“IT took years for Hollywood to create the perfect woman. Now it wants the old one back.” The first sentence of an article in this past Sunday’s New York Times: “A Little Too Ready for Her Close-up?”, got me thinking.
According to the article, casting directors are screening actors and even extras with more scrutiny than before in order to be sure they look “natural”. Said differently, an actor will likely lose the part if it’s obvious that he or she has had plastic surgery.
What’s really causing this current backlash? Is it that some have taken plastic surgery so far that they no longer look believable? Is it part of Hollywood’s desire to keep changing things up (in this case – the definition of beauty), in order to succeed at the Box Office? Or, is it because audiences insist on complete honesty and transparency (now more than ever), in order to truly be engaged? I’d say it’s a combination of all of the above.
The one thing that’s certain in my opinion is that there is still a mixed message out there. Fans and casting directors alike expect leading ladies to look flawless. However, if stars turn to cosmetic surgery to stay true to that expectation, we critique their choices to evolve their look. Keeping it real has its price too, especially since it’s well-known that roles for more mature-looking leading ladies are limited.
As I read the article I also started to think about the options that women I know (myself included) are willing to entertain to look and feel great, and I have no doubt that cosmetic surgery will continue to be popular. However, it’s good to know that perhaps the pressure of perfection may be letting up a bit … for now at least!
One of my favorite things about living in New York is that I am able to keep a pulse on all the major fashion and beauty trends through news and events happening around the city. Recent buzz about town has been the debut of the fashion collaboration between Zac Posen and Target for their Go International series. Unfortunately, a Target store is probably the only thing that Manhattan doesn’t have, so we rely on the creative powers behind PR for stunty, limited-time pop-up stores featuring the collection. This one was no exception; Target publicized the pop-up as a 24-hour shopping party, literally! The Zac Posen collection would be available to savvy shoppers from 11pm Thursday April 15th – 11pm Friday April 16th.
As any die-hard trendsetters would do, my colleague, Elisa, and I battled the mid-town crowds to wait in line opening night. After 1.5 hours of standing outside in the cold, we looked at each other both thinking “are we crazy?” when, like in a fashionista’s dream, Zac himself appeared from above (leaning out of the second floor window, to be exact). As he looked out and exclaimed his thanks to us for coming, we received a boost of exhilaration and headed inside.
The collection had made major headlines on the top Fashion blogs that week and the inspiration that was quoted as “made for a woman who likes to dress up, but might not have a red carpet to walk every other week” was totally spot on! From girly dresses to edgy tees, it definitely had Zac Posen written all over it.
Elisa and I both managed to pick up the red tutu strapless dress we had been eyeing from the lookbook online, hopefully there will be a red carpet to walk soon…
During the first week of April, the Dial team had an opportunity to work with Top Chef host, Padma Lakshmi, in launching Dial NutriSkin, a new line of Dial body wash that delivers intensely hydrating moisture with light and refreshing fruit-oils. Beyond the healthy, fragrant new body wash launch, our team was also very excited to work with Padma in support of her charity—The Endometriosis Foundation of America.
Padma, with her glowing skin and gorgeous smile, started her day with us bright and early when she appeared on WPIX morning news to announce her partnership with Dial NutriSkin—encouraging viewers to “fan” Dial on Facebook where $1 will be donated to her charity. The morning continued back at MMC headquarters, where we filmed a Web site video message for our Facebook fans and a Public Service Announcement for Padma’s charity. Media outlets such as People.com and Shape Magazine arrived shortly after 10am to interview Padma about her work with Dial as well as her new busy mom beauty routine.
We wrapped our morning shortly after 10:45am, feeling as though we’d worked a full eight hour day! This initial program kick-off has been a huge success so far with over 800 (and growing!) Facebook fans.
Please help Dial reach their donation goal to The Endometriosis Foundation of America by becoming a fan of Dial on Facebook.
