No 'Normal': Can HUL’s decision to drop the word lead others to advertise with conscience?

While a number of brand lined up to jump on the feminist bandwagon this International Women’s Day, it definitely created chatter when Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) this week announced its decision to eliminate the word 'normal'--widely used in skin and hair products-- from advertising and packaging of all its personal and beauty care products.  The decision comes as HUL plans to demolish stereotypes as consumer activism takes centre stage across the planet. Priya Nair, HUL's Executive Director, beauty and personal care, said that the decision to remove the word 'normal' is one of the many initiatives that the FMCG firm is taking to challenge narrow beauty ideals in order to end discrimination and embrace a more inclusive vision of beauty. Plenty of skincare and haircare brands widely use 'normal' to refer to skin and hair type that's neither too 'dry' nor too 'oily'. Nair said that with increasing awareness among consumers, they have started rejecting such notions.

At a time when many consumers have time and again urged brands to spend more time taking action on issues like the gender pay gap and female representation in retail boardrooms, retailers have continued to launch ranges or marketing campaigns dedicated to IWD, it is an interesting move. Nair, citing data by Unilever on consumer perception of beauty, said over eight in 10 people think that using 'normal' on beauty product packaging and advertising has a negative impact on society as it makes people excluded and inculcate feelings of 'self-doubt'. So can HUL’s decision to drop the word lead more brands to advertise with a conscience?

Ramanuj Shastry, Co-Founder and Director, Infectious, feels that it is a step in the right direction for Unilever because the word ‘normal’ implies that there are skin and hair types that are  ‘abnormal’ too.

“But as long as they have a ‘skin lightening’ brand in their portfolio, raking in more than half a billion dollars in worldwide sales, it all sounds like mere lip service and ticking the inclusivity box. Promoting lighter skin as a yardstick of beauty is as regressive as it gets. And in the final analysis, what you do matters way more than what you say,” Shastry remarks.

Additionally, the HUL has also decided not to alter a person's skin colour, body size, or shape in its brand advertising. The food-to-homecare manufacturer said it will include people from diverse groups who are under-represented in its future advertisements.

Rajeesh Rajagoplan, National Business Head, Grapes Digital, feels that HUL's decision to exclude 'normal' from its packaging and advertising will have a huge impact on how we define beauty standards. “Advertising shapes perception among audiences and defines the conceptualisation of beauty standards.  Over the years, advertisements have impacted the consumers’ opinions on ideal female beauty. This creates stereotypes in society and people consider- features and colours a big thing. Women are often represented in unrealistic and unattainable standards of beauty. The idea of beauty is shifting and we are moving towards more inclusiveness than ever. Slowly and steadily, HUL is building a culture of change that is required the most,” he remarks.

Rajagoplan notes that it will also be interesting to watch if this change is restricted to nomenclature or if HUL also takes a stand on the product line that encourages the notion of non-exclusivity (Glow and Lovely, Glow and Handsome).

“Cosmetic brands pry on consumers' insecurities to sell. This will lead to a positive brand purpose story for HUL. Today’s consumer is aware and becoming much more sensitive to issues around, body, race, beauty etc. They pledge their allegiance to brands whose beliefs are aligned with theirs. With a behemoth like HUL taking a stand I am sure other brands will also follow suit, overall,” he opines.

Last year, HUL dropped the word 'fair' from its ubiquitous face cream brand 'Fair & Lovely' and renamed it 'Glow & Lovely' due to the protests related to gender discrimination and stereotyping based on the colur of skin, following the death of an African American named George Floyd in the US.

Titus Upputuru, National Creative Director, dentsu One & Creative Head, Taproot dentsu, Gurgaon states that today more than ever, brands need to watch their words. “This is an age of accountability. Not just us, every word that a brand says is being measured, is being taken into account. A while back, the word fair came under the scanner. And now normal. Who would have thought a quiet word like normal be troublesome? What’s happening is a good thing. There is power in words. They can cause wreckage. They can also save,” he said.

To curb what may be referred as a cultural problem, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) had rolled out a charter in 2014 which prohibited cosmetic brands from communicating any discrimination based on skin colour through advertising. The guidelines further stated that no brands can use post-production visual effects to exaggerate product efficacy as well.