The Body Image Site for Every Body
By Allison Epstein, Intern (2013) Unless you’ve been living in a cave somewhere away from any form of mass media, you’ve probably noticed a common theme in print ads and commercials. Advertisers are now not only selling us products, they’re selling us another object that we consume by virtue of just seeing it: ourselves. … [Read more...]
By Ashley-Michelle Papon Almost a year after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) disclosed their intention to defend our beastly bedfellows by showcasing the virtual bedroom habits of our kind, the activism-after-dark site has finally gone live. Well, they DID go live for a little while. After a brief time … [Read more...]
By Sayantani DasGupta In 2007, I was flipping through the latest issue of Marie Claire magazine, when I stumbled upon a striking image. It was this full color photo of several brown-skinned, pregnant women in vibrant colored saris, and it accompanied an article on what’s been sensationally called the “wombs for rent” … [Read more...]
By Sayantani DasGupta Images matter. They matter a lot. Images on magazine and book covers not only reflect what we, as a society, think is beautiful, but they seep into our individual and collective consciousness – urging us to emulate those thinner, younger, taller, richer and yes, whiter images. Race is a critical part … [Read more...]
By Ashley-Michelle Papon Just in time for the chill of the holidays, the marketing wizards at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have come up with a new way to keep converts to animal welfarism warm. Within the next month, PETA will capitalize on their previously raunchy skin campaigns with a companion porn site. … [Read more...]
By Elena Rossini A couple of weeks ago I read that the November 2011 issue of Marie Claire South Africa featured several thought-provoking ad campaigns by major advertising agencies on the topic of “Love Your Body.” I thought it would be wonderful to showcase this in my documentary “The Illusionists.” Thanks to the … [Read more...]
By Sayantani DasGupta Apparently, when I wasn’t looking, some corporate geniuses decided that tampons should come packaged with perky self-help style advice. I can see the business meeting now: “Hey, I know what a menstruating girl or woman might need at ‘that time of the month’ alongside product absorbency! How about some … [Read more...]
By Sharon Haywood Fifty-something-old Barbie[1] might be middle-aged but she sure doesn’t show it. When she was in her 30s, her manufacturer Mattel sent her for plastic surgery, not to maintain her youthful appearance, but rather in response to market demands to morph her into a more realistic-looking doll. In 1992, Barbie’s … [Read more...]
By Sharon Haywood, Co-Editor “To men a man is but a mind. Who cares what face he carries or what he wears? But a woman’s body is the woman.” Filmmaker Elena Rossini cites this quote from writer Ambrose Bierce as her third reason out of 30 for creating The Illusionists, a full-length documentary about how the body has been … [Read more...]
By Sayantani DasGupta There’s a character on television’s The Vampire Diaries who is called “Vampire Barbie.” Which I think is kind of ironic. Because on the one hand, vampires aren’t supposed to see themselves in mirrors – and yet, that’s what the cultural icon of Barbie is all about. A certain kind of … [Read more...]
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