Every few years, a company comes along attempting to change the mindset of millions of women. Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty,” is one of these. Its goal is “to change the way women perceive their bodies, and their beauty, by widening the definition of what it means to be beautiful.” Of course, the campaign reeks of rampant Dove product placement.

The campaign’s Web site does present some sobering statistics, however. Only 13 percent of women are “very satisfied with their body weight and shape,” 2 percent consider themselves “beautiful,” and more than half the women Dove surveyed worldwide said their bodies “disgusted” them. Two-thirds of the 3,000 women also said, “The media and advertising set an unrealistic standard of beauty that most women can’t ever achieve.” Dove took the initiative and blamed the media outright for the bleak data.

Dove’s intentions may look good, but it teamed up with Wal-Mart, where attendees of the two-day promotional event received free samples and viewed photos of “real women.” On the Web site, visitors can get a free Dove real beauty T-shirt – if they buy $15 in Dove products.

It’s this kind of monetary reaction that Dove really wants from us, whether or not we get more self-esteem. Sales of Dove products soared 700 percent since the introduction of the campaign in 2004. I doubt that women’s self-esteem has similarly increased. I use some Dove products, but it doesn’t make me a better woman. It just means my hair’s clean. I still have to face the day even if I have greasy hair; we all do. However, you won’t find greasy-haired women in the ads.

Where did Dove get an idea of what real women look like? These women didn’t sign up to be models —– they were chosen. The bodies pictured instead of waify models are not so far off the mark that they undermine the ‘old’ stereotypes. These ‘plus’ models are still considerably attractive. For this campaign to truly be groundbreaking, let’s see women with warts, acne, scars, deformities, or terrible haircuts. More than half of women are overweight and one-third are obese, according to the American Obesity Association. These women are not featured because Dove would lose money if they used “ugly” people. These ads come off as ground-breaking, but they’re still ads. Our bodies are still being used to sell products; we’re just supposed to feel better about who we see in the ads now. Dove acts like they’re eschewing the old stereotypes when in actuality they’re just creating a new one to squeeze more money out of our wallets.

Why do we need companies to tell us to embrace ourselves? Why can’t we do this on our own? Are we just a herd of cattle, feeling bad about our weight and looks, but not caring enough to make a difference ourselves, allowing a cosmetics company, of all things, to redesign how we feel? So what if the media does show thin women? If the way you define yourself is based solely on what women look like in the media, are body issues really your only problem?

If it takes some hair products for a woman to realize her self-worth, then good for her, but most women can’t be “fixed” with a cream rinse. No company, no matter how many samples they give away, is going to change our vision of self-worth. It is ultimately up to the individual not to allow anything else to define her but herself.

Real beauty comes from within, and no amount of Dove products is going to make that happen.