KARACHI: Unilever has decided to move forwards to an inclusive world and drops the word ‘normal’ from their products while also banning excessive photo-editing of models and influencers. The word ‘normal’ sent the message that any other skin or hair type besides the defined normal is perhaps not normal.
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Unilever had recently dropped the word ‘Fair’ from its product – Fair and Lovely. The name was changed to Glow and Lovely in order to tackle the prevalent colorism all across the globe, primarily in the subcontinent.
Dove, one of the brands under Unilever shared on their Instagram the following statement:
“Is it normal? To be told what beautiful looks like? For girls to have low self-esteem and body confidence? For Black and mixed-race children to be suspended from school because of their hair? To test on animals to assess safety? For plastic to pollute our oceans? We won’t accept a world where any of this is normal.
That’s why we’re taking action by breaking beauty stereotypes and showing the world a more inclusive vision of beauty, building self-esteem and helping the next generation grow up with confidence, working to eradicate race-based hair discrimination through legislative advocacy and societal change, enacting a policy prohibiting animal tests, anywhere in the world and reducing our use of virgin plastic by 20,500 tonnes per year.
…and we won’t stop there. Say no to normal. Say yes to positive beauty.
Along with our parent company, @Unilever, and Unilever brands, we’re committed to Positive Beauty – doing more good for people and the planet. Join us. Head to our stories to learn more about what Dove is doing towards Positive Beauty and the link in our bio for more about Unilever’s commitments.”
“With one billion people using our beauty and personal care products every day, and even more seeing our advertising, our brands have the power to make a real difference to people’s lives,” said Sunny Jain, Unilever’s president of beauty and personal care according to USA Today. “As part of this, we are committed to tackling harmful norms and stereotypes and shaping a broader, far more inclusive definition of beauty.”
Dove’s recent campaign – #StopTheBeautyTest gained immense popularity in places like India and Pakistan. Here the ad highlighted the toxic rishta culture that makes women uncomfortable within their own skins and bodies.
The word was often used on products to describe types of skin and hair on product descriptions. As Unilever drops ‘normal’, it also reassures its customers that they realize it is not enough. Hence a number of various other steps have been taken to incorporate positivity towards the environment and acceptance towards different races and skin colors. However, it does raise the question of whether the firm is capitalizing on its customer’s awareness or simply trying to be more inclusive. In a report by the BBC, Sophie Lund-Yates, an equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, stated, “The world’s consumer base is becoming increasingly aware of social issues, and the threat of boycotts and backlashes means giants like Unilever are right to try and avoid PR headaches.”
