AmazonFail: Outraged Consumers Get Creative With Their "Customer Images"

Oh, boy. This one has me hooked. If you haven't been following the spectacular AmazonFail debacle, you can read Jezebel's thorough overview of the situation to catch up. Basically, Amazon has just admitted to stripping the sales rankings from more than 57,000 book titles, rendering them invisible in many searches. A good number of those titles happen to have gay/lesbian themes, though the company's official statement released Monday evening assures consumers that books in many other categories were also de-ranked--including "health, mind and body, reproductive and sexual medicine, and erotica." Gee, thanks. That makes me feel much better.

While Amazon first claimed that this was a "glitch" and now a "catologing error," I think their language remains vague enough to leave room for the possibility that there were major loopholes in their tagging system that were neglected and possibly exploited. The result? A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality is now (as of writing this post) the first result returned when you search "homosexuality."

In a taste-of-your-own-medicine uprising, outraged Amazon users have come up with all kinds of awesomely creative tags for the new #1 gay and lesbian title, as well as some fun customer images! We got a few screen grabs:

While Twitter users were creating a coordinated firestorm, complete with calls to tag the hell out Amazon.com and Google bomb a new definition of Amazon Rank, Amazon was busy working on a lame statement they would (eventually) release to the Associated Press. I am sure they are still trying to get a handle on what happened, but their PR response was laughably behind the times--especially for an internet company. About as laughable as a load of dingo's kidneys.

Win It! Autographed Copy of RED: Teenage Girls Write On What Fires Up Their Lives Today

It irks me to no end when adults speculate about "what's going on with girls today" without ever bothering to ask girls what they think. That's why I'm such a big fan of Red: Teenage Girls Write On What Fires Up Their Lives Today. The book title says a lot about the writers in this collection. These girls are not pastel pink and cutesy--they are real, honest, and bold.

I'm giving away a copy, autographed by two of the writers published in Red. Enter here. The winner will be announced April 20th.

The winner of the most ridiculous Facebook ad EVER is...

What's on my mind? Glad you asked, Facebook. I'm confused enough by your new layout. Now I have to get my head around this madness? What is going on here, exactly? Apparently Jessica Simpson is attempting to "silence the critics" by standing proud with her oversized porn Twinkie. Talk about taking the cake.

Thumbs up on the oh-so-subtle use of Photoshop, though. Much more inspired than those muffin top ads.

Heard Enough About Michelle Obama's Arms? The New York Times Moves On to Her Hips

The world's fascination with the first lady's toned upper arms has been well-documented. Apparently it's time to move on. To her hips.

Marian Burros interviewed Michelle Obama for a New York Times piece called "Mrs. Obama Speaks Out About Her Household," which roughly translates to "Belts! Shoes! Diets! We Just Can't Stop Ourselves From Asking Mrs. Obama More Questions About Fashion and Her Body."

Burros writes:

The interview, which started out on the subject of the new White House vegetable garden, ended up ranging over a variety of household topics...

Because no interview about organic gardening is complete without a discussion of "household topics" like weight and trouble spots, of course. We have to wonder what question led to this:

The first lady said she was not naturally thin and, like most other people, had to exercise and watch what she eats.

“I have hips, and I have them covered up with these pleats,” she said, pointing to her Maria Pinto skirt.

To keep those hips from spreading, she said, she follows an exercise regimen of light weights, calisthenics, jump-rope and a cardiovascular routine that includes interval running.

Really, NYT? Really!?! "To keep those hips from spreading"? Is this paragraph going to be followed by a quiz to help us test our diet IQ? Should we keep reading for bathing suit styles that flatter every shape?

Actually, the article goes on to highlight Michelle Obama's attempts to instill healthy eating habits in her daughters. But we want to know more about how the Obamas are helping Sasha and Malia to develop healthy body image--especially when there is so much public scrutiny of their mother's body.

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

Sex, Lies and Photoshop

Have you seen this New York Times video op-ed about retouching? It's pretty compelling stuff, especially because the filmmaker got some working retouchers to admit that they do face an ethical dilemma in drastically "perfecting" images. Would it be less of a dilemma if the practice of retouching was openly acknowledged by the magazines and advertisers as part of the creative process?

Forever 21 Launches Plus-Size Line (and Forces Model to Wear an Embarrassing Hipster Headband)

Forever 21 has announced plans to launch a line of clothes in larger sizes, which will be in stores starting May 1st. The line is called Faith 21 (Hmmm, any connection to the bible verse printed on all their bags?) and will offer dresses and separates in size XL, 1X and 2X, and denim in up to a 34 (equivalent to size 14/16, which is hardly "plus" and more like "average").

The big question will be if F21 manages to pull off good fit with recession-friendly affordability. We're seeking some roving reporters who can give us the scoop on whether these "Faith" pieces are actually wearable. Drop us a line if you're interested. We promise we won't make you dress up like Pocahontas.