I absolutely adore Michelle Obama and so once I’ve mastered her iconic style as detailed in this Guardian video, I’m wondering where I can go to find my very own Barack Obama. Hmmmm
Yesterday I went to a casting to be in a Dove commercial. I’d received the invite a few weeks earlier and totally ignored. Then last week, I got another invite. And since I was going to be in the city on the date of the casting, decided to attend. I figured, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Surprisingly, there weren’t that many other women there. And the audition didn’t take all that long — I just had to pose for a few pictures.
So will I get picked for the all expense paid plus fees shoot mid June in Prague? Well while it would be great, not really counting on it. But I do like the fact that I even got the opportunity. And I suppose it’s one of the reasons why I use Dove quite regularly. Since they launched the worldwide Dove Campaign for Real Beauty back in 2004, they stopped using actresses and models in their advertisements. Now just confident women who have embraced their bodies’ flaws and all. It was a bold step back then and even today since so many brands continue to put forward a false image of beauty that is often unattainable as what is presented is retouched and airbrushed.
Thus, props to Dove for continuing to use “real women” of all shapes, sizes and colour – and glamorising ordinary beauty! And oh yeah, I do think that their product makes ones skin smooth and silky!
Via one of my favourite blogs: Afrobella, I came across a New York Times article featuring some stunning black and white photos of women rocking their hair natural. How refreshing after all the drama last week with Nivea. Below is one of these dramatic photographs taken by Alice O’Malley featuring Solange Knowles.
Wondering what the heck global skin care company Nivea was thinking when they approved marketing campaign below.
As you can see, it has a neat-looking black man holding a decapitated afro haired version of his head with the words ‘Re-Civilize Yourself’ plastered over the picture.
Seriously! Come again! In the year two thousand and eleven, you’d think that a major brand like Nivea which has Rihanna as a spokesperson would have realised that a storm would brew from this ad.
Now I’m not one to jump on the politically correct bandwagon, but with the additional words “look like you give a damn” this ad campaign is completely inappropriate, culturally insensitive and borderline racist. Thus, how this got approved requires an internal investigation and perhaps some reflection on the part of Nivea’s marketing management team.
Because really, are they trying to suggest to the millions of black people across the globe — men and women — that wear their hair natural that they don’t care about their looks or that they are not civilised? Enquiry minds want to know.
When I first decided not to the perm again my hair some years ago, I did so manly because I was fed up with the cost of going to get my hair done every two weeks. Plus no matter how mild the perm was, I’d always end up with burns to my scalp. So natural it was. Well really braiding it was. Now five years later with one misstep that had me starting over two years ago (I got it straighten with a hot comb and some didn’t snap back), I’m pleased with the look, feel, thickness and length of my hair.
By the way, I actually did the braiding myself. It took about 3 hours.
