• by Perry Yeatman , Op-Ed Contributor, August 17, 2015

Looking at a recent Bugaboo ad of a young mother jogging down the street with a stroller and looking amazing in nothing but a bikini, I was struck again by the thought, “What are we signaling to women”? Why do we continually feel the need to set up unrealistic expectations for them?  Do we think this is having a positive impact on the brand?  Clearly, the Bugaboo marketing team felt it would and if you believe the old adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity, then perhaps it is accomplishing what they wanted.  

But as a 30-year communications veteran, author and mother, I disagree. Does this ad stand out? Yes. Does it make me want to buy a Bugaboo stroller? Never. 

Now don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against this beautiful young mother and I, like many of us perhaps, would’ve loved to have looked like that when my kids were young. So, this isn’t about her or the .0001% of young moms who look like super models and work hard to do so.  

The problem is with the broader issue this ad perpetuates – namely that we keep increasing the pressure on women by giving them unrealistic role models. Don’t think this matters? Just look at a recent survey prepared by the University of Pittsburgh among college counseling centers. They reported a 13% increase in severe psychological problems in just the past two years, with anxiety and depression leading the way. And these mental illnesses are having devastating consequences. 

But how could these young people, especially women, not feel insecure, inadequate or depressed looking at all the role models presented to them of women who can seemingly look like Gisele Bundchen, think like Einstein and nurture like Mother Teresa all at the same time? We may not be able to control what women are thinking and feeling about their peers, but we can certainly do a better job of presenting a more balanced picture in our branding and marketing. 

After all, we’re lucky to be living at this time, in this nation, where women have choices and where, with focus, determination and a bit of luck, we can achieve almost anything. So by all means let’s give our young women aspirational targets. But can’t they be both aspirational and potentially achievable? Of course, they can! 

I saw it work back when I was with Unilever and the Dove real beauty campaign was taking shape. We’d already identified girl self-esteem as a pressing issue in America and launched the first-ever national corporate partnership with the Girl Scouts to deliver the “Unilever Uniquely Me” program – an initiative designed to help girls discover their unique gifts and embrace themselves for who they are. But the Dove brand took this work to a whole new level, making photo retouching and our cultural obsession with all-too-often surgery-enhanced “physical perfection” a national debate. That made a difference for women. And as far as I can tell, this work has proven very successful for Dove the brand, too.  

So why aren’t more brands following Dove’s lead?  Why can’t “real beauty” be enough?  After all, if the Edelman trust barometer is to be believed, “someone like me” is the most influential person in the U.S. today.  So inspirational but more realistic examples should be celebrated and elevated as persuasive role models – maybe aiming at the top 10%, not just the top .0001%. Because the point is, I’ve lived long enough to realize that virtually no one can be super-model stunning, genius smart and saint-like, at the same, for an extended period. 

But not all young women understand this yet. So they think that if they’re not all of these things, they’re failing. Believe me, expanding our view of who should be a role model wouldn’t be wimping out or settling. As I’ve learned for myself and for my teams, aiming really high is positive. But blindly pursuing perfection in all things, at all times, will drive you mad. Let’s help our young women learn this lesson sooner rather than later.