A minor kerfuffle is taking place on the web the streets right now surrounding a current ad campaign featuring singer/actress(?) Beyoncé Knowles[1]. Apparently the ad is for some sorta hair lightening product, and Bey's hair ain't the only thing that's lighter.
It isn't what it looks like - or so L'Oréal would like readers to believe.I agree, it might have taken me a moment, but I would have eventually figured out that this was Beyoncé. Still, it does beg the question of exactly why someone felt the need to take a relatively lightskinnded woman and make her even lighter, and blonder for that matter. Are they subliminally making Beyoncé more "pretty" or at the very least, appropriate for their product?
The cosmetics colossus yesterday denied it whitewashed Beyoncé Knowles, although she looked inexplicably light-skinned in Elle magazine's two-page L'Oréal Paris ad for its hair-highlighting product.
"It is categorically untrue that L'Oréal Paris altered Ms. Knowles' features or skin tone in the campaign for Féria hair color," the company snorted in a statement.
The diva's rep insisted a bleached Beyoncé is still recognizable.
"There is no doubt that anyone seeing that ad will know that it is Beyoncé," said publicist Alan Nierob.
This isn't the first (nor last) time this has happened of course. In my casual TeeVee viewing, even I've noticed "ethnic models" like Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige, that chick off Ugly Betty, Tyra Banks[2], Gabrielle Union, and even Queen Latifah seemingly lose melanin when placed in ads, especially when alongside traditionally "pretty" (read: white, thin, and blond) models. It's messed up, but I'm also assuming these sisters go into this knowing it's gonna happen. These companies are seldom, if ever marketing their products exclusively to women of color. So, it's fair to assume some racial trickery could happen, namely because they want to celebrate some superficial notion of "diversity", yet not alienate their core customer base (ie: white women). I would suspect that this is why Beyoncé hasn't come out with some objection herself. She was in on it the whole time. Ditzy as she may appear, she clearly knows the game, and the game is to get pizzaid.
On the flipside, come the freak on! What the ham sammich is Beyoncé doing hawkin' hair coloring anyway? Correct me if I'm wrong, but is it even possible to dye a lace front wig? I'm obviously no expert on women's hair, but I think not. My guess is, she prolly just gets some lighter
Peep Bey a decade ago.
And this year.
I've heard of "aging well", but who the hell ages into an entirely different ethnicity? I'm just sayin'.
Didn't she switch her style to those ridonculous looking bouffant blondish wigs, get a boob job, and lose weight years ago to boost her "mainstream image"? So, while I feel sorry that she's being exploited, getting all up in arms seems at bit silly when you consider the fact that she's a willing participant already anyway. Yeah, she's being objectified. But if she's not smart enough (or too smart) to be insulted by L'Oreal, why should we be? This isn't too far removed from that infamous LeBron James Vogue cover. I thought he looked like King Kong. He didn't. Same for women who shake their butts in music videos. Are they being objectified? Sure. Do they care? Apparently not, because they just wanna get paid (or attention).
So, to repeat, if the objectee (I know that's not a word, roll with me) is too dumb to know they're being objectified, why should we give a crap? Nobody's being forced into chattel slavery here. It's called a free market system. No harm, no foul. End of story.
This is a big cluster all around, but unfortunately, it takes me back to my favorite adage: when you don't control your own stuff, you're gonna have to compromise.
Question: Do you think L'Oreal intentionally lightened Beyoncé's skin? If so, what message were they trying to convey? Do you notice this sorta of "brightening" with other ads featuring "ethnic" models? Is it possible to dye a lace front wig?
O, RÉALLY? L'ORÉAL DENIES WHITEWASHING BEYONCÉ [NY Daily News]
[1] Is that still her last name? Does she even use a last name?
[2] Speakin' of which, man, what skin tone is Tyra? She used to be my complexion. Now, on her show, she appears to be some really strange, mustard beige hue. How is that even possible? It really, really confusing.
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She got paid. If it annoys you, don't buy the dye! :)
I joke, but well, it IS her likeness. They can't alter it without a contract, which she signs.
As always, chuuuurch like a mother
Everybody does it depending on what it is they are tyring to sell. Its a given. Remember, like Barak(tm) she has to sell whatever it is to everybody, not just black people.
I would never buy that hairdye based on this commercial. She looks like she has the flue but went and did the photoshoot anyway. Not exactly an upgrade...
Maybe she uses the same kind of skin cream as Michael Jackson....
