Phreshly Squeezed

Lately, I’ve found myself following NY Mag’s The Cut (or quite possible, the correlation simply lies in the fact that I finally added them to my Google Reader), but I found an article that recently peaked my interests. Dove currently casting models for its next “Real Beauty” campaign; the company posted a listing on Craigslist last Friday, but there seems to be some concerns with the posting.

DOVE “REAL WOMEN” PRINT CASTING JUNE 28-30, 2010 in NYC
ABSOLUTELY NO ACTRESSES / MODELS OR REALITY SHOW PARTICIPANTS or ANY ONE CARRYING A HEADSHOT!!!!
REAL WOMEN ONLY!
LOOKING FOR 3-4 REAL WOMEN for a DOVE PRINT CAMPAIGN!

AGES 35-45, CAUCASIAN, HISPANIC, AFRICAN AMERICAN, & ASIAN!

SHOOT: SUNDAY, JULY 18 in NYC! MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR THE SHOOT!
RATE: $500 for Shoot date & if selected for Ad Campaign (running 2011) you will be paid $4000!
USAGE: 3 years unlimited print & web usage in N. America Only

YOU WILL BE PHOTOGRAPHED FOR THE CAMPAIGN IN A TOWEL!
BEAUTIFUL ARMS AND LEGS AND FACE WILL BE SHOWN!
MUST HAVE FLAWLESS SKIN, NO TATTOOS OR SCARS!
Well groomed and clean…Nice Bodies..NATURALLY, FIT Not too Curvy Not too Athletic.

Great Sparkling Personalities. Beautiful Smiles! A DOVE GIRL!!!
STYLISH AND COOL!
Beautiful HAIR & SKIN is a MUST!!!

PLEASE SUBMIT SNAPSHOTS of FACE & BODY ASAP & WE WILL CALL YOU IN FOR A CASTING NEXT WEEK 6/28-6/30 in NYC!
urbanproddovecasting@gmail.com

I hadn’t even realized that Dove was embarking on another round of their “real women” campaign. Albeit, the premise of the campaign appears to have good intentions, but the criteria for the listing speaks otherwise. Examining the listing carefully, one notes there to be many hints of a desired body. In order to do so, one has to pick up the words explicit in selection, as well as pick up on the implicit ones.

What I mean by such is that the term “beautiful arms and legs” are meant to complement the applicant; however, the perception of such is already so skewed in society that one would immediately think of what is seen in the magazines. The explicit constraints are printed boldly with phrases, such as “flawless skin” and “beautiful hair,” and “no scars or tattoos.”

To say that Dove is on the forefront of body image leaves many terribly mistaken. They are as adamant as we are in holding the beauty ideal – they are simply positioning themselves in a way so that we find them to be leading a reformation.

But hey, maybe they’re just listing these requirements because of how strong an opinion they hold on retouching photos – perhaps they’re looking for perfection so as to avoid such.

With the world in a frenzy over the start of the World Cup (including me, who only ever tuned in for the 2006 finals match), some may have already begun their hunt for memorabilia. Umbro is already one step ahead with its release of the new line of limited edition jerseys. Celebrating the world’s seven most victorious nations -- Italy, Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Uruguay, England, and France -- with England’s revolutionary tailoring philosophy, Umbro collaborated with local artists to create new emblems to affix to the jerseys. To accompany the shirts and designs, a recreated advertisement was spun out from the creatives. The new advert references is a direct reference to the 1960s limited edition jerseys featuring the wives and girlfriends of the nations’ superstars.

In terms of aesthetics alone, the bright colors and great graphic emblems make the jerseys unique and a must-have item for 2010. Of course, you shouldn’t be wearing this to your day job, but it serves great for casual wear for the duration of the World Cup. And given that it isn’t some cotton tee, you’ll be sure to stay cooler than your friends on the overbearingly hot days.

The original 1960s limited edition jerseys advertisement featuring the wives and girlfriends of football superstars

For those in Toronto, be sure to stop by GOTSTYLE Menswear at 489 King Street West, Toronto, Ontario M5V 3J5 to pick up your jersey -- they’re donating 10% of sales to the Nelson Mandela’s Children’s fund. And for those in NYC, check out the Alife Rivington Club, which has opened up a Umbro x A.R.C pop-up store at 157 Rivington St, New York, NY 10002 and retails the jerseys for $80 USD.

As for now, you can watch the behind-the-scenes video below:

Images courtesy of Umbro

In case you haven’t heard, American Apparel has found itself in deep trouble with its hiring policies and targeted demographics. It started last month when erotic dancer and performer April Flores approached a showroom representative of the company asking if they would ever consider launching a plus-sized line. Flores was met with the response, “That’s not our demographic.” Of course, that alone started a flurry of responses, including one from Lillian Behrendt of My Unacceptable Body, that stated that they not only were big fans of the comfort of the clothes, but were also frequent buyers.

The greater issue that has surfaced within the past several days deals with and examines the hiring policies of American Apparel. Albeit, the company has already been accused of having the policy of letting go of employees that were deemed too ugly. But now, they’re facing fire of how you even get to work for the LA based company. What Gawker has learned and obtained from an internal transcript is that job applicants have their photos taken, which are then assessed by a nameless person for hiring. Adding to such, employees receive $100 incentives for their recruitment, but have to send the pictures through their personal email account, and not the store’s account. And of course, American Apparel asserts that they are screening candidates so as to make sure that they do not hire those that are considered to be “off-brand.” But really, how can you be off-brand if you are wearing a tee and a pair of pants when having your photo taken so that they can be sure of you eye and hair color, and figure?

The interal transcript from May 18th regarding hiring procedures for American Apparel

The scrutinizing and “rigorous” hiring process has always been an issue with American Apparel, though. I do recall when I still worked in retail and considering places to work, American Apparel was the only store requiring headshots to apply. I wouldn’t go so far to say that that was damaging to my self-esteem, but I can surely say that such application process did leave me feeling far more self-conscious than if I hadn’t considered such.

More disconcerting, though, is the fact that Dov Charney’s American Apparel enjoys priding themself on the fact that their products do not come from sweatshops, but are rather, made in America, and yet, they seem to ignore the blatant social issues, such as the problem with body image and the fact that the average American woman is in fact a size 14. With his overtly sexual advertisements and screening processes, one can’t help but find that American Apparel goes out of its way to promote women (and men too) to be more critical of their bodies and therefore, have a negative perception of their body image and self-worth. And also following Charney’s notion of the fact that a size not featured in the advertisements (drawing connections between Flores’ incident with the showroom and the policy’s “requirements” of head-to-toe examination) is considered to be “off-brand” because their waist size is perhaps 1.5 times that of those in the posters, could he in fact be implying that the majority of America is “off-brand,” or removing the corporate labels, “fat and ugly?”

Image courtesy of FlavorWire and Gawker