A B O U T - F A C E --- blog

Our face falls: Positive Dove ads retouched to high heaven?

Jennifer — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:07:50 +0000

Ah, Photoshop retouching, how you pain us, how you confuse us all. Reading a very amazing (and very long) article in the New Yorker (May 12, 2008 issue) today, I learned about the techniques and life of master photo retoucher Pascal Dangin. I encourage About-Face visitors to take the time to read the entire article, either online or in the magazine itself.

[The Dove ads: Lots of retouching? Really? Did you have to break our hearts?]

My rose-colored glasses were cracked by this statement about his work on the Dove campaigns. From the article: (more…)

Do light-skinned black women have life easier than dark-skinned black women?

Jennifer — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:48:51 +0000

Speaking of body image and stereotypes of women, it’s not all about thinness/fatness, is it? Take the Tyra Banks Show from today, April 24.

Black women of various skin shades were on the show talking about whether light-skinned black women have things easier, and the answer seemed to be “yes.” Adding her very sensationalistic viewpoint, one medium-skinned woman said, “I don’t want my son dating dark-skinned girls because I don’t want him bringing home any dark-skinned grandbabies.” Luckily, her 12-year-old son said he hates when she says that, because she comes off as “prejudiced.” And another darker-skinned woman finally told her lighter-skinned sister (and I mean sister, by blood) that she feels her lighter-skinned sister has had the advantage during her life. She asked “When is it my turn to be called pretty?”

These two women are sisters. That’s Tyra on the left.

You can see clips on Tyra’s web site.

And while you’re at it,

(more…)

Girls Rock! The Movie: See it, love it.

Jennifer — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:57:37 +0000

(Amelia playing guitar with her teeth, from
Girls Rock! The Movie, www.girlsrockmovie.com. Photo by Nicole Weingart)

Using your voice powerfully isn’t just about being a loud, outspoken bad-ass chick — something we grown women often want for girls. It’s also about finding your vulnerabilities, and turning them into strengths. This came to me, a grown woman, while watching 8- to 18-year-old girls learn how to play instruments and sing in a rock band.

Alyza (About-Face’s Director of Programs) and I saw Girls Rock! The Movie when it played in San Francisco recently. The filmmakers interviewed some of the campers at the Girls Rock Camp in Portland, Oregon, as well as their parents. What resulted was funny, fun, true, and transformational.

Watch the trailer for the movie: (more…)

Is it just us? We really don’t think so.

Jennifer — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:10:52 +0000

Designer Marc Jacobs is really rubbing we About-Facers the wrong way lately. Following on the heels of his ad showing Dakota Fanning as a Hollywood tartlet and some other ads with dead-looking women and nubile girls laying in the grass, we’ve got the newest in the series: Victoria Beckham in a shopping bag.

In this ad, Victoria Beckham (aka Posh Spice) literally becomes a product to purchase. Never mind the disembodied legs and suggestion of violence. Has she been killed and then put in the bag? or is she about to be taken home and put in the closet?

Accprding to a recent New York Times article, (more…)

Bitch, please.

aisaacs — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 03:13:57 +0000

The Devil Wears Prada meets a drill sergeant in this best-selling diet book, Skinny Bitch. Does that recipe sound unappealing to you, too?

Blech. It smacks of chick-lit friendly marketing with that totally hip touch of sass (read: swearing). So what is it really? A vegan diet book. Apparently it’s light on the recipes because it’s chock full of “tough-love for savvy girls”. Huh?

(more…)

Victoria’s Secret says they’re “too sexy”

Jennifer — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 23:51:45 +0000

Even the chief executive of Victoria’s Secret thinks the chain may be getting too sexy, according to an article on the Associated Press (AP) web site. This is probably a reaction to the fact that sales have been slipping. I must admit that a sly smile crept across my face as I absorbed that info. Sisters, there’s a major point about capitalism and consumer power here: If we don’t like the message a company is putting out, and we stop buying the product because of it, the company may change its message. Keep that one in mind.

