This Classic Nike Ad from 1999 Had a Splendid Take on Unconventional Beauty

Matthew Bull picks his three favorite ads

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It’s become common practice for advertisers to acknowledge and celebrate all forms of human beauty, not just the stereotypical standards. But Nike, as it so often is, was ahead of that game long before most.

In 1999, a full five years before Dove launched “Campaign for Real Beauty,” Nike and Wieden + Kennedy broke the 60-second spot “Beautiful.” It was about the beauty of athletes, but rather than show pristine bodies at the height of their power, the ad featured battle-scarred warriors whose devotion to their sport had left them literally damaged.

Matthew

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