I admit it. I love online and catalogue shopping. The comfort, the convenience — it’s the best of window shopping without all those annoying fellow shoppers and salespeople. Lately, however, I’ve been noticing something a little odd about catalogue models (Don’t even get me started on the amount of Photoshop used); a large population of them… Continue Reading →
Levi’s ass-inine idea of equality
ASS. Got your attention, didn’t I? I’m guessing Levi’s was pretty proud of the final tagline for their new Curve ID jeans: “All asses were not created equal.” Nothing makes you do a double-take like the blatant use of “ass” in advertising, right? But I digress. The real story behind the company’s latest ad campaign… Continue Reading →
“Elle” makes a mockery of Gabourey Sidibe’s cover girl moment
What do you call a top fashion magazine that features a plus-sized African American actress on its cover? Progressive? Revolutionary? If you’ve read recent Internet reports of Gabourey Sidibe’s October Elle cover, you might call it “racist,” “offensive,” or, as Salon puts it, “a weird fetishization that borders on patronizing.” Allow me to explain. In… Continue Reading →
The skinny on “skinny” products
The following post was written by 16-year-old About-Face supporter Haley: I think I can speak for most girls my age when I say that my generation is an impressionable one. Knowing this, companies constantly bombard us with manipulative ads and products that make us feel worse about ourselves than we already do. Take skinny jeans,… Continue Reading →
Gallery of Winners: Title Nine asks, “Where are you your own best self?”
Questions to Consider: * What are these images selling? * Who is the target audience? * How does Title Nine want us to feel about these women? About ourselves? What We Think: There really aren’t enough catalogs that feature strong, active, happy women. Not only does Title Nine feature positive images of active women, the… Continue Reading →
Gallery of Offenders: Victoria’s Secret: Passive Seduction.
Questions to Consider: * How is the woman in this image presented? * What body parts are most emphasized in this image? * What product is this image selling? * Who is the intended audience? What We Think: This image is problematic because the woman is posed provocatively, with the intention of being a passive… Continue Reading →
Gallery of Offenders: An Appalling (lack of) Apparel
Questions to Consider: * What product is this ad selling? * Why would American Apparel use a semi-nude model to sell clothes? * Who is this ad’s intended audience? What We Think: “Oh, hi! You caught me completely by surprise as I lay here topless, staring vacantly into the camera. But while we’re here,… Continue Reading →
Gallery of Offenders: Diesel tells all to “Be Stupid.”
Questions to Consider: * What is this ad saying about women? About men? * What kind of action or attitude is this ad encouraging? * What product is this ad selling? What We Think: In this ad, Diesel is encouraging women to take actions that would gain them the title of “having the balls.” I… Continue Reading →
Designers won’t think outside the sample size to dress Christina Hendricks
Yes, I’m on a Christina Hendricks kick. Can you blame me? Just a few days after my last post on the “Mad Men” star and some supposed Photoshopping shenanigans, Christina strutted down the Emmy Awards red carpet Sunday. While it may have been tough to notice anything other than the ravishing redhead’s um, assets (which… Continue Reading →