When Nike “re-issued” this ad with a racially ambiguous woman lauding her buttocks cyberspace was set aflame. Women were loving it posting it on Facebook and commenting on every and any site that posted the image. The original campaign was launch in 2005 with different graphic (just a booty was shown, there were versions with other body parts as well, shoulders, thighs etc.)
But the question is…is this new ad a fake? According to ad agency Wieden & Kennedy, it is not their work.
Why is Nike repeating a campaign from five years ago, word for word in the text, with only the image changed? Did the work come from longtime agency partner Wieden & Kennedy?
And where are the copy editors? The word “ambassador” is spelled “embassador” in the 2010 print ad.
So we called Wieden, which graciously got back to us in a matter of minutes with, “Uh, it ain’t our work.”
Nike media rep Derek Kent confirmed what we suspected: The ad’s a fake.
This morning E! News host Giuliana Rancic announced that she has just learned that she has early stage breast cancer. The discovery was made while she was in the process of undergoing in vitro fertilization for a third time in the hopes of having a baby.
the celebrity news show host previously suffered a miscarriage after eight weeks of pregnancy— Giuliana’s doctor suggested that she get a mammogram. While Giuliana initially rejected the idea, thinking, ‘I’m 36 years old, why do I need a mamogram?’ after her doctor’s insistence she went through with the screening — and that’s when her breast cancer was initially detected.
But Giuliana is staying positive, with the help of her husband Bill Rancic: “the best thing about Bill is he lets me cry when I want to cry,” she said. And although the diagnosis means that the couple will have to put their dreams of having a baby on hold, Giuliana isn’t giving up on adding a little one to her family, promising that the couple will try again once she overcomes her cancer.
“This baby will have saved my life,” she told Curry, speaking of her future child. Had Giuliana become pregnant before discovering her breast cancer, the baby coud have had a negative impact on the progression of the disease.
Where this is sad news it does put things in perspective. On a daily basis we judge our bodies, we get angry and frustrated with them for not being what we want them to be, either they are too much, or not enough, we want more of this and less of that, curlier hair, straight hair more hair (and less hair in some places). We diet, over eat, squeeze them into clothes and sizes that don’t feel good, we demand so much and in a way our bodies ask so little. On a base level when we are in fair health most of our bodies do their jobs, we breathe, eat, digest, eliminate, we move through or lives, getting from one place to the next almost with out thought (sometimes in shoes that don’t make it easy or comfortable) some of manage to take a yoga or Zumba class or go to the gym. We may bitch and complain that it is hard, and doesn’t seem to even work, but our hearts and lungs keep up with us none the less. When you think about how hard we are on ourselves being our bodies really is a thankless job, it works a hard as it can and yet nothing it seems to so is good enough. If our bodies were our partners, it would probably break up with us! And yet day after day it hangs in and does the best that it can even when we are not helping it by eating well, sleeping enough and giving it the mental support that it needs and deserves. It is not until something goes wrong that we realize that our bodies, in what ever form they take on, are indeed there for us.
Then there comes a time when we are desirous of something from our bodies, and for what ever reason it us unable to comply, whether losing or gaining weight, or having a baby. Suddenly we become acutely aware of the state of our bodies, we are thrust into a higher level of awareness, we watch what we are eating, make a concerted effort to exercise, or sleep, we seek support in various ways to get what we want (a doctor, trainer, therapist). Suddenly we are in an active dialogue with our bodies- we are in conversation, we are active listeners to what they are saying and trying to tell us. We start asking it what it needs, and working with it instead of cursing, blaming or berating it. Illness has the same effect, it makes us acutely aware of what we have not been doing or need to do in order to be restored. Illness also has the ability to create compassion, and appreciation and respect for all that bodies do for us on a daily basis. Suddenly we see that we are indeed blessed to have whatever we have regardless of whether or not we see it as perfect or what we want. By the way there is no perfect– not physically, however there is the feeling of being perfect, or being enough, whole, and complete.
I would like for all of us to take a moment to put things in perspective, we can start during this period of Breast Cancer Awareness month to appreciate our bodies, for all the work and support they offer us. Hopefully the month of awareness can be extended into a daily, constant state of being. When you have your health the rest is mud!!!
In this moment as our thoughts and support goes out to Ms. Rancic and all the other Women, people who are facing a health crisis take a moment to count our blessings and extend ourselves a bit of compassion….
When I was in middle school at Baldwin Academy for Girls the orthodontist, Hebrew School and Dance Lessons were the most common after school appointments that most of my friends took part in, (and if there was a four it would have been a music class of sorts). One of the other things that were popular were 3 procedures that most of the girls had one or all of: braces, having their ears pinned back, and nose jobs. I distinctly remember a number of the girls in my school coming back from Christmas break looking…well ever so slightly different an the nasal area. It was quite common, and almost never judged. So Why does this story make me feel a bit strange?
