Saturday, December 29, 2007

Jamelia for Tony&Guy Model.Me


One good thing about being with the in-laws over the holidays in Central Massachusetts is that there is not much to except read magazines and eat cookies*. While perusing British ELLE, I came across this ad for Toni&Guy's Model.Me line of hair care products represented by top models Erin O'Conner, Helena Christensen and pop singer Jamelia. Each woman has a range of products catering to specific hair needs.

I don't know much about Jamelia aside from the fact that some people call her the British Beyonce and that her song "Superstar" was my jam for about two weeks several years ago. I have nothing against the woman but two things stick out here.

First, why isn't a actual model in Jamelia's place? And second, why are the only Black women we see in "mainstream" haircare ads usually sporting industrial weaves? Now, I know that a good weave requires a lot of care but seriously, what is up with this? It's like the companies are saying, "See! We haven't left you poor black women out of our campaign! You too can have healthy manageable hair, provided that you are wearing someone else's." It just seems silly to me.

I'm also bugged that everyone in the media seems to think that singers and rappers are always the go-to girls for ad campaigns and films when there are plenty of actual black models and actresses waiting in the wings. I admire any woman who can make a career in either of these industries without succumbing to bitterness or the allure of too much fried food.

5 comments:

Camille Acey said...

as usual i agree on all accounts. i was annoyed from the minute i saw jamelia on telly announcing that this whole deal was going down.

Ondo Lady said...

Black women relax their hair, it is a fact of life and I think that Jamelia in the Toni & Guy campaign is representing this fact.

B said...

I'm not disputing that for many black women, relaxing is common, I'm just not sure why the black "face" of the campaign is wearing extensions. It's really not just this ad but many of the ads I see in magazine and on TV. Why not relaxed hair that came out of her own head?

Camille Acey said...

yeah, if the ad is supposed to show how good the product works for your hair, then why is she wearing a weave-on? it seems to me that the ad is counter-productive since after all that Toni & Guy teasin and primpin she still needed to cover up her own hair with a peace.

Also, Ms. Ondo, I refuse to accept black women relaxing their hair as a "fact of life". It is something that has been done but it shouldn't be the status quo. A ten page Essence hair care spread shouldn't devote nine of those pages to relaxed styles it sends a really negative message.

Anonymous said...

@camille + brigitte: agree with both of your views wholeheartedly. toni & guy are portraying a false view because her hair is NOT natural. it would make more sense if they used a natural haired model with afro hair.

"A ten page Essence hair care spread shouldn't devote nine of those pages to relaxed styles it sends a really negative message." -- right on!