Change Me Hide Me Fix Me

(^ You have to click this image in order to actually see the animation ^)

In my Media and Social Justice class we selected an image to detour, and I chose one related the the Maybelline ‘FitMe’ foundation campaign.  I chose it because although make-up advertising campaigns tend to be ridiculous (Hollywood Style, Pop Science, trying to always convince us there is something wrong with us), this one struck me as going above and beyond the usual insanity

If you don’t feel like actually watching the video, essentially it’s multiple shots of an extremely attractive woman stating ‘Don’t judge me, don’t change me, fit me’.  Some other quotes include ‘Flawless, that lets the real you come through’ and ‘Beyond matching. Skin, the way it was meant to be’.  In it, the spokewoman tries to convince us that by selling us a product that evens our complexions and seals our pores, we are becoming more of our real self.

…seriously?  Apparently it’s not enough to convince us that there is something inherently wrong with us that we need to fix with make-up, but now Maybelline wants to convince us that we are not even OURSELVES without their product.  That our true, beautiful selves are hidden and can only be discovered by purchasing their make-up.  It’s like they took the criticism that the make-up industry is ruining young girls’ self image by telling them they are imperfect at a very young age, and decided it meant they needed to convince young girls that they should be themselves, but the only way to be themselves is through slathering on chemical products.  Don’t get me wrong, I realize that make-up advertising in general is ridiculous, but I’m especially aghast that they try to manipulate the idea of the ‘true self’ in such a blatantly extreme way, which most consumers probably accepted without question.

In my Media and Social Justice class at Pitzer, we are learning about the concept of detournement, by taking popular corporate images and turning it against themselves.  Although my animation isn’t quite in the style of detournment, I’m actually quite happy with the result.  In my mind, the only thing the models were saying was ‘fix me’.  Fix me. Cover Me. Hide Me.  Only then can my true beauty shine through.