"Dare to be you. Dare to #BeBold". Everyone is bold, so who is bold?

It is really annoying when you have to watch an advertisement every 15 minutes watching a Youtube video. However, I learn to enjoy that period of time as sometimes, there may be an “interesting” advertisement.

Last week, Vidal Sassoon’s new advertisement “Dare to #BeBold” captured my attention. At first, I really liked the advertisement as it not only reflected consumer’s following-trend tendency nowadays but also conveyed a meaningful underlying message: be like a child, never fear to do things you like, the way you like.

However, after re-watching it for a few times, I realized Vidal Sassoon assumed that hairstyles, or more generally appearances, define who you are. “Real”, “lost” and even “bold” are all defined through hairstyles. Appearances are highlighted as if they can decide your personality.

Another thing that struck me is the video’s introduction: “At Vidal Sassoon, we believe that a woman’s hair should reflect her truest self and that’s why we make products to help you achieve the bold look that defines you. Because the most courageous thing a woman can do is to dare to be herself. Dare to be you. Dare to #BeBold.” If the video encourages the different, these words, on the contrary, group us all as “bold”. “Bold” cannot be everyone’s “truest self”. “Dare to be yourself” doesn’t mean “Dare to #BeBold”.

While conveying a message of supporting difference and uniqueness, Vidal Sassoon’s advertisement actually creates another trend to follow and makes everyone alike.