Sometimes I forget just why I fell in love with New York City in the first place. The edginess morphs into a general meanness, and the urban sprawl transforms to plain dirty. So on 3/17, “when the world got [me] feeling low,” I was looking forward to the little pick-me-up I had planned. Like any other single girl in her 20s, I donned my best green, drank a big bottle of water and marched straight to Madison Square Garden for an Alicia Keys concert. (The water was to help my vocal chords with all the singing, obviously).
Immediately after stepping out, I planted the heel of my black pump directly into a fresh pile of vomit. Happy St. Patty’s Day to me! “Concrete jungle” is right. After looking around quickly to see what cute boys had noticed (none, thankfully), I shook it off (literally) and strutted bravely on. Then, in a classic case of New Yorkers in a hurry, I dropped my bills into a mailbox on the way, realizing afterwards it was already so stuffed that my envelopes only made it a third of the way in. I reached my arm down to retrieve them and my fingers just clasped the edges, when I noticed a crowd of people had actually stopped to see what I was doing. What does it look like? “Just ‘wait to you see my smile,’” I thought. “Clearly, I’m harmless!”
Arriving at the venue, I knew Alicia and her positive messaging was just what I needed to bring me up. But I was disappointed by the heavy-hitting political settings of her first few songs. Before she appeared on-stage, sounds of war played and violent, though artistic, images were shown. She entered amidst swirling smoke and in a cage encased in chains, singing a medley of “Caged Bird” and “Love is Blind.” One of her openers, “Fallin’” was accompanied by communist paraphernalia on screens and the words “Rise Up.” Where’s the love?
This lasted only a short time before Alicia stepped away from the political theme and focused on messages of “freedom,” (the name of her tour), which she said comes from believing in self. She rocked it out in the way she does best, singing her soul out while playing along on her piano. And what a beautiful, distinctive voice she has. When she sang out, “Superwoman,” I felt like myself again. Amazing how music can move you. And that’s when I remembered one of the first times New York City set my heart on fire – listening to a lone saxophonist jam away in Washington Square Park . It’s one of the best places in the world for live music. Period.
Just when I thought it couldn’t get better, Alicia launched into “Put It In a Love Song,” and Beyonce descended down the staircase! Of course, Jay-Z performed “Empire State of Mind” for the finale (though only after they tricked us with an imposter starting off the song first). Two surprise guest appearances in one night? Only in New York.
As Alicia said, have confidence in yourself and what you love, and the rest will fall into place. And New York, I love ya, baby! “These streets will make you feel brand new, there’s nothing you can’t do…”
Since I’m probably not becoming an actress any time soon, watching the Oscars on TV is the closest I’m going to get to the red carpet. So instead my friends and I make our own celebration by developing dishes and concocting cocktails in honor of the year’s nominated films.
This was our third annual Oscar Party and as usual, everyone impressed with their creativity and unique interpretations of how to bring a movie to life in edible form.
This year’s dishes were:
• Fried Chicken & Biscuits (“Precious”)
• Pie in the Sky (“Up in the Air”)
• Popped Up Popcorn (“Up”)
• Brownie/Cookie Combo with the Alphabet on Top (“An Education”)
• Quentin Tarantini with Champagne and Chambord (“Inglorious Bastards”)
• Manischewitz-tini with Vodka and Cranberry Juice (“A Serious Man”)
• Blue Chip Fried Chicken (“Avatar”)
• Vegetable Quiche (“Fantastic Mr. Fox”)
• Beef Bourguignon (“Julie & Julia”)
• Black and White Bean Dip with Homemade Pita Chips (“Blind Side”)
The party was a success, even though some dresses were not. Personally I thought J. Lo looked like bubble wrap and SJP was wearing a nightgown…but without these risk takers what would we have to talk about on Monday morning?!
P.S. Big shout out to the agency for raising $205 for Chilean earthquake victims through our MMC for a Cause Oscar pool and congrats to Megan Svensen on winning!
On February 12th when my coworker Scott walked into the office, I immediately bombarded him with the question “Did you hear about McQueen?!”. Scott, having lived in London and being its biggest fan, thought I was telling him that the Queen of England died – not what I was talking about. Although, the person who passed away was just as important to me, Alexander McQueen.
