Revlon is playing on the insecurities that people harbor in relationships to try and show that their product can help strengthen the love between couples.
The company released a new video called The Love Test: Choose Love. The film focuses on eight couples who have been together for different periods of time. The ranges start at one month and max around 40 years. Different ages, races and backgrounds are represented in the video as the couples are asked questions about their love life.
The video has two segments. The first is a series of questions, and the second occurs after the women are asked to complete a week-long, “self-love” ritual. The women return to the screen and are not told that their significant other is hiding behind a curtain and listening to the answers. Everyone appears happier after the ritual.
As much as I want to accept how adorable the couples are and wipe romantic tears from my eyes, several aspects of the video don’t make sense.
A week is not enough time to suddenly gain a truckload of confidence. You can’t meditate for a week and have all your anxieties magically float away. It takes time and patience. The same goes for confidence in yourself and a relationship. Anyway, how do we know that these women actually completed the self-love ritual? No video footage is shown of this process, which was obviously the key turning point for a successful connection. It doesn’t make sense to cut out the progression of confidence that happened during that time.
Revlon claims that 97 percent experienced positive results. On the surface that number looks and sounds wonderful. It makes you happy for the couples and give a mental thumbs up to Revlon. However, who is this 97 percent? All we see is “experienced.” This number is not credible because the viewers have no idea who that percentage is referring to. Only eight couples participated in the video. Did the company interview more outside of this film? If Revlon wanted a reliable percentage, it needed to supply information about the survey conducted.
In the beginning of the video, the couples are dressed in plain and basic clothing. Hardly any makeup can be seen on the women’s faces. But, after the week-long self-love test, both men and women appear better dressed with fresher faces. Revlon is manipulating viewers. In that short span of time, a self-love ritual does not change your sense of style, and the only reason that they appear to have brighter faces is because Revlon put company makeup on them. Why does dressing up and putting makeup on have to correlate with being a happier and more loving couple? It doesn’t. That’s just Revlon’s definition.
In the film, Revlon states, “The women were sent home for a week to try a daily beauty ritual with makeup, fragrance, chocolate, and a mirror…taking a few moments, each day, to appreciate themselves.” Women, not men, were told to appreciate themselves for a week. I understand that more women than men use makeup and perfume, but that doesn’t mean men are completely self-assured. Why are women portrayed as the individuals who don’t have confidence? This quote makes women look weak and is basing its validity off of a stereotype. Revlon used that societal label to convince viewers that its products help women become more poised and self-reliant. Then they become better partners in a relationship. Learning to love yourself does help, but women are not the only people who suffer from a lack of confidence.
Furthermore, one couple has only been dating for one month. After the self-love test, the woman was asked, “How long do you think you will be together?”, as her boyfriend listened backstage. She smiled and said, “forever.” I’m sorry, but when was the last time, besides in The Titanic, when any of us knew we were going to grow old with someone after one month of dating. Revlon’s video has no validation. It is an advertising campaign to convince viewers to buy more products.