I think it has something to do with the reasons why this little girl has decided to “fix” her nose. She wants to get her nose fixed because she is being bullied. Now we all know that bullying has gotten an upgrade with the advancements in technology. Now the bullies’ words, and taunts travel far beyond the cafeteria, school bathroom or playground. They snake through the internet and are disseminated via text messages and have a momentum that once started is almost impossible to halt. Today being bullied is no doubt more embarrassing and painful as it is farther reaching. But it that a reason to augment one’s self? Or to allow your child to do so?
I have nothing against plastic surgery I truly don’t I do have some thoughts about the reasons why people opt for certain procedures. I know that changing your outsides will not change your insides, if you feel less than before you get you breasts done, that feeling will probably persist after the anesthesia and the newness of your implants wears off. I know that if you don’t come to some sort of acceptance of yourself one surgery will never be enough, you will always find something else that can be just a bit better. I know that happiness and comfort with one’s self cannot be bought. That having been stated I do believe that there are somethings that nag you, and distract you, and if you can just get rid of them or repair, it would be a non issue. That Pooch on the belly that won’t go away even though you have dieted and worked out like a demon, maybe your body would be more balanced with a bit more on top, or that bump on your nose is just irritating, maybe you feel much younger than you look and erasing crow’s feet would help your insides match your outsides. I get it. I say go for it. But when you are doing it to please someone else, or in the hopes of some reaction outside of yourself you might be setting yourself up for more disappointment.
This young girl, is fixing her nose so that she won’t be teased about it any more. Ok, well what if they decide to pick on her lips, her weight, (she is very thin) or the color of her eyes what then? Surgery in this case isn’t the answer to the problem. I completely understand her parents not wanting her to suffer, but giving people – mean people the power to make you change yourself to be left alone isn’t empowering and might be sending this young lady the wrong message. What happens when a boyfriend thinks she breast aren’t large enough? or her behind is too flat? Does it say if people don’t like you, change? If people talk about you, conform. When and how does this young lady learn to stand in her Self? When does she learn that she is enough, not broken, possibly flawed but perfect even still? How will she gain the power and strength to tell someone “If you don’t like the way I look don’t look at me!”
Growing up is messy and painful, hell being an adult is messy and painful and ultimately we are a product of what we survive. It is not easy but it is a truth that “What doesn’t kill you strengthens you” and that all the horrors of your childhood do build character in so far as it informs your choices, the way you react and respond to like situations when you are an adult.
This young lady has a lot of lessons still ahead of her and I have no doubt that the choice to have the surgery will have just as poignant a message as if she had not had it, but I can’t help feeling like on some level those bullies won this battle…
What do you think?
Hosted by Huffington Post
Earlier this year, ABC news reported that plastic surgery to avoid being bullied was on the rise, and that in 2007 alone, around 90,000 teens went under the knife.
After enduring online harassment and name-calling multiple times a week because of the shape of her nose, Nicolette Taylor, a 13 year-old from Long Island decided to take drastic action: plastic surgery, Nightline reported.
Although Taylor accepted teasing as a normal and unavoidable part of growing up, to her, social networking sites like Facebook made it 10 times worse.
Read full article here
The November issue of O (Oprah Magazine) has just been released. And our own Katie Halchishick – co-founder of Healthy is the New Skinny and the Perfectly Unperfected Project – anchors an 8-page section on beauty and body image with a photo destined to be an iconic image. Shot by famed photographer Matthew Rolston, Katie stands naked (the first nude in O history), holding an equally bare Barbie doll. Dotted lines, of the sort that might be made by a cosmetic surgeon (or a photo editor preparing a retouch), cover Katie, indicating what would have to be cut away in order for her to have Barbie’s body.
It’s a striking photo. There’s something revolutionary about a naked plus-size model. Think how often this image from French Elle of Tara Lynn has been reblogged – and remember the reaction to this famous Lizzie Miller photo in Glamour? What sets the O photo apart is the powerful reminder of how far even such a gorgeous model as Katie falls short of an unattainable ideal.
The article that follows the image includes the fascinating results of a survey of O magazine readers in their teens – and in their 60s. There’s some encouraging news: older women report having better body image, though not by as great a margin as some might expect. But when asked for one adjective that described how they felt about how they looked, “grateful” was the most popular choice for women over 60. “Self-conscious” was the clear winner for the teen girls. And we’re troubled – though not surprised – that while older women listed “staying healthy” as their number one reason to exercise, “losing weight” was the top choice for their younger counterparts.