Alexander McQueen is one of those great artistic minds. 2006 was the first time I was exposed to his genius and since that moment in time I have never been able to pull myself away. I look at every show, analyze every red carpet outfit and make frequent visits to his store on West 14th. It’s always been a dream of mine to own a McQueen look, unfortunately I’m still young and don’t have the extra cash to spend on it. But will my burning desire to own McQueen last now knowing that he wasn’t the mastermind behind it?
McQueen took fashion to the next level, particularly with his runway shows. He used the runway as a venue to perform through videos, interpretive performance and outlandish accessories/beauty. He wanted to bring his Spring 2010 show to the masses by live video streaming his show. Interestingly this wasn’t the first time I had seen this, since Priscilla of Boston here at MMC had been streaming their show online for the past two seasons. Not many high-end designers believe that a mass audience would understand a high-end fashion show, but McQueen had faith and since I’m not invited to the show – it was a dream come true.
McQueen died on February 11, 2010 just weeks before his Fall 2010 show, but his final show will go on — being shown in Paris on March 9th and 10th via private salon sessions by invitation only.
We are not shy in the Well-Being Group at MMC, so when Kimberly-Clark’s Poise brand posed the challenge of de-stigmatizing light bladder leakage (LBL), we didn’t think twice.
LBL is probably the last women’s health taboo, and it’s more common than you would think. One in three women of all ages and life stages experience LBL, but many women are too embarrassed to talk about it. Interestingly, focus groups conducted by K-C showed that although women were first reluctant to admit experiencing LBL, once the conversation was started among several women, they couldn’t stop talking! One of the other observations from the groups was that humor truly opened the dialogue around this often uncomfortable topic and women were relieved to hear they weren’t alone.
Drawing from these insights, MMC worked with K-C and their digital and advertising agencies to spark a national dialogue about LBL using a light and humorous approach. The integrated campaign, “1 in 3 like me,” included new advertising and the launch of a Web site about LBL that establishes how common it is and helps women embrace the issue and solutions. The brand also enlisted Whoopi Goldberg to star in a candid Webisode series that would make women laugh and open up about LBL. Go to www.1in3likeme.com to check them out.
MMC launched the campaign with a dynamic consumer event in NYC where women were invited to watch Whoopi unveil the Webisodes, learn more about LBL and be among the first to start the conversation! The next day, Whoopi, along with the founder of Women’s Health Foundation, Missy Lavender, continued the conversation on The View.
Despite a snow storm on the day of the event (even Whoopi was snowed in but we Skyped her into the event), the campaign is off to a great start! Until now, light bladder leakage has received very little media attention, with most press avoiding the topic altogether. As a result of our work, outlets including People, More and Parents covered the campaign and trade press has touted Kimberly-Clark as a marketing force in AdAge and MediaPost. And this is only the beginning!
Attendees at the event told us that after watching the Webisodes and being around other women with LBL, they felt more comfortable discussing it. The View’s discussion boards have been buzzing with conversation and women have been calling K-C’s consumer hotline just to say thank you.
Although we faced quite a challenge when we developed this program, we couldn’t be more excited by the results and the conversations that we see taking place. Of course, our work doesn’t stop here. We’re now busy preparing for 1,000 parties nationwide with House Party™, taking place on April 10, where women will have the chance to continue this important discussion (and laugh a lot!) with their friends.
What’s the next conversation MMC Well-Being should start?
In the words of Queen Latifah, “let’s start 2010 by giving, not taking.” I had the honor of hearing these words directly from her last week at the COVERGIRL Clean Makeup for Clean Water Campaign press launch. COVERGIRL launched this effort as a partnership between the iconic Clean makeup line and the non-profit organization Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW), at a press conference in LA with long-time spokesmodel Queen Latifah and the newest CoverGirl Dania Ramirez. Both Queen and Dania are faces of the Clean makeup advertising campaign and Dania is the ambassador for this new cause initiative.
