Dove, the renowned skincare brand, has initiated a new advertising campaign titled "The Pits of New York," prominently displayed within the New York City subway system.
The campaign, a collaborative effort between advertising agencies David New York and Ogilvy UK, seeks to challenge societal norms by promoting the acceptance of hairy underarms.
The campaign features a series of posters depicting women proudly displaying their underarms. The central image of the campaign is a significantly overweight woman with unshaved armpits. Each poster includes a statistic stating, "6 in 10 of us admit to judging other women's armpits." The advertisements further encourage viewers to "#freethepits with Dove."
The campaign also includes a variety of interchangeable slogans intended to motivate and inspire, such as "Uncomfortable? She isn't," and "Care for underarms. Not what others think of them."
Ogilvy's website provides a brief overview of the campaign, stating, "Ogilvy UK and DAVID New York have created a new campaign for Dove that brings to life the brand's commitment to body positivity in a new way." The campaign, launched ahead of New York fashion week, is intended to challenge societal perceptions of underarms and promote body positivity.
However, the campaign has not been without its critics. Oli London, an author, questioned the campaign's effectiveness, asking, "Does this make you want to buy Dove products?" while sharing images of the advertisements on social media.
This campaign comes on the heels of Dove's recent partnership with Zyahna Bryant, a 22-year-old activist known for her support of the Black Lives Matter movement and her outspoken stance against healthy living. Bryant's involvement with Dove has been controversial, particularly due to allegations of her role in ruining the life of a white student over a misunderstood comment.
This is not the first time Dove has collaborated with David New York. In July 2023, the two entities partnered for the "Injectable Billboard" campaign, which featured a billboard made of syringes to highlight the dangers of cosmetic injections among young women.
Despite its controversial nature, the campaign aimed to make beauty accessible to all, using 50,000 syringes to represent the number of Canadian girls aged 14-17 who had received cosmetic injections in the past year.
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