Hey Dude, I'm All Yours. Use Me
Feminist Naomi Wolf says that the beauty myth isn't good for men or women. "It prevents (men) from actually seeing women...in suggesting a vision in place of a woman, it has a numbing effect, reducing all sense but the visual..."
That is, perhaps, one of the most poignent statements regarding the numbification of society because of marketing images portraying impossible-to-achieve beauty and the representation of women as playthings. Granted, marketers are never going to show an ugly slob in an ad because no one wants to see a slob and we all aspire to something greater. But if all we see are unachievable representations of ourselves then certain unhealthy illusions of self are sure to emerge.
About Face, whose mission is "to promote positive self-esteem in girls and women of all ages, sizes, races and backgrounds through a spirited approach to media education, outreach and activism," examines the portrayal of women, specifically, in advertising and comments on how damaging the images can be to the phsyche of consumers. Part of the site has a list of the top ten marketers who, in the opinion of About Face, damage society through their imagery of women advertising.
Today, Barnes and Noble announced to staff that it would no longer financialy support the bi-monthly "Book" magazine. Staff has been laid off. Via The Kicker.
"Women Should Be Proud of Their Big Breasts," Says Love-Hewitt
In a nod to curvaceous women everywhere, Jennifer Love Hewitt has launched a line of clothing that both supports and accentuates the figures of large breasted women. The line is intended to enhance rather than minimize god-given assets.
Love-Hewitt says, "If you have big breasts like I do, your design choices are limited. You're either stuck with stuff that's too tight and hurts because your boobs get squashed or you end up with baggy styles that hang out over your boobs and make you look fat. My new 'Enhance' line of clothing is designed to do just that - provide women with clothes that both enhance big curves as well as provide proper support for larger breasts. Let's face it, big breasts are heavy and it gets very painful when gravity is pulling them downward. "
Love-Hewitt says the idea for the new line came to her when she and a friend where trying on clothes together in a store a year ago, "She's huge. She has to wear this huge bra. It's like a harness. She can never find ay clothes that fit. She's constantly bulging out of her bra and clothes. I'm not as big as her but I still have trouble finding clothes that fit and I said there has to be a better way."
Love-Hewitt consulted with Shoshonna Lonstien, another very curvaceous woman with her own line of clothing for women with curves, and decided to launch "Enhance". The line will include specially designed bras and tops sold in cup sizes from D up to K as well as the more fun fashions shown in the accompanying picture. She hopes the line will "give women the courage to take that baggy t shirt off and show the world what they've got."
Acknowledging the trend towards larger breasts among younger girls coupled with earlier development, Love-Hewitt is also launching a Youth version of "Enhance" for tweens and teens struggling with early and larger than normal development. "Girls are very self conscious about their figures," says Love-Hewitt, "and I want this line of clothing to help them to build their confidence and to be proud of the bodies they have." It's not clear though how well received the cleavage enhancing designs will be to parents and teachers.
The line will be supported with an ad campaign set to launch before the Holidays and will include print, radio and billboards.
"Big breasts are beautiful. I have them and I love them. Most big breasted women would too if they only had clothes that properly supported the added weight." (J...as in joke, parody. There is no JLH clothing line for big breasted women though, from the number of comments here, maybe JLH should launch a line. Jennifer?)
Yesterday, tuna-fish challenged Jessica Simpson was spotted touring the Chicken of the Sea plant and the company would like her to become their advertising spokesperson. Apparently, Chicken of the Sea wants to clear up any misunderstanding about what exactly Chicken of the Sea is.
"We wanted to bring her down and make sure she understood the difference, and told her the story of how the brand name originated," Chicken of the Sea senior vice president of marketing Don George said Monday. He said he would love to talk with Simpson about her becoming a company spokeswoman.
Maybe Jim Perdue should invite Jessica to appear in commercials with him so she can finally imprint the differences between chicken and tuna inside that fog filled head of hers. The breast jokes alone would be worth it.