On a personal note, in the last few years, walking by the super-sexed-up mannequins in the Victoria’s Secret windows make me so uncomfortable that I can’t walk in a mall with my brother, father, or uncle without my face turning red. Here’s a YouTube video of what those windows look like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b14hsnkJ7ls

The rich irony here is that (more…)

The Things We Must Endure

Jennifer — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:44:42 +0000

Since a fairly young age, I’ve traveled all over San Francisco by myself. And I’ve been lucky enough to be aware of what I should expect from being a girl who consistently uses public transportation. Not everyone will treat you respectfully, and when you’re stuck in an uncomfortable situation, the first thing to do is to simply walk away. I’m now 18 years old, and being harassed on the street has become so common for me that I choose to ignore the catcalling and quickly continue on to my next destination. But recently, I was waiting for the bus and a man chose to expose himself to me. Again, I decided to walk away. At that moment, I’ve never felt more violated or outraged toward a complete stranger. It baffles me that there are people in this world who think that it’s okay to treat someone as a sexual object. When my thoughts cross this topic, a question continues to come to mind: Why should we expect this to happen? How have we become to accustomed to this mistreatment?

Starting with that unfortunate experience, I decided to do a little experiment. (more…)

Much Ado(ration) About Emma

Alyza — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:08:27 +0000

I was Google-chatting with my good friend Rebecca the other day and we were rambling on about the Oscars. You know — our favorite dresses, favorite speeches, and so on. Out of the blue, she asks “Did you hear about Emma Thompson?” Apparently, Emma Thompson laid it down to the producers of her new movie Cassandra’s Dream when they asked Hayley Atwell to trim down her physique. Ms. Thompson used her leverage as a two-time Oscar winner and told the producers she would “resign from the film if they forced Atwell to lose weight.” Wow!

We’re hoping this story is true. Either way, we hope other high-powered celebrities heed this example of awesome-ship (of course, in an ideal world, this would never be an issue). After all, movies are supposed to be part of self-expression. When did this type of expression result in controlling women’s bodies?

–A.J.

Do It, Dove!

Alyza — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:53:59 +0000

Once again Dove has spoken to the hearts of About-Facers. Their latest “Onslaught” commercial tells parents to “talk to [their] daughters before the beauty industry does” after showing clip after clip of advertisements, commercials, etc. parodying messages given to girls and women every day (or more acurately, every minute) by the beauty industry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaH4y6ZjSfE

We hope you’re calling your daughter or sister or friend to tell her all about it. It’s wonderful to see an advertisement that doesn’t leave us feeling inadequate. Instead of telling us to get up and buy some product that will wipe out our bank accounts (not to mention our self-esteem), Dove tells us to take action and talk! Do it Dove. We hope you will keep it up!

–A.J.

Oh copyranter, I am tickled.

aisaacs — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:31:33 +0000

Bon mots abound in copyranter, a blog from an ad copywriter from NYC:

“Jugs missing Caps. Puppies missing Noses. Pillows missing Buttons. Boulders missing Crevices. Ad apparently from Mexico for Mia “seamless” lingerie. Is it a good ad? No. Why am I posting it? DUH—it’s sleazy, and I’ve got a reputation to uphold. Added note: the obvious implants contribute to the seamlessness and seaminess. related: WonderBra ad doesn’t show breasts, bra.” To see the NSFW (not safe for work), NSFL (not safe for life) ad, click here — but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Copyranter often strikes a note halfway between thoughtful and enraged, which, given the content of some of these ads, makes a lot of sense. I wouldn’t recommend reading his (yes, his) blog if you have a problem with profanity. However, the sheer volume of ads in the archives is worth checking out.

He also says, “In the 21st century, misogyny in advertising is still rampant, rampant, RAMPANT! You wanna know why? Because many, many ad agencies are still basically just boys’ club bastions with hardly a female writer or art director in sight. Women belong at home, supervising the Roomba!” Wow! How thoughtful. And correct.

– A.I.