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Hindustan Unilever’s (HUL) latest ad spot that lauds India’s 56 women athletes (GlowGlow & Lovely - Ready. Steady. Glow. #ReadySteady - YouTube) at the recently concluded Tokyo Sumer Olympics is refreshing, unconventional and a much-needed change. And why do I think so?
For one, the ad shifts the ostentatious focus of beauty from external looks/features and model-like figures to inner ‘glow’. This is commendable for a brand that has for over 40 years defined beauty standards by skin colour and tones. The shift is nicely depicted by featuring small-town girls dreaming big (and different), with a fire in their belly and passion touching sky-high. By shifting the narrative of beauty to include inner traits such as self-confidence and self-worth, and tying this with career/life goals, the brand is taking a broader and inclusive approach to a long-held unidirectional and regressive view.
Two, by choosing to portray non-celebrity women with dusky skin tones who turn day-to-day activities into self-training and strength-building quests, the ad strongly brings out the rawness, resolve and realism – traits that resonate well with modern-day aspirational consumer to whom the next-door girl image and micro influencers appeal more than the Bollywood Divas. Gendered colourism - a deep-rooted social malice has offered a ready market for cosmetics brands to position lighter skin tones as key to personal/professional success (read my earlier post on this here). Glow & Lovely by breaking away from this, has rightfully sown the seeds for non-conformist thinking.
Three and most importantly, it celebrates women achievers in sports across diverse areas covering track and field, swimming, discus throw, weightlifting, long jump and hurdles, breaking away from the more common and popular sports such as cricket or tennis. By this measure, the ad deserves a thumbs up for embracing diversity and inclusivity, picking real-life champions from low/middle income households and rural background and smartly playing up the ‘context’.
Most critics might argue that much of this is a farce and even if it isn’t, it is too little coming too late. That can’t be dismissed outrightly, as such campaigns are primarily born out of socio-political uprisings and devised as damage-control mechanisms. The timing makes it all the more relevant as racial/gender equality is now a top-of-mind issue and a key purchase consideration for the millennial consumer. That said, an ad like this is a fresh take on celebrating diverse portrayal of beauty, more so for a brand like Unilever that has had perpetual obsession with fair skin tones.
To me, it’s the concluding part of the commercial that opens the heart of the messaging and showcases the new face of beauty. One of the aspiring athletes gently pulls the bangle off her wrist and places it on the table alongside the other four, to resemble five-rings of Olympics. That’s the obvious bit. But for a discerning viewer, you won’t fail to notice the gesture being symbolic of shedding stereotypes, breaking the mould and celebrating confidence. And that’s a whole new identity and a change in a right direction. I hope this doesn’t turn out to be merely a 150 seconds slot, but sparks a new revolution for redefining and resetting beauty standards that would eventually expand to bring LGBTQ+ and women with disabilities into the mainstream advertising. That would stand true to its tagline, ‘Ready, Steady, Let’s glow’ from within!