My Most Immortal Ad: Tiffany Rolfe on Dove's Evolution

There is probably no greater testament to the power of what our industry does, than Dove’s ‘Real Beauty’ campaign. And while it’s hard to pin down the immense impact of this work to one single execution, I think the campaign’s most pivotal moment was in 2006 with ‘Evolution’.

More than a film, ‘Evolution’ played like a micro documentary, peeling back the veneer on the beauty industry’s dirty little secrets. Which I found incredibly brave for a beauty brand, and equally inspiring, as a creative in the industry, but also as a woman and even more as a mother of a young daughter.

And while the Real Beauty campaign began a few years prior, it was really ‘Evolution’ that put it on the map, opening the floodgates for incredible work around the globe, from ‘Beauty Sketches’ to ‘Peek-a-boo’ - to ideas from other brands as well, such as ‘Like a Girl’ by Always.

Well, fast-forward almost 20 years and clearly I wasn’t the only one who took notice, because you can literally see a fundamental shift in society - just look at some of the starlets today, like Octavia Spencer, Chrissy Metz and Mindy Kaling. Or models with vitiligo like Winnie Harlow, or like Ashley Graham hitting the cover of Sports Illustrated. Musicians like Lizzo and Adele, and so on. All looking nothing like the stereotypes of beauty I remember growing up with.

A herculean accomplishment that is nothing short of immortal in my book. Dove literally changed the definition of beauty forever. And for that, I will be forever grateful.