Consumer goods conglomerate Unilever said Tuesday it will no longer use the word "normal" to advertise and package its beauty and personal care products and will ban the excessive photoshopping of models as part of its inclusivity policy.
The company, which owns skincare brands like Dove and Simple and haircare brands like TreSemme and TIGI, said the word "normal" will be removed from the packaging of at least 200 products within a year.
It also said it will increase the number of advertisements featuring people from diverse groups, and that it will not "digitally alter a person's body shape, size, proportion or skin colour in its brand advertising."
Many skincare and hair products use phrases such as "for normal skin" or "normal hair," and Unilever says its global research suggests that using "normal" as a descriptor "makes most people feel excluded."
Sunny Jain, who leads Unilever's beauty and personal care division, said the company wanted to tackle "harmful norms and stereotypes" and shape a "far more inclusive definition of beauty."
"We know that removing 'normal' from our products and packaging will not fix the problem alone, but it is an important step forward," Jain said in a statement.
The company renamed its skin-lightening brand in India last year from Fair & Lovely to Glow & Lovely after facing anger from customers who said Unilever was perpetuating negative stereotypes about darker skin tones.
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More