Did they lighten her complexion? Probably. Do I think it was some sort of racial agenda...yes/no. Women are lightened to also hide blemishes & aging. But I'm real enough to also know it's easier to sale a lighter Beyonce to L'oreals customers than a darker B.
But if you look at the cover of her B'Day DVD and her Beyonce Experience Live DVD -- same thing. Seems to be a pattern.
(Said in Martin Luther King voice)
I had a dream that one day we Negroes will have our own magazines...and in those magazines other Negroes will advertise their products...and in those ads we will be portrayed as we really are...yes I had a dream...
(lol,sorry I'm awake a little early and am a bit loopy, but I think you get my point.) :)
Look, we live in a white society, not the other way around. I had to let go of the color shenanigans white folks play with us in the media long ago. I mean, c'mon - we can't seem to get past the "Black Working Super Woman" vs. "Shakin dat Az Video Vixen" stage of how we are portrayed in the media.
My contribution to changing the world is to not let it change(dictate) who or what I find attractive, or my self esteem as a black woman. I like to call it the "Show a Sista Some LUV" campaign. Feel free to jump on the bandwagon.
It could have been done purposely. As long as she's ok with it I don't care. Even if she wasn't ok with it I still don't care. Like Earth, Wind, and Fire said "that's the way of the world".
@ spool
Not really sure if she can or can't alter the contract, but the fact that she hasn't spoken out (as if) tells me she's just fine with this. So I guess we should be too.
@ dallas
Thanks for stoppin' by, as always.
@ monie
Let's not forget, Jet and Ebony used to (still do?) run ads for fade creme all the time. Can we really get all upset that L'Oreal gives Bey the light photoshop?
@ nia
The concept of Kate Winslet being considered "full figured" is beyond ridiculous.
Keira Knightley, the girl from Pirates of the Caribbean spoke up against them photoshopping her to make her breasts look bigger.
Like AB said, I suspect Beyonce approved and went alone with it. Personally, I really don't think is deep enough or smart enough to recognize exploitation. All she sees is the million dollar contract.
It's all about what the contract says. If she agrees to let them alter her likeness and hasn't been specific as to how, there' snot much she can legally do... but she can make some noise like Knightley and Winselet did. The fact that she hasn't makes this a tempest in a teapot.
Monie:
Isn't that called O Magazine?
Also, if you look at the ad they made her face & nose longer and thinner. People made fun of me when I said Beyonce is the new Michael Jackson, but I still hold my ground. This girl has some identity issues. I've pictures of her at the beach in full wig and makeup.
I already commented on this whole (manufactured?) ordeal on two other black blogs ...it's predictable. But she's been attempting to alter her likeness for perceived "mainstream" taste for a while now, as a solo artist.
And it still didn't prevent her "world" tour from being one of the lowest attendance ones in recent history.
To respond to Nia,
The whole "light skinned standard" while justifiable is a cop-out.
The three most prominent women of "power" in the media (Oprah, Condoleea, Michelle Obama) deviate VERY far from that standard.
Every 5 seconds, I see a commerical of Naomi Campbell strutting in a silver bathing suit with dancing animated lizards.
Venus & Serena are in my face, everywhere I go.
All of these sisters are far from "lite & brite".
Most of the top supermodels, from Naomi Simms to Beverely Johnson to Iman to Alek Wek, and many others, were FAR from light skinned and not too much about them was European-like.
And most the black actresses, who were celebrated, past and present, were perfectly brown-skinned. Not "light".
So, if someone has an aversion to "dark" skin, it's chalked up to their own personal self-hatred of being black as well as their upbringing. Period. It's all on them.
Also, since when is Joy Bryant, considered "light skinned"? The terms "light" and "dark" are so subjective and relative.
TVOne actually had a list of the sexiest black women in the entertainment world ...
they were mostly brown.
Again, if someone has an aversion to that, it's all in them.
(Sorry, for the long post, but this issue pops up all the time on the internet.)
AveBro,
I just thumbed through the latest Jet (Aug. 11) and amazingly they didn't even have one ad for hair relaxer. I don't know what they have done in the past but Jet seems to be going in the right direction. I can't speak for Ebony. However I get your point, but at least there is a better chance of a publication having racial sensitivity if it’s owned by a Black company.
@spool32
That's funny! Lol
Alek Wek wasn't an exception.
There were a few more especially-dark skinned models who were also celebrated.
Again, the whole "light skinned standard" thing while existent is overstated IMO.
It's been my experiences and observations that whites tend to be quite partial to "true" African beauty. Or more "ethnic" beauty as a whole.
