• by John Gaffney , May 6, 2003

A consulting division of Mullen is out to convince the ad world that airbrushing women's images might be bad for business.

Last week TV appearances by Christie Brinkley, Jamie Lee Curtis and Kate Winslet brought the issue of the media's "unrealistic" portrayal of women to the forefront. Mullen's strategic consultancy called "frank about women" sees a window of opportunity to prove that portraying women as they really look makes good business sense.

"We're constantly trying to get the message out that women do not want to be what they see in these ads," said frank about women VP strategic planning Caryn Harbour. "They want to be seen as active and smart. What advertisers are presenting is not what the average woman looks like."

The consultancy has already presented plans to Sara Lee and Hanes for more realistic portrayals than the supermodels and actresses that dominate print ads. Harbour said 68 percent of all women are size 12 and above. By not addressing that reality, she said, advertisers are missing out on an opportunity.

A survey was recently conducted by frank about women to investigate the perception of images in advertising. It showed that women are looking for "more images that reflect today's reality in advertisements, rather than those that appear unnatural, unbelievable or unattainable." It also showed that women are consciously avoiding brands that "unrealistically glamorize women or portray their relationships with friends, family and coworkers in an idealized way." And it concludes that women "clearly reward marketers who understand how to portray women, their lifestyles, friends and families as diverse and varied as they truly are today."

Harbour credits brands such as Ellen Tracy, Eileen Fisher and Eddie Bauer for their portrayals of women. As for the rest of the media world that follows the Victoria's Secret model, she understands that progress may be slow.

"We're trying to change a systematic breakdown of assumptions," she said.