I just read yet another review of the new Dove ads. Another one. This one, from Bob Garfield in Advertising Age, was the best of the lot, to be sure. Still, I feel a bit conflicted. Garfield says that the ads still portray an idealized beauty that is not attainable for most women — beautiful, clear skin; perfect white teeth; great hair… It’s a good point. Yet in the same article, he describes size 8 women as “on the zaftig side”. Zaftig? Jumping Jesus on a pogo stick, Bob!
zaftig: (of a woman) having a full rounded figure; plump. Yiddish, from German “saftig” – “juicy”.
I have a dear friend who is a size 8. The girl has no butt. She’s totally hot, but she has no butt. Now, how can someone possibly be zaftig with no butt? Yet size 8 is “on the zaftig side”? WTF-ever.
A few points to Mr. Garfield, though. He cites the age-obsessed language used to describe the lotion – “Anti-aging serum with milk peptides”. Paraphrasing Mr. G since I don’t have the article in front of me — “What’s next? New Anti-Death Serum with Molecules?”