Hm. Two of the women in the OP-linked ad are… really really hot. Out-of-the-norm, recurring-character-on-Buffy, Yowza! level of improbably hot for an older woman. Well, at least to me. ymmv
But if it gets people’s attention, it’s a start. And the others are, well, not that superhot, so that’s cool.
I’ve seen naked folks showing about the same amount of skin in soap ads before. Except, of course, that those naked folks were young and Hollywood-beautiful.
But really, age happens, whether you like it or not. And if someone is interested in using beauty products when young, that same person is going to be interested in them when old. So why not show older folks in some of the ads?
Uh dude, stay away from that silver haired one! If she’s who I think she is, she’ll put a hurtin’ on you! Gave me back problems.
Personally, I like women who are comfortable with who they are. If she dyes her hair because she wants it that color, that’s fine, but if she dyes it because she can’t stand the thought of it being grey, then I lose all interest in her.
[Benny Hill]
Oh, give me an older woman every time!
They don’t often get it,
And they’re grateful when they do!
[/BH]
Maybe the problem was my use of the expression “flipside,” you young whippersnapper. 
Yes, of course I realize that was the point of the ad!
I think the ads are great on all levels and give Dove a lot of credit for saying that you can be beautiful at any age and with any body type. I hope it makes them ton of money and causes other advertisers to do likewise.
Our current expectations of beauty are vastly unrealistic,* and we are being trained to judge people’s attractiveness based on the most superficial and unobtainable of standards. I work on a college campus and it’s rare that you see a woman who looks anything like the models you see in ads and on TV. That has to be bad for the women, who always seem to have to deal with people calling some unrealistic beauty the ideal they should be striving for.
Also, eventually, any woman you have a relationship with is going to get older. If you can’t accept her aging, you’re going to be very disappointed.
One place I worked had a charming nude painting of an older woman on the wall. It was done by one of the owners’ daughters in art class, and they loved it and talked how the class was so great because the models were all ages and all body types.
*I suppose they always have been.
I applaud this ad loudly and heartily! Do you have any clue how freakin’ sick and tired I am of seeing 30-year-old models in ads for anti-wrinkle cream and such?? Blech! I myself am 45, and I look 45. In ads that are targeted to my demographic, I’ve been disgusted at how few actually use women from my demographic.
I say it’s about bloody time!
Well, I wouldn’t go that far. I have yet to see a 200+ pound model of any age or race in one of their ads. Or a model over 65. Nor an “ugly” person. Sure, they’re using older and slightly heavier models, but they are still crazily beautiful older and heavier models. While I think most women’s faces become at least “interesting” as they age, they don’t all become beautiful, and Dove is still only using the beautiful ones.
An improvement and groundbreaking to be sure. But a foundation does not yet equal a stable structure.
Remember when United Colors of Benneton was going to change the face of advertising? What’d that last - 16 months or something?
That ad is offensive? Beautiful women over age 30? I love the gesture from that black lady with the long earrings… “proud to be me,” it says. She wouldn’t be considered a beauty by Spanish standards, but that gesture makes her una mujer de bandera, a woman worth fighting for. Which is a completely different animal.
Compare with this ad that D&G retired after it was denounced by AI, requested to be retired by the Spanish Institute for Women (a section of one of our ministries), and voluntarily retired by the Italian Publicity Association. This one, I do find offensive, and it doesn’t contain any nudity at all.
So what would be a “stable structure” - one where everyone is considered beautiful, even the so-called “ugly” ones you mention? I think that in every society and every generation, there is a generally accepted concept of beauty. I also think that most people know that you do not have to be a nubile 16-year-old to be beautiful and finally, some advertisers (like Dove) are spreading that message. But I also believe that there will always be a concept of “ugly” as well (i.e., not up to the current standard of beauty) and that anyone considered “ugly” at this point in our culture will most likely not be appearing in a beauty ad campaign. What we are seeing now with Dove and other advertisers like Benetton is a different concept of beauty, but these people are still a lot more beautiful than the average person on the street.
That takes me back…Timeline of Benetton ads
I find that these ads impress me more than Benetton’s efforts, though, because while IMHO Benetton engaged in shock ads for the sake of shock ads (Mafia killings, anyone?), the Dove ads are completely relevant to the company’s product.
I also enjoy how these ads show women’s faces and bodies in such a way to encourage us to reevaluate our standards of beauty. Of course, the company wants us to buy cosmetics and cleansers, but I find these ads engage people on an intellectual level few other companies attempt.
No, I agree with you that there will always be beautiful and not-so-beautiful people, although who they are changes with fashion and culture. Oh! If only I had been born when Ruben was alive! I’d be a Venus! Seriously. I’m a pretty person (if I do say so myself 
) several sizes too large to be “beautiful” in our culture, even with these new and improved standards Dove is trying to set.
I guess what I mean is that this is still a niche ad for a niche product in a niche market. I’ll believe that things have really changed when any of those women is in, say, a shower cleaner ad, or maybe cars or even beer ads - things that aren’t sold only to older women. Furthermore, I don’t think Dove should, as RealityChuck did, say “that you can be beautiful at any age and with any body type”. “Any” is an awfully big word, and still not supported by this campaign, was my point.
I agree.
Jamie Lee Curtis and Annie Lennox both did their version of this (quite a while back) and I think it’s great. I am closing in on 51 years old and I feel the angst that goes with being an aging female in this country. Would I go out today without makeup? Not on your life. But some day I hope to have the guts to do it. The Dove ads rock. And I think the Baby Boomers are plenty ready for it.
Last night a guy half my age flirted with me at the supermarket. I’m married and not looking for a boytoy, but it sure is a shot in the arm to be thought flirtworthy. I credit the Dove ad campaign and Helen Mirren’s hubba-hubba Oscar attire.
According to AARP Magazine, 60 is the new 30.