Vaseline's Facebook app invites Indian men to try a lighter look.
Judging by Hollywood (and “Jersey Shore”),
many Americans covet nothing more than the perfect tan. Imagine a Facebook application that allowed these tanning enthusiasts to tint their pasty profile pictures with
a faux bronze glow.
No big deal? Now imagine a similar app inviting Indian men to lighten their skin.
If you just uncomfortably shifted in your seat, took offense, or spat an expletive at your computer screen, you’re not alone.
Vaseline’s new skin-lightening app for Facebook users in India is causing a ton of controversy. Created to promote Vaseline Men UV Whitening Body Lotion, the company argues the app is a harmless exploration of their new product. (more…)
August 5th, 2010
Sophia thinks Urban Outfitters should have known better than to tell us to "Eat Less."
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Sophia Bush (“One Tree Hill”) isn’t about to fall prey to any warped body image messages, and she doesn’t think you should either.
The actress recently took to her blog to rant about Urban Outfitters’ offensive “Eat Less” t-shirt. Here’s what she had to say:
Ladies! This is OUTRAGEOUS. I hope none of you will stand for being told such a thing, in such a way. Being healthy, eating right, and staying active is one thing. Being told to starve yourselves by a fashion company? Not cool.
UO,
I have been a supporter of your store for many years, but now I’m through.
I am fortunate enough to star on a wonderful TV show called “One Tree Hill.” I play a fashion designer named Brooke Davis, who started a campaign on the show called “Zero Is Not A Size” and the outpouring of love and gratitude that came my way from girls and women ALL OVER THE WORLD who have body image issues brought me to tears.
(more…)
August 3rd, 2010
Blame it on the alcohol. Or the insanely sexist media messages seen in this guy's video.
blamed it on the alcohol.
About-Face fan Elizabeth Dodd blames it on pervasive sexist viewpoints in the media.
Jamie has the honor of gracing our Gallery of Offenders, and Liz thinks there are plenty of others in the spotlight who deserve to join him.
Read what the New Zealander has to say about show business chauvinism:
(more…)
August 3rd, 2010
Looking for somewhere to vacation this summer? How about Charlotte, North Carolina, recently named “America’s Manliest City”?
I’m sure it’s a lovely place, but the title drives me crazy. The Manliest City Competition, created by snack company Combos, is a great example of how our society uses labels like “manliness” and “girliness” to define acceptable behavior based on gender.
Let’s take a look at the Manliest City Competition criteria. Cities were ranked more manly based on such factors as:
1. The number of home improvement stores
2. The number of steak houses and power tools per capita, and
3. Manly occupations, including firefighters, construction workers, police officers, and EMT personnel.
July 29th, 2010
A model shows off MAC and Rodarte's Juarez-inspired makeup collection.
Whether it’s a case of thinking way too far outside the box, or a cheap attempt to shock and awe makeup junkies, MAC Cosmetics has managed to seriously cross the line.
Collaborating with high-fashion label Rodarte, MAC recently unveiled plans to release a makeup collection in September based on life in the border town of Juarez, Mexico.
Just a little trivia about Juarez: it’s not exactly the picturesque tourist trap that typically inspires beauty trends. Besides being home to hundreds of multinational corporation-owned factories, the city is also known as a veritable murder capital.
At the center of Mexico’s drug wars, Juarez’s violence-related death toll is set to reach 6,000 by the end of the month. Hundreds of these homicide victims have been women traveling to and from their job sites.
Call me crazy, but these facts somehow don’t rouse my desire for a new shade of blush.
But let’s go back to the beginning. Last year, Sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the designing duo behind Rodarte, took a road trip to the town and based their fall collection on the multitudes of female workers making their way to factory jobs in the middle of the night.
The Mulleavys slapped a sexy name on the laborers (“sleepwalkers”) and whipped up a line of ethereal garments based on their nocturnal procession.
As I previously mentioned, there’s a bit of a problem with this dreamy vision (Besides the fact that it’s grossly exploitative to produce high-end fashion designs “inspired” by workers trudging to factory jobs at midnight). Many of the thousands killed in Juarez have been the very “sleepwalkers” Rodarte claims as their muses.
To be fair, fashion is art and art can be controversial, but who in their right minds thought it would be a great idea to get MAC involved and spew out some inappropriately-named cosmetics? (more…)
July 27th, 2010
These are Manolo Blahnik torture devices.
Check out this great article by Lisa Hix on the Collectors Weekly web site, Our Bodies, Our Stilettos. Did you know that “initially, high-heeled shoes helped keep women, who were seen as irrational and frivolous, powerless”? Thank you for this wonderful historical context. Personally, I can’t deal with high heels, let alone stilettos, because
1. I like to walk fast — as fast as men, and if they’re really slow bastards, faster.
2. Sometimes I need to run for a bus, and I’d really rather not be hobbled, stupid-looking, and injured doing that.
3. I’m totally hot without them.
4. I dislike “Sex and the City” and do not want to pay it homage.
5. I find that high heels are modern-day torture devices for women.
I’m not gonna tell anyone else to wear or do, but short girls, I really don’t believe you when you say you have to wear them because you’re short.
