Ah, commercials. They’re interesting things, aren’t they? In this media-saturated world, ads are a constant part of our lives. We see them glowing prettily at us from our TVs and computers. Or popping up on our tablets and movie screens. And whether it’s a sunny detergent spot showing us just how colorful a shirt can be, or a handsome guy holding a product placement bottle that subconsciously promises more than just refreshment, we’re constantly being sold something.
It’s enough to make you downright cynical.
But every now and then, a commercial comes along that does more than just dangle a pretty something-or-other before our eyes and play upon our need-to-have-it desires. It still sells its stuff—hey, gotta sell the stuff—but it does something more. It takes a moment to breathe and be thoughtful. It gently nudges you to go beyond the spiel and think about what makes us do all that longing, grasping and buying to begin with. It asks us to think about who we are.
And this new Dove commercial does that so well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iswiKQbtwXQ
Sure, you could still look at this ad and think it’s all about tickling a listeners ears with a “you’re so beautiful” come-on in order to sell a beauty product. And, well, yeah, it is. But the less cynical side… er, quarter … uh, sliver of me can’t help but see a different kind of ad altogether.
“Hey, stop belittling yourself because you don’t think you match up to all the ‘gorgeous’ people on the screens and pages of your lives,” it seems to say. It stresses, in a subtle way, how all the other commercials we watch tend to drag us down, make us feel less than. And when I watch it, I can’t help harkening to 1 Samuel 16:7, a scripture verse that assures us that there’s far more to us than a strong chin or a fabulous button nose.
And isn’t that more helpful than yet another promise of giddy happiness from perfect white teeth?
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