But I agree, the whole "light/dark" thing and the notion of Beauty As Power is bullshit and I'm with you, we should all personally disregard all the propoganda. It's just too maddening.
Also,
Nia,
Oprah/Condoleeza/Michelle ...that was exactly my point. They're beyond "black Barbies", they're actually INFLUENTIAL. And many white folks have called them attractive.
Matter of fact, I remember looking at one mostly white-read site where the topic of "beautiful black women" came up.
Most of the women they came up with, again, deviated from the perceived "light skinned/white standard of beauty".
Oprah and Michelle actually came up quite a bit. As did Alek. By comparison, Alicia Keys never came up, neither did Mariah Carey.
So, I'm not saying your (very popular) point isn't justified in some ways, but the "exceptions" outnumber the "rules" so much, that it comes to the reality that again, if someone equates "dark skin" or being a black woman as "unattractive"... it says a lot about their individual feelings about themselves or others. You can't blame the media for that.
Folks remember pancake make-up. Prior to the take over of hip hop and pseudo- afrocentricity in American popular culture during the late 80's early 90's, Blacks who were market to the Mainstream market were pancaked. Look at the older magazines. This is the return of the pancake make up that always been part and parcel of Blacks appearance in mainstream culture. For close to two decades MSM have not lighten up Black skin for popular consumption. This is just the beginning and pancake make up is now accomplished digitally via Photoshop.
I'm sorry, Alek Wek isn't that attractive to me. She may be from the motherland, but I ain't feelin' her.
My wifey made a youtube video about this subject a few days ago.
http://tinyurl.com/5j9okp
EG
Also, have any ladies in here noticed that 'Ambi' products are now advertising to a more broad audience? I even saw a tanned white woman on one of their paper ads a while back.
Wasn't this fade cream exclusively marketed toward black women back in the day?
EG
@ miss issues
I think you're right about that nose job.
Re: the beach photos, I haven't seen the ones you speak of, but c'mon. We know Beyonce isn't going to the beach to swim, that's little more than a quasi-candi photo-op. You know good and well that lacefront would prolly melt in seawater.
@ monie
Perhaps it's Ebony then. I haven't read either of those in years (even my Grandma unsubscribed), but I'm pretty sure those Ambi ads are still in there.
Speaking of which....
@ nia
ALL major skin-care lines sell skin-lightenening products to women of ALL races. L'Oreal also has a skin-lightenening cream targeted to the white female market. They are marketed as ways to get rid of blemishes, age spots and sun-spots.
I guess this brings up my point of confusion: if the products are indeed marketed at women for "blemish-control", then why does such a product become some indicator of self-hatred when used by black women? I've always heard this criticism, but since I have male genitalia, I've never really gotten it.
I'm assuming any Black woman using Ambi is doing so to remove the same blemishes a white woman would, not trying to turn her entire face a lighter shade, right? If so, what's so wrong about wanting "flawless skin"?
Please clarify.
@ EG
I agree. Alek Wek hasn't ever been my cup of tea either. It has zero to do with her complexion, I just don't find her particularly attractive. Yet I continually hear her shoved in Black mens faces, as if denying her drop-dead gorgeousness is some self-hating indicator of a disdain for non-lightskinnded black women.
Please.
I'm asking because I used to work in retail, and I always noticed up until recently that Ambi's stuff was in the ethnic section. Now it's in the 'regular' section.
EG
@ nia
I didn't mean that as a personal dig at you, please accept my apology. But I have heard Wek's name dangled as some litmus test in the past, and it always bugs me. You didn't do this, I'm sorry if my comment came across as as insult.
That's nice that everyone has an opinion but the bottom line is they do what sells. I Barry Mannilow type songs is what sells then JZ would be singing "Copa...Copacabanna, Nigga!"
That's what we like man light skin and long hair. I know people are going say "Not me! I like em (fill in your favorite shade)." i am not talking about individual tastes i speaking as a whole we like light skin and long hair. And if it not light skinned it straight hair; basically eurocentric hair styles. And to achieve this we use flat irons, straightening combs, perms, relaxers.
The main point I am trying to make is we like it unnatural anyway. So what difference does it make whether she's a shade or two lighter, it's all not really her. The core Beyonce probably just looks like any random chick you see floatin' around DC.
