Breaking Down Beauty Commercials: What Advertisers Don't Tell You

From the fake eyelashes in mascara ads to the "secret" ingredient in Proactiv, this parody takes on the beauty biz and its empty promises.

"What If Beauty Ads Told the Truth?"
via Jezebel

Model-made Documentary 'Picture Me' Reveals the Shady Side of the Fashion Industry

Model Sara Ziff and her then-boyfriend Ole Schell started filming a video diary a few years ago. As their interviews with other models, designers and fashion insiders began to reveal some ugly truths about the industry, they decided to turn their footage into a feature. Picture Me is now making the rounds on the festival circuit and is picking up a lot of buzz along the way.

In an interview with The Guardian, Ziff explains that young, aspiring models are caught up in a system where intense competition combined with a lack of support and supervision creates a recipe for exploitation. "Vulnerable girls are being put into a potentially predatory environment," says Ziff. "What's in the agency's interest is not always best for the girl, and if she's in a compromising situation, she doesn't necessarily have anyone to turn to."

In one scene of the film, model Sena Cech desribes her experience of being coerced to perform a sex act on a photographer. According to Ziff, these incidents are rampant in the industry. Unfortunately, they are rarely discussed.

"It doesn't happen in front of anyone. It happens in the dark recesses," she says. "Pretty much every girl I have talked to has a story like it, but no one talks about it. It's all under the radar because people are embarrassed and because the people in the industry who are doing these things are much more powerful, and the model is totally disposable. She could be gone in two years."

Unlike actors, models do not have the protection of a union. Sure, there are still plenty of shady goings-on in Hollywood casting offices. But there also strict on-the-job regulations for child actors. Even though a 14-year-old model might be treated like she's older, she is still a child.

"Sara Ziff talks to Louise France about the world of teen modelling" [Guardian]
"Model/Actress Ponderings"

Dear World, It's Me, A Girl

Girls Inc. launched its "Dear World" campaign with the goal of encouraging girls to speak their minds and share their own experiences. Watch this ad to see the campaign in action. The spot is a finalist in the 2009 DoGooder TV Best Nonprofit Video Awards. If you want to help make it a winner, you can vote here in the short-form category.

You can watch all the finalist videos at DoGooder TV, including spots from Step Up Women's Network, Campus Progress, and others. The deadline to vote is April 25th.

cross-posted here.

Handsome Boy Modeling School

Remember Chris Elliot's show Get a Life? Here we see Sparkles the male model as he's set up to be the "before" shot for a health drink. And just when he starts to really feel the vibe of the shoot, the photographer asks him to do things they never warned him about at Handsome Boy Modeling School. Watch and learn everything you need to know about the modeling industry.

Thanks to Dixie for the tip!

Related: Bigger, Stronger, Faster: The Side Effects of Being an American

Stick It In Your Ear! Sarah Haskins Does Diets

Happy New Year!

Fabricating Beauty--It's More Than Just Retouching

I attended a Dove self-esteem workshop for teens last night featuring the amazing Jess Weiner and Courtney Martin. They showed this video, which was developed by the UK eating disorders organization, beat. What I love about it (besides the cute British boy who gets a goth makeover) is that it addresses the many different ways fashion and beauty images are manipulated. Of course retouching is in the mix, but they also break down other tricks of the trade. Watch for a model's clothes being pinned and lighting changes that produce entirely different effects.