But next to Katie’s picture, the highlight of the issue is a “Dear Every Woman” letter from novelist Amy Bloom. Here are a couple of excerpts we loved:
You cannot be a healthy person, let alone hope for healthy children, if you sigh and moan every time you encounter your own image, eat a cookie, or see an airbrushed model on a billboard. Even if it amounts to wholesale pretending, go pretend. Walk around pretending to be a woman who likes her body… Because every step toward self-love you take, and every inch of confidence you give someone’s daughter, makes the world a better place….
You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful.
ESPN is previewing photos, videos, and interviews from the magazine’s third annual “The Body Issue,” which arrives on newsstands Friday, October 7. Over 20 athletes will appear naked, with their private parts strategically covered, as part of the issue titled “Bodies we Want.”
“This is an issue in the short time we’ve been doing it that’s become pretty anticipated,” ESPN The Magazine editor-in-chief Chad Millman told TV Guide. “In terms of the athletes we’ve attracted, we feel like the group is really strong.”
Athletes posing in the nude for the “Bodies we Want 2011” photo gallery include: U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo, Chicago Sky Center Sylvia Fowles, Olympic gymnast Alicia Sacramone, Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers, Steve Jackson of the St. Louis Rams, and track and field star Natasha Hastings, among others.
What do the athletes have to say about their bodies and their decisions to pose in the nude for ESPN The Magazine “The Body Issue?” We take you inside for a preview of ESPN The Magazine “The Body Issue” where the athletes talk about posing for “Bodies We Want 2011,” their insecurities, and feeling self-conscious.
Sylvia Fowles, Chicago Sky Center, WNBA: “My legs have gotten bigger. You’ll think I’m cocky, but I’m totally infatuated with my legs now. They are just big, healthy and toned.”
Stephanie Gilmore, Four-Time World Surfing Champ: “When I was growing a lot (I’m 5-foot-10), I was worried I’d be too tall to surf. I thought it would be a disadvantage. But I’ve really embraced it and realized that my height is actually a benefit. I probably get more strength in my paddling and pushing up through my maneuvers. It’s an advantage to be tall, athletic and powerful.”
Suzy Hotrod, Co-Captain of Team USA Roller Derby: “I like that I have a strong rear end — you can hit people with it, play defense with it, and you don’t hurt your tailbone when you fall. It’s really an ‘ass-et’ in Roller Derby.”
Alicia Sacramone, Gymnast, Team USA: I’m really not that flexible. When I do my jumps for gymnastics, I only get into those positions because I’m relatively strong. It has nothing to do with flexibility. I can do splits and touch my toes, but for a gymnast, I can barely move. It’s always been a struggle… I watch little girls with envy doing this and think, “God, I wish I could do that.”
Hope Solo, Goalkeeper, U.S. National Team and WPS magicJack: “Growing up, I felt insecure about my build. I didn’t feel very feminine. But as time went on, I learned to completely embrace my body. It’s helped me attain all my dreams and goals. I didn’t have an issue posing nude, because now I see my body as empowering.”
Vera Zvonareva, Ranked No. 3 on the Women’s Tennis Tour: “Everyone has to overcome something. You won’t find any professional athlete who doesn’t feel pain somewhere. It’s part of our job, part of our lives. You just accept it.”
I totally love what each woman had to say about how she felt about her body. There is an irony in the issue being called “the bodies we want” and the fact that the women reveal their personal insecurities, as well as how they have come to levels of acceptance and appreciation not only for the way their bodies look, but how they function is moving. It goes to show that regardless of whether or not you have a body that “Everyone wants” or not you still have your personal issues living in you skin. These women are beautiful, powerful, sexy and inspiring. Not only are their bodies works of art, but they are so highly performing which rocks!
This is highly inspirational. Singer Actress and Jenny Craig spokesperson Jennifer Hudson has announced plans to open her own Jenny Craig Center in her hometown of Chicago. Not only has the program transformed the performer, her success has inspired her family members to get in on the act, they have their own Jenny Craig commercial running where they talk about how Hudson’s weight loss inspired them to get on the plan.
Now t’ruth be told, I am sure that there is a great deal of money to be made from having a celebrity driven Jenny Craig Center but I also think that Jennifer Hudson authentically had a life altering experience and wants to share that information with people. I think it’s great. Hudson had mentioned that before becoming famous she had never thought of herself as overweight because all of the women in her family looked like her. She was fine with her size, and her body because it was her norm. It wasn’t until she was placed in the spotlight and being photographed, having fittings and working with stylists that she began to understanding the importance and benefits of being a “sample size” in the entertainment industry. She was a perfect fit for the weight loss brand, which led to the endorsement, and introduction to not only a healthier, well portioned diet, but an exercise regimen that brought her to a healthier lifestyle and as a by-product a smaller dress size. If she can bring this possibility to the women of Chicago more power to her!!!
