by Mandie Mutchie
In December, H&M was being scrutinized after admitting that they paste models’ faces onto “humanized” pictures of mannequins wearing bikinis, with the alleged intention of wanting to focus the consumer’s attention on the garment instead of the model or her body. This was criticized, as many people thought the mannequins were too skinny (and H&M has been criticized before for models who are too skinny), and that it placed the image of an impossible ideal into the minds of the viewers – a subject I’ve covered several times in this blog… They claimed to alter the skin tone of the mannequin so it would match the faces of the models that they pasted onto the bodies, which brings me to my next point (though I’d love to discuss how ludicrous it looked, as well as how it really decreases a model’s pay if she just has to take a couple headshots before she is added to a swim campaign)… H&M is on the naughty list already again, this time for showing Isabeli Fontana in their swim campaign with… too dark a tan!
I have mixed views on this. The complaint has been made by the Swedish Cancer Society and several other notable Swedes, and the issue is that it promotes the idea that people on the beach should be that tan. “Tanorexia” has recently been named a medical condition for people who are addicted to tanning, and it is believed that ads like this will only encourage that behavior, causing young or naive people to try their hardest to get that tan, even if their skin type doesn’t allow it.
After that mother who took her 5-year old daughter to the tanning salon, what do you think? Are we too tan obsessed? Is H&M selling more skin cancer than they are bikinis? I’d love your opinion!
Amanda Mutchie began her professional modeling career nearly ten years ago, and has appeared in many national and international publications, and commercials. Over the course of her modeling
career, she worked with many acclaimed makeup artists, learning from them along the way. She eventually became a makeup artist herself and started FaceScape Artistry. Now she works with incredible photographers, models, brides, and other clients to create glamorous as well as natural makeup looks. She also channels her passion for fitness and nutrition and desire to help others into her work as a beachbody coach, and is pursuing her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction.
For more information on Mandie go towww.MandieM.com, www.facescapeartistry.com, email Mandie at mandelicious@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @mandelicious. Don’t forget to “like” her pages on facebook, too! www.facebook.com/MandieLM &www.facebook.com/FaceScapeArtistry www.lipglossnlace.com
*Photo by Rafal Krolik of Seville Media