Someone needs to question the wisdom of age

I’m sure Dove will achieve fantastic stand-out by using a 96-year-old woman for the latest stage of its “Campaign For Real Beauty”. After all, even though using larger, or “average” women failed to work for Marks & Spencer, Dove has increased sales and market share for its firming products hugely, and its Body Image Forum seems to have captured the public imagination, especially in the US.

But while I applaud Dove’s stance in promoting products by showing us an alternative to the ideals of the stick-thin supermodel or the pneumatic Page Three girl, it will be interesting to see how long it lasts, and I’m really not sure this particular image is going to work so well. Because while most women want to feel happy in their various body sizes, no woman I’ve ever met is desperate to look her age.

Besides, while the firming ads depicted women who were proud to show their figures, and were more typical of “real women”, Irene Sinclair is definitely not your average 96-year-old. She seems to be the old lady equivalent of a supermodel.

And as she puts her impeccable appearance down to “healthy eating and a positive attitude” rather than beauty products, what exactly is it that Dove is advertising? I’d be interested to hear what women in the industry think.

Chris Hughes

Creative director

WAA

Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands