I recently saw an ad online for a deodorant. Pretty common - right? This ad was anything but. It featured armpits in every form imaginable. Skinny armpits, fat armpits, muscular armpits, shaved armpits, hairy armpits, even gender-neutral armpits. Every possible type of armpit was represented and celebrated here.
Something that really caught my eye about this ad was that it included a man with shaved armpits and a woman with hairy armpits. I have never seen another ad feature a man with shaved pits or a woman with hairy ones. Have you? (Thanks Nuud Care nuudcare.com for showing the world that our uniqueness is what truly makes us Sexy Brilliant!)
This ad got me thinking about gender norms and roles in our society.
Women are bombarded with advertisements telling them that in order to be feminine they need to have luxurious hair, blemish-free skin, flawless makeup, and a toned body free of body hair.
Similarly, men are told that their masculinity is defined by how muscular they are, how good they smell, or their level of aptitude/how mechanically inclined they are when it comes to their cars.
Far too often children, pre-teens, and teens believe that what they see in advertisements is true. This becomes especially evident when the adults in the lives of these young, impressionable children spend a lot of time worrying about how they look. As adults and parents, we must be healthy role models for our children. We must show that it is okay to love yourself. We must act with confidence, secure in the knowledge that we do not have to be perfect to be worthy of love. We must practice radical self-acceptance, and teach our children to do the same.
Nobody should be embarrassed about how they look.
Nobody deserves to be shamed because of their body.
Nobody should be afraid to be themselves.
EVERYBODY is beautiful.
EVERYBODY is unique.
EVERYBODY has the right to be loved.
All bodies are beautiful- fat, thin, muscular, hairy, hairless, tall, or short.
It is 2019 - I am happy to finally see an ad that features real people of all different shapes, sizes, and hairiness/hairlessness. What is disappointing about this ad is that it shows that people who are bravely embracing their authentic selves are considered controversial. Will there ever be a day where ads that portray unrealistic standards of what it means to be feminine or masculine are the real controversial ones?
Remember ALL bodies are SEXY BRILLIANT!
Join the #SEXYBRILLIANT global revolution and share the love!
Much love always,
@TheDevinaKaur and #TeamDevina