The mission of Children’s Safe Drinking Water is to address the need for clean drinking water around the world. Thanks to COVERGIRL’s involvement, 70,000 children will have purified, clean drinking water for an entire year! What a way to kick off 2010. The launch event in LA was filled with emotion and excitement. Both CoverGirls gave remarks to a packed press room about their personal experience with helping those in need and their eagerness to be part of the Clean Makeup for Clean Water Campaign.
Cause marketing has definitely been pushed to the forefront of business plans for many brands, especially in today’s economy where giving back to those in need is important to consumers and brands alike. It has been such a rewarding experience to be part of the planning and execution of this campaign and see the results come to life.
From logistics to media attendance, it was amazing to see what teamwork can accomplish and the benefits of working together at MMC. Our pitching of the launch helped generate awareness for an outstanding cause (CSDW) that is truly making a difference in the lives of children, as well as the COVERGIRL brand that is committed to this great initiative.
To date, our coverage results have been outstanding. Utilizing traditional and social media we’ve been able to secure coverage on broadcast, print and online—including buzz on twitter! Even Dania herself tweeted about the Campaign and spread the news to her celebrity friends and fan followers:
I recently treated my boyfriend to a trip to Las Vegas for his birthday. I knew he’d love the chance to hit the craps tables, but I timed the trip around an event that was more of a gift to me: the U2 concert at Sam Boyd Stadium.
I’m a diehard U2 fan: I think they are truly one of the greatest bands and brands of my lifetime. In fact, I think about the U2 “brand” quite frequently when I’m brainstorming big ideas for the terrific brands I work with at MMC. Why? Because I think that at some point, really big brands pick their path towards one of two end points on a spectrum of the emotional relationship they want to have with consumers.
I’ve dubbed these emotional end points “lowest common denominator” vs. “highest common denominator”. The lowest-common-denominator brands can be seen everywhere around us: they peddle products that appeal to our need to be noticed, to be attractive, to be successful, to be envied, to be cool.
Highest-common-denominator brands, on the other hand, offer us stuff that feeds our need to make a difference, to make friends, to give back or pay it forward or add some beauty or laughter to this life. And that, to me, lies at the core of a winning brand’s survival strategy for the long term. Oh sure, these brands often gratify lots of our less noble desires along the way, but they tap into some higher-order emotion that’s intensely personal and yet universal and they use that connection to accomplish more than simply selling more stuff.
U2 is a great example of how to rock the high end of that spectrum for me. Sure, music and merchandise are the band’s artistic commodities, but activism, passion and philanthropy define their brand and keep fans like me showing up. (In fact I’m already plotting my 2010 tour date destination vacations ;)
I was thrilled to join my COVERGIRL clients at their front and center table for The Black Ball last evening. It was a great occasion to sparkle and shine with the stars, but an even better opportunity to focus on what really matters in life-giving something back. Alicia Keys and The Keep a Child Alive organization, which provides vital treatment and support services to children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India, showed the beautiful audience in the Hammerstein Ballroom that we can all do more.
The Black Ball celebrates the work of the world’s most influential humanitarians each year. Last night President Bill Clinton, Sir Richard Branson, and Youssou N’Dour were honored for their unbelievable work in Africa and India. Hearing their words would inspire anyone. Hearing them from a seat twelve feet away made it seem like I was personally called to action.
Mingling with celebrities like Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry, Terrance Howard, Mary J Blige, COVERGIRL Queen Latifah, Samuel L Jackson, Usher, David Bowie and Iman, Padma Lakshmi, and Tyson Beckford was a great start to the evening. But, having a front row seat for the amazing performances by Alicia Keys, John Mayer and Chris Martin was simply soulful. From beginning to end the sixth annual Black Ball was a celebration of talent and drive.
Sure, the festive Black Ball event and auction raised precious funds for Keep a Child Alive. But, more importantly the evening inspired people like me do more for others.
I recently treated my boyfriend to a trip to Las Vegas for his birthday. I knew he’d love the chance to hit the craps tables, but I timed the trip around an event that was more of a gift to me: the 
I was thrilled to join my 