Analysis of Feminist in Dove Products Project with Cultural Circuit Theory

Abstract

This article introduces the concept of cultural objects and how each cultural object goes through the five steps of the cultural circuit by analyzing the “Real Beauty” project launched by Dove Products. Representation, identity, production, consumption, and regulation eventually become cultural objects. This article analyzes the positioning of Dove’s “real beauty” campaign, which challenges traditional aesthetic views and markets an image that is different from traditional female aesthetic. This article analyzes the primary audience for Dove products: women, and explains how the movement has been given cultural significance, leading to the feminist perspectives presented in the movement. This paper also compares two different views: cultural pessimism and cultural optimism on the commodification of feminism like Dove’s “real beauty” and proposes that commodification of feminism has a positive effect on society.