Ok ladies (and gentlemen) I am going to post a link to a thread i made in the uk room... now give it a chance, its about the medias use of people and how they change people for money. Its relevant to something i attempted to do this week by trying to get a company to let me be a cover girl for them as ME and not as a doll... they accepted they wanted me ... but wanted to change everything about me. please check it out and comment because so far no one seems to understand my anger at this. http://www.hipforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105347
This sort of thing makes me so mad. The reason there is no change from the normal air-brushed, thin, tanned, blonde models on covers is because everyone is afraid of the change. They don't want to risk their magazines reputation and are too worried about ratings. This: you've got potential and your face has some strong features if we can just get the dreadlocks out the way. I find is very frustrating.. "get the dreadlocks out of the way"? Why would they want to do that? Dreads are beautiful and natural.. they should be part of the reason they want to feature you. So.... did you decide to do it??
I understand your anger. A local 'alternative' rock station around here started doing a local bikini calendar. They made it sound all unique and accepting of diversity but when the calendar came out, most of the girls featured in it already had modeling contracts, and they were ALL skinny, hairless and airbrushed, not a thing alternative about one of them. Yet I kind of see two sides to your issue. My gut tells me "Fuck them!" and sees a lot of what they're saying as bullshit. But yet I agree that, in order for them to do what they want in the future, they have to conform to society's standards now while they're gaining an audience. After they have gained a sufficient audience they will be able to do what they want without fear of low sales or losing their audience. It's not the most moral business principle but it is slightly less bad than others. It's just kind of strange that a college magazine is so concerned with sales in the first place, though. All other college magazines/newspapers I've seen are all about being alternative, and THAT is what gets them readers. On another note Fleassy, you're so unique looking that, even after a "makeover" you still won't look a thing like any of the girls usually on magazine covers--which is a very good thing. Even if the image of yourself on the cover is far from how unique you actually look, it will still look 1000 times more unique than what the readers are used to seeing, which may help them open their minds to different forms of beauty.
I am totally impressed with you, and I haven't even seen your picture! I find the media's portrayal of women frusterating beyond belief. Is the world filled with women that share my opinion? I think so. Maybe it is time the media actually gave us what we want rather than what they think we want. Maybe it's time the media stopped shoving this unattainable idea of beauty down our throats, and the throats of young girls who are still devoloping their personalities. Then maybe, just maybe, the normal, natural, beautiful woman would sell a few magazines.
hey!! i knew i'd get your support and lace and feet i too toataly see why they would want palin and dull and plastic... but i dont sgree with it i'm still thinking it over, i might make them an offer... the dreadlocks are STAYING!! no matter what... and theres no NEED to show my armpits and legs .... make up i will stand for a small amout, because i know what studio lighting is like (as ive worked in theatre etc a lot) If they accept then i've made one step in the right direction, a model on the cover of a mainstream magazine with dreadlocks, piercings and ... hair and just so you know this Student mag is sold all over england in lots of unis rather than just a single uni mag which is why they are bothered about sales.
hmm, ive been a model and know what fun it can be, but I didnt have to change myself to get the job.... personally, I wouldn't accept their offer to tone down who you are to sell their magazine. I understand where he is coming from, but from the sounds of it, your ideology and theirs dont match, so you move on and find somewhere that does your ego will love it though, but then again, big egos usually make shitty people
mmm interesting, well they said if ur college wants their mag on their shelf then u can do it, is the mag already here, cause they might be saying ask them if we can display it there and u will be a model, bit strange, i wouldnt do it personally, cause this is for one day, if u have to shave ur dreads they wnt grow back by the end of it!!!
If you get on the cover will you post a picture of it on here? Also, I understand how different magazines want to put a image on their cover to attract a certain crowd (ex. a fashion mag puts a airbrushed, thin woman in the latest styles whereas a yoga magazine puts a more natural, fit woman doing yoga) but a magazine like the one you're applying for shouldn't have to put the certain same type of person on their cover all the time, they are appealing to a wide variety of people.. most of which would probably love not to see an airbrushed blonde on the cover.
OK, so I've read through all of this thread & half of the other one, here's what I think. It doesn't sound like they are actually listening to what you are telling them. Maybe I'm reading their responses correctly but they just seem to be stuck in their own mindset & ignoring what you are telling them your motivation & beliefs are on this. Their market is students? I don't know about other universities but seeing a woman here @ University of Wisconsin - Madison with dreadlocks & body hair is pretty normal. Not all of them fit that image but enough do that I had to kind of think about it to remember how many I had seen in the past while. It has become, I'd say, common enough that it doesn't stick out. At least for me. There probably are a larger percentage who have that hippie look who look like this. But there are quite a few. So where I'm going with this is if that is their market what's their point? A quite a few women who are your fellow students have this look wouldn't they just be reflecting the population or maybe a percentage of it? I also want to add in that it's high time that the media did start showing more diversity. I was particularly annoyed that they tried to turn around your use of diversity to mean that they can take you & make you over to look like every other Barbie doll that they are going to photo. Whet the heck diversity is that. I can take whole wheat flour & bleach it & I'll get the crap that makes Wonder Bread but that doesn't give me whole wheat pancakes. Now taking this in the other hand.... How bad do you want to do this? Is it worth the shaving, make-up, & maybe tying your dreds back for? I didn't catch if they backed down on the shaving thing or not but that will come back pretty quickly, won't it? Of course, like you said, they don't even have to see any body hair in the photos It's not like you are doing a swimsuit edition or something, after all. This is ultimately your dicision to make. If they are interested enough in you they should be willing to work with you some more than I think I saw. Good luck either way.
you should make your own diverse mag! I've always wanted to do that, but I don't have the photography or editorial skills to put it together myself. But think about it! you could print stories that really matter, you culd inspire people to stop looking to society for their next move and you could show just how beautiful people can be without all the hype!!
me and rover lass were going to start the rainbow rag, a zine, a few years back but it took so much working out and arranging also time and money. i lack most of it. and to get it into mainstream media would take a lot more then ive got in me but its a good idea... thanks
personally I thought the first reply was taking the piss till I read further!! Sounds to me that rather than taking the cover job you might have a good shot at taking their job!! If that is what they think they need to do to sell more magazines to uni students then either uni students in the UK are an entirely different breed (which I highly doubt) or they really have no idea about the actual business they are in! Don't change yourself one iota for such a fleeting job, if they have any brains they will take you as you are and if they don't want you as you are then don't change cause those changes are not going to sell one more mag for them than they already do...they need to get a bit more in touch with what actually will motivate people to pick up a magazine and part with cold hard cash and at the moment it looks like they are looking to line themselves up with jobs at Womans Day...yeah...really knowing your audience!!
Wow, That's horrible.. I completly and utterly agree with you. If they want you as a model, they take YOU as you are. Wow, That really angered me. If your intrested in this, go here: http://melodramatic.com/cliques/real+women+have+curves/ It's actually intresting.. But you have to join the site to get in on it :/