So there.
– Jennifer
July 23rd, 2010
Margaret mugs for the camera
“I didn’t mean to be a role model,” says Margaret Cho. “I just speak my truth.”
Well Margaret’s truth is blunt, brazen, and hilarious, and anyone who’s seen the comedian in action can attest to her role-model-worthiness.
From her humble beginnings in San Francisco to her current mega-success with the TV show “Drop Dead Diva” and her upcoming comedy album Cho Dependent, Margaret’s racked up a lot of life experience. While she’s had her ups and downs with body image and self-esteem, it looks like Margaret has finally emerged on top. And whether or not she considers herself a role model, we sure do.
Check out our interview with the insanely talented star:
(more…)
July 22nd, 2010
Pamela Anderson's latest "political protest"
Was PETA neglected as a child? Was it deprived of attention as a young, burgeoning organization?
Why else would poor PETA feel the need to keep crying out for help by flaunting its half-naked celebrity supporters in compromising, often-sexist positions? To save the animals? Nah…
Once again, the ever-demure, painfully shy Pamela Anderson is causing a ruckus by baring her body in a controversial ad for the organization. Imagine!
Pam recently traveled to Canada and managed to piss off the world’s most notably polite population with her new poster for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). The ad features the critically acclaimed actress (seriously, she was brilliant in Borat) in a skimpy bikini and marked up like a butcher’s diagram.
To clear up any confusion regarding where Anderson’s most prized possessions are located, her parts are clearly labeled with helpful tags like “breast,” “leg,” and “rump” while the ad declares, “All Animals Have the Same Parts.”
Truly effective advertising, right? Aren’t you flooded with inspiration to go out and treat animals ethically? (Because if you need further motivation, check out last year’s thought-provoking, compassionate plea from PETA to “Save the Whales.” After all, who says campaigns should be tasteful and intelligent? Oh, most people? Nevermind then…)
In any case, officials weren’t so touched by the new poster’s wholesome message. Authorities denied Pam a permit to unveil the ad at a Montreal event, deeming the image sexist. An official explained, “It is not so much controversial, as it goes against all principles public organizations are fighting for in the everlasting battle of equality between men and women.”
Well, snap.
You’ve gotta hand it to that eloquent, anonymous authority. There really isn’t anything contentious about a stripped-down former “Baywatch” star seeking attention (I’m looking at you, David Hasselhoff). But the absence of controversy doesn’t translate to an inoffensive result.
PETA’s senior vice president Dan Matthews proclaimed, “I think that city officials are confusing ‘sexy’ with ‘sexist.’” Touche, Mr. Matthews. Because really, who doesn’t find a woman seductively emulating a slab of meat sexy (barring frat boys, perverts and lunchmeat enthusiasts)? (more…)
July 20th, 2010
A few t-shirt designs from the PinkStinks online store.
Majora Carter. Janine Benyus. Maggie Aderin-Pocock. Ever heard of them?
Probably not. But besides embodying change and breaking down gender barriers, these women all have one thing in common: they’ve been featured as role models by PinkStinks, a British organization that provides young girls with alternatives to media messages.
By promoting real role models, Ema and Abi Moore–the sisters and founders of PinkStinks–encourage girls to feel good about themselves without needing to being rich, famous, beautiful, and fake. To the Moore siblings, the culture of “pink” is more than the color: it is a message that puts girls in boxes and limits them from reaching their full potential.
As for the role models they pick, women like Carter, Benyus and Aderin-Pocock move beyond the “pink” message.
Carter is an environmentalist who founded the Sustainable South Bronx Organization, Benyus is a science writer and president of the Biomimicry Institute, while Dr. Aderin-Pocock has a doctorate in mechanical engineering and makes handheld mine detectors and optical systems for the James Webb Space Telescope. Slightly more inspiring than the female role models the celebrity-obsessed world typically glorifies, right? (more…)
July 15th, 2010
The comic contemplates her next revolutionary move in "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work."
She’s nipped, tucked, Botoxed, and damn proud of it.
So maybe Joan Rivers is a less-than-likely representative of female empowerment, but the woman has certainly made her mark. The new documentary, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work examines a year in the life of the legendary comic, and I certainly got more than I bargained for from the indie flick. Like a new role model, for instance.
Sure, many people know Joan more for the ever-progressing plasticity of her face, but the 77-year-old has been cracking jokes and offending the masses for half a century. Whether or not you care for her current repertoire (she’s lately been known to pick on celebs like Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus via Twitter), A Piece of Work underscores the impact Rivers had on a previously prudish American audience.
Regarding one of her earlier risqué routines featured in the film, Rivers said,
I was the first one to discuss abortion, and it was very rough…And I couldn’t even say the word “abortion”…And by making jokes about it, you brought it into a position where you could look at it and deal with it. It was no longer something that you couldn’t discuss and had to whisper about. When you whisper about something, it’s too big and you can’t get it under control and take control of it.
Say what you will about the woman, but bringing an issue like abortion to the forefront of America’s consciousness in the ‘60s was pretty courageous. (more…)
July 13th, 2010
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