would you categorize yourself?
The makers of Dove soap asked that question in a worldwide survey. To demonstrate the results, they set up signs at the entrances of buildings around the globe. At each location, one door was marked “Average” and the other was marked “Beautiful.” (Click the link to source above to view the video that has gone viral. )
A Reflection We Cannot Deny
Lupita Nyong'o attended Essence magazine's Black Women in Hollywood luncheon on Thursday, where she was given the award for best breakthrough performance for her role in "12 Years a Slave." There wasn't a dry eye in the house during the actress's moving acceptance speech, in which she confessed that as a little girl, she wished she had a lighter complexion.
She said, "I got teased and taunted about my skin. And my one prayer to God ... was that I would wake up lighter-skinned. The morning would come and I would be so excited about seeing my new skin that I would refuse to look down at myself until I was in front of a mirror because I wanted to see my fair face first. And every day I experienced the same disappointment of being just as dark as I was the day before."
But Lupita began to accept her darker skin after she saw supermodel Alek Wek. She explained in her speech, "When I saw Alek I inadvertently saw a reflection of myself that I could not deny. Now, I had a spring in my step because I felt more seen, more appreciated by the far-away gatekeepers of beauty."
Now the 30-year-old hopes that she can inspire young women everywhere. "I hope that my presence on your screens and in the magazines may lead you, young girl, on a similar journey," she said. "That you will feel the validation of your external beauty, but also get to the deeper business of being beautiful inside."
Like Lupita, we are all on a journey of self-acceptance as we grapple with our self-image. If you're looking for validation, for affirmation that will add a spring to your step, all you have to do is turn to the true "far-away gatekeeper of beauty," God Himself. He is all about the "deeper business" of inner beauty.