:)
Yes, it's because I like straight hair and light skin that I'm always starting the day of with my curling equipment and my selftanning lotion. I'm not sure if I have a prefered type, if I had to name my top five beautiful woman they'd be pretty diverse in looks, but I do know that I like to see healthy looking people in ads. I try to look healthy too despite being allergic to sunlight and that's why I use tanning lotion (took me forever to find the good non-orange stuff too).
We all know that covers and advertisements are photoshopped, but it seems to me that nowadays they're photoshopped to death. The Beyoncé in this ad looks lifeless to me. And you see this a lot these days with women of all types and ethnicities. I don't mind that they do a couple of touch ups, but a lot of the women on covers and in advertisements nowadays look completely CGI to me.
I've already written my comments on all of this - read my blog to see it (yes, shameless self promotion).
But to throw in my .02...what amazes me by this move - both the photoshopping to make Beyonce look like the cryptkeeper (seriously, she looks dead) and the denial (cause we're all too stupid to know otherwise - is that L'oreal is ignoring basic market forces and alienating a pretty significant piece of the market...the piece that (I'm guessing) they thought they were trying to reach by using Beyonce in their ads. Black women, according to a 2007 Proctor & Gamble/Essence poll, spend 3 times as much as white women on beauty products. I guess they figure that they own SoftSheen so that's enough.
What I was saying to Nia is that Beyonce is NOT the only black woman who promotes L'Oreal.
They DO have black women who promote the products to the masses who do not fit the "light skinned standard".
Oluchi, the Nigerian supermodel is one of L'Oreal's spokespeople.
What I was basically was trying to say what that there's more variety among black female images than people say. It's all in what some individuals want to focus on.
Also ...don't let the media and perceptions fool you. Light skin and long hair is not the universal "preference" for black folks around the world.
Know why?
Cause the vast majority of black folks ain't light by any standards. And don't need to be. And hair textures run the gamuts. And it usually ain't straight! And it don't need to be! LOL. Trust me, many black folks are comfortable with their blackness. Don't let the Beyonce ads and some colorstruck people we may or may not meet fool you.
Nia,
See the thing w/ the internet is that it's hard to gauge the tone of someone's words.
Nobody was trying to "debate" with you at all. I just pointed out several examples that countered your claim.
And yes, a few websites, do give a small but telling example of what
"society" (mainly white) does and does not find beautiful. Remember, according to you and people like you, "they" are the ones buying this stuff. It's targeted to "them" so why not get a small glimpse into what "they" find attractive or not.
They mold the "standard", no?
And I already gave some examples of black women who don't fit some "white standard" who DO hawk beauty products to women.
Hopefully, that's nice and clear.
And oh, AB, it's hard to truly gauge any person's true complexion since lightning, season and even clothing can always alter it. So, I'm not sure about Tyra' tone. Although, she's not what you call "light" ...but then again, some people do refer to her as that. Subjectivity, subjectivity, subjectivity ... LOL.
My Name is...
I think you're deluding yourself. I think what's notable about Beyonce is that she is their Mainstream black model for use in mainstream publications. And also HIGHLY recognizable. I have to admit - I had to google this Oluchi chick..and I still don't think I've seen her.
Nevertheless having 2 black models does prove that l'oreal has more than one, but it doesn't change that there are so few (in general) black models selling beauty products. There's Beyonce, Queen Latifah, Rhianna, Oluchi, Kerry Washington, Halle Berry (is she still selling Revlon?), Liya Kebede, MJB/Eve/Missy for Mac, any others? I think Nia's point is that black models for beauty products are few and far between. I've even pointed out to a fellow alum in marketing for Estee Lauder, that it's not lost the Liya is only used for foundation/skin color - never for fragrance or other colors. Similarly - L'oreal's sister brand Lancome has no black model in their mix.
Yes, there are lots of standards of beauty. But the the beauty/cosmetics industry is a multi billion dollar industry, and like I said, we spend 3x as much as white women, so I think it should be our standard that's standard...not the other way around.
Actually, that's a larger number of famous black women hawking beauty products than I actually thought!
My point to the Nia poster was ...she basically said the media only has ONE standard of black female beauty. I countered her point with several women (you named some as well) who deviated from that perceived "standard of beauty".
That's all I was pretty much saying.
Of course, there'll be way fewer black women overall represented in these ads. There's WAY more white women than black in this country. And white America will never elevate black beauty to the same level of white/Nordic beauty ...that would throw white supremacy and racial inequality out of the window and how could this country thrive without the racial divide?!
Nia,
Oh trust me, I can dissect colorism all day. I can explain it VERY properly, if you so wanted me to. It's very complex, especially in an African American context. It's rooted in contradiction, so there'll never be ONE way.