Rumor had it that she had always wanted a lift and she wanted to improve her bustline for hubby JoelMadden, 32. “The pregnancies took a toll. She said breast-feeding killed what boobs she did have!” –Us Magazine
I have to say that they look great. I have had friends who have breastfeed and some of them their breasts are unscathed while others are left deflated (all for a great cause but still) so I get it, I always said that if I had a child and breastfeed and my girls were left looking a bit weepy, then I would totally be in line for a breast job. I think that what she got was tasteful and realistic, they look like her own just fluffier!
Well the L’Oreal reverse Snookie machine as struck again. Frida Pinto’s new add for the ironically named “Colors” eyeshadow was just debuted and it looks like a white wash. Some are saying that the caramel colored starlet’s complexion was “brightened” such that she looks like a white woman.
In case you don’t recall, Pinto is the Indian beauty that starred in Slumdog Millioniare.
I have to say Pinto is not super brown to begin with, she is in the Halle Berry or Padma Lakshmi range of brown which is kinda like, if you throw enough light on them you can all but wash out their color, add to that the fact that it is standard to “brighten” photographs in photoshop. Don’t ask me why but almost every photoshopped before and after placed side by side the after is lighter. So I don’t know if it’s L’Oreal purposely lightening skin tones or a by-product of photo shopping that makes everything lighter. But catch this, it is not the first time that the make up company has been accused of whitewashing, there was of course Beyonce Skingate, remember the Ferria ad?
Way to make a Coco girl look pale…
The bigger question is why? Why hire a brown girl to represent a product if you are going to all but erase her ethnicity? Women of color all over the world battle the color issue- there are African women using bleaching creams, Indian girls are told to stay out of the sun or else they will get too dark, and even Japanese women are often told not to “tan” for fear of getting too dark. Color bias is not something new (certainly not here in the States) Light is Right has long been a painfully true phrase used in the African American community to comment on light skinned privilege, (our version of White skinned privilege). Black women have been plagued with the reality that being lighter skinned with “good hair” means that you are “more beautiful” and makes it easier to “advance” whether in getting a man, a job or even becoming and entertainer. Director Bill Duke has documented the experiences of the psychological effects of being dark skinned in the Film Dark Girls. So when a major make up brand chooses to use a woman of color as a representative it is a big deal. It’s like FINALLY! It says “You see us, you see our beauty” which ultimately translates to “Yes we will start to buy your product”. Albeit when the print add comes out, and the billboard looms, and you have to do a double take to ask yourself “Why does so-and so look so light?” it makes you shake your head. You feel a bit hook winked, you thought they really wanted a woman of color to represent their product, when really their brand only wanted the name recognition, or wanted to create the appearance that they are trying to accommodate you. You really feel bamboozled when you go looking for the product and (if you are browner than coffee with a splash of skim milk) you are s**t out of luck. Wait, to be fair most cosmetic (white) companies have broadened their complexion ranges to include darker tones- but truth be told to get an authentic tone in a foundation or powder most darker skinned women still have to turn to their own for a flawless match (Iman cosmetics are brilliant- and truthfully MAC is great too!).
However it’s not just cosmetic companies that work the reverse Snookie, magazine covers are big on lightening cover girls
Halle Berry – lightened for “Bazaar”.
This is Kelli’s album cover…
To add insult to injury- this is Uptown Magazine paled up actress Sanna Lathan
So what does this say to women of color who are truly, unmistakably brown? Are we still not enough- or in this case too much? True there are white models and celebrities who are lightened for covers, and ads so should we feel like this is a conspiracy or is this just a reflection of a societal belief about beauty (lighter, blonder, thinner is better) being highlighted? All I know is that as a woman of color, it really doesn’t help matters, and I would like to say that it does not encourage me to buy the products… What do you think?
All ladies with Afros beware, TSA might think you are pulling an old school Foxy Brown and are concealing a gun in your hair. A few weeks ago I heard stories of Black women who had their natural hair patted down and searched while going through airport security and I was astonished. I wear an Afro at times and it has never happened to me, but then again why would it, what could a person put in an Afro that could be a security risk? What it really makes me wonder is who got something through in their hair that put ‘fros on the radar? check out Isis Brantley’s story of being chased down after passing the security check point only to have her hair fondled! Sista’s with “fros beware!
Creating a healthier body image through Acceptance, Appreciation and Respect
When Nike “re-issued” this ad with a racially ambiguous woman lauding her buttocks cyberspace was set aflame. Women were loving it posting it on Facebook and commenting on every and any site that posted the image. The original campaign was launch in 2005 with different graphic (just a booty was shown, there were versions with other body parts as well, shoulders, thighs etc.)
This is Kelli’s album cover…
