At About-Face, we are boycotting the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which airs tonight on CBS. We’re joining in with the awesome women at Beauty Redefined, who are starting the boycott. Here’s something I still find kind of embarrassing: Victoria’s Secret was a key ingredient in the damaging of my body image as a teenager. I… Continue Reading →
Dov Charney, American Apparel face sexual harassment lawsuits
Warning: This post may be triggering for those sensitive to issues surrounding sexual assault. Why am I still writing about Dov Charney? In the past three weeks, five former employees have filed two sexual harassment lawsuits against Dov, the founder of American Apparel. The young women accuse him of engaging in a variety of inappropriate… Continue Reading →
Megan Fox is “frustrated” by her body. Emporio Armani is not.
You’re supposed to be looking at her underwear. Granted, you may have been momentarily distracted. The pronounced hunch, the countable vertebrae, the concave abdomen — there’s a lot going on. But if you ask Emporio Armani, Megan Fox is just doing a really great job of modeling their underwear. Ask her trainer, Harley Pasternak, and… Continue Reading →
Pepsi introduces “the skinny can” for Fashion Week
Skinny sells. Or at least that’s what Pepsi hopes. Perhaps trying to keep up with Super Bowl ad sexism, Pepsi plans to unveil their new “Skinny Can” during New York Fashion Week “in celebration of beautiful, confident women.” Because, you know, beauty and confidence are only found in slim packages.
Not Laughing at Sexist Gag Gifts
Nothing says “Merry Christmas!” like an offensive, sexist gift. I’m a big fan of weird novelty and gag products. On my desk at work, I have a miniature replica of my own office, made from Cubes figurines. At home, I’ve got Fighting Grandads wind-up toys and ice cube trays that make icebergs and the Titanic… 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 →
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: A New Line of Proactiv Women.
Questions to Consider: * What is this ad selling? * What does it mean to not be a pushover? * What does “proactive” mean? * How does this ad make you feel? What We Think: Proactiv’s new campaign has a series of ads with different female celebrities and captions like “I’m no pushover. I’m… Continue Reading →
Gallery of Winners: Kotex Tells It Like It Is.
“U by Kotex: So Obnoxious” TV commercial “U by Kotex: Reality Check” TV commercial Questions to Consider: * Is Kotex’s commentary about other tampon commercials accurate? * In what ways does this commercial raise awareness about how manipulative commercials can be? (And is this commercial an exception?) * How does Kotex want you to feel… Continue Reading →