Dove Real Beauty Sketches

Dove Real Beauty Sketches
A typical sketch from Dove Real Beauty Sketches
Directed by	John X. Carey
Produced by	Jamie Miller Claude Letessier[1]
Music by	Keith Kenniff[1]
Production companies	Unilever \ Dove Ogilvy & Mather (Brazil)
Release date	April 14, 2013 (2013-04-14)
Running time	6 minutes
Language	English

Dove Real Beauty Sketches is a short film produced in 2013 as part of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty marketing campaign. The aim of the film is to show women that they are more beautiful than they think they are by comparing self-descriptions to those of strangers.

In the video, which was produced by the Ogilvy & Mather ad agency, several women describe themselves to a forensic sketch artist who cannot see his subjects. The same women are then described by strangers whom they met the previous day. The sketches are compared, with the stranger's image invariably being both more flattering and more accurate. The differences create strong reactions when shown to the women.

The film created a sensation upon its online release in April 2013, quickly going viral. More than 15 million people downloaded the video within a week of its release. Media reaction to the video was mixed. The Daily Telegraph called it "[Dove's] most thought provoking film yet", while Forbes said it was "powerful", but their reviewer felt that "it’s still focusing too much on appearance."