I didn't misunderstand what you were saying at all. You brought up the colorism angle, even going so far to suggest that non-light black women are excluded from ANY perceived standard of beauty, which I debunked many posts earlier.
Yes, myths of beauty do hurt ALL women, because they're not rooted in reality.
If you're looking for the media or even society to validate who and what is beauty, you're a fool. As I said before, racially, black beauty will never be elevated as far as white beauty because then things would be equal and that dismantles white supremacy. And how can this society operate WITHOUT the racial divide?
@AB
Can we change the term from C.Y.I.W.G. to C.Y.I.C? I mean we have C.Y.I.N. so if you're going to be derrogatory why not be equally derrogatory?
My name is - the thing is, most of those women all look alike. With the exception of Queen Latifah, they're all caramel colored, Beyonce's the only blond, but otherwise, they're fairly interchangeable. They're used in a fairly limited light - though I have to give P&G props for using Queen and Rhianna quite frequently in majority white publications. Rarely does Liya appear in any of the pubs I get - or any of the other ones.
However, my point is - yes - there are way more white women in the world - but for the third time, black women spend 3 times as much. This is again, for me at least - as a former marketing professional - a lesson from the GLBT market. The most effective ads to the gay/lesbian community are gay vague - like the volkswagon dahdahdah ads. Most straight Americans didn't see it as being gay, but if you're gay, you picked up on it.
I firmly believe - though i have no research to back this up - that while it would make little impact on sales to white consumers to use more black models, it would make a marked difference to black consumers. I'd have to find where the diversity marketing director for P&G said this, but they've found that that is the case - thus having both Queen Latifah and Rhianna and using them frequently in all publications - not just the black ones. Or adding a few brown faces to ads for Tampax and always and other brands. A little goes a long way
First off, what's with all the deleted comments? What did those people do to offend? Second, as a woman who could pass the manila folder test during the winter and cool summers, I can attest to the fact that sometimes you can look lighter in pictures than in real life. I have pics where I look like the ghost of Christmas past, and some where I am quite paper baggy colored. It all depends. I'm not saying they absolutely wanted her to look lighter, I'm just giving the benefit of the doubt. In addition to being light skinned, I also wear full lace wigs due to my total baldness caused by alopecia totalis (google it). And yes, they can be dyed any color you want, and I choose to wear a light brown/blondish color because 1. my man likes it (and he is colored stuck like a muh, so ya'll pray for him) and 2. dark hair makes me look pale. I'm not trying to be "white", although I am biracial, I self-identify as plain 'ol black. I swear we as a people are constantly searching for those who we think are trying to sneak out of the race. The other day on Tyra (sorry I watch silly TV) there was a whole show dedicated to "light skinned privilege". What the hell is that? While I will conceded that if Obama the Magic Negro looked like Wesley Snipes, he would not have been a contender, I don't think it works that same with women. Guess what, everyone knows Beyonce's black, regardless if she was the color of paper. White people don't care about the light/dark like we do. Let it go!
@ dwarrior
You'll notice those comments were deleted by the authors, not me.
Dwarrior,
Ain't you the truth!
I'm so tired of black folks obsessing over a black woman's color, as if it's some assessment of her character or desirability. It's like your damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Like, for Gracie B., I just let her know that there's more variety than "caramel" in the skin tones of the relatively small number of sistas used for different beauty ads, but that just gets ignored.
And, like I told her, no matter how much money black women spend on beauty products, white America will never elevate black beauty to the same level. Sorry. Just screws up their entire existence.
And about Obama ...you know you can say that. But you could say the same thing about Clarence Thomas, no? And most the top black executives in the U.S. are not "light skinned" either. You're right Dwarrior, black folks obsess over this s*** WAAYYYYY too much.
@Dwarrior
We really do obsess over it too much. Well not me personally, we as black people. Who cares which skin tone you are, we're all beautiful. I saw a different makeup ad (Sorry can't remember the brand) with Rhianna in it. She looked lighter to me also. She also looked lighter in the Circuit City commercial her picture was in. I am light skinned too and yes our skin tones change depending on the lighting and time of the year. I'm just as high yellow in the winter and spring and sometimes the summer if I don't go outside. But that's beside the point. I guess it's like the camera adding weight to you, it lightens the color too.
BTW, I think Beyoncé uses her last name when she's in movies. I wonder if she changed her last name to Carter....hmmmm...
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