Fauxto Shop Deception

Welcome back to The Expressionist Magazine

Just a few weeks ago a story surfaced, rocking the Internet.  It  involved ’60s supermodel Twiggy and an ad she was in promoting a skin care product.  The ad angered the UK government so greatly, they banned the use of photo manipulation advertisements in their country, citing it to be misleading and false.  The ad was for an Oil of Olay anti-aging cream that removes wrinkles and tightens the skin.  Twiggy was featured on the ad, being in her mid-50s, showing little to no crow’s feet wrinkles around the eyes, wrinkles at the corners of her cheeks or any other signs of aging. Instead, her skin looked radiant and young.  Without makeup to cover some of the lines, Twiggy actually does sport crow’s feet and wrinkles, but it doesn’t truly hinder her looks.

What we found was this ad was photoshopped to the max, giving a completely false result to what this cream does.  It made it look like it worked miracles when really it was a talented photoshop artist that made the product perform better than it actually does.  Unfortunately, people look at these ads and completely believe them which drives them to buy the product with sub-par results.  In defense of the company, everyone has different skin and in some people it may work wonders on even the deepest wrinkles and aging skin, and not touch someone with minor wrinkles at all.

Nevertheless, Twiggy was clearly doctored up in that photograph, so the government decided to do something about it. That brings me to a few critical points: 1. Should the government have the power to censor and ban this kind of thing no matter how blatant it is?  2. Should we really photoshop someone to the point they don’t even look the same?  3.  Is it the people’s fault for believing everything they see?

To point one, especially in the United States, we have the ability to be free and express ourselves.  Europe is not as free as we are; they are socialist in many to all aspects of government, and this is how the government can control the art and how it’s portrayed.  They have complete power over everything, silencing the right to speak freely and promote your art as you deem fit.  If the United States is going in this direction, you can see a serious problem coming our way. Sure we have the Constitution to protect us, but the government has already shown they don’t care what that document says.  In order to have a socialist government, the Constitution would have to be absolved or the government would not have sovereign power to do as they seek fit to control the aspects of our lives.  Is this really what we want?  Do you think the UK has overstepped their bounds?  Sure the ad is misleading, but do they have the right to censor it?

To point number two, the fashion and modeling industry is obsessed with perfection.  Women and men who are already as perfect as can be are doctored up to be extra perfect.  In my opinion, we are human and we all have some flaws, but those flaws are what makes us unique, special and beautiful in our own right.  If you want to remove a mole, pimple, freckle or scar I say go ahead, but to completely photoshop the skin from head to toe making it look plastic, or shrinking someone’s waist size to something they are not, does give off a deceptive persona which can be disappointing when we see these people in person.  It also sets a false standard of beauty that the model doesn’t even have that the rest of the world tries to mimic.  In doing so, they hurt themselves with unnecessary plastic surgery, expensive creams, and unhealthy diets all for the chance to look like the photoshopped model in the magazine.

That leads us to point number three.  With all the knowledge of photoshop being used in the fashion, marketing and promotion industry, it’s almost unimaginable that we would believe these people really look the way they do in the pictures.  I mean come on already, do you really think an anti-aging cream company would put someone on their ad that has less than perfect skin?  No, why even place the ad because nobody would give it a second look.  Since no one looks like that, they have to doctor the photo manipulation. It’s hard to believe some of us are this gullible and nieve to believe this garbage.  The best thing we can do is to say, “I’ll try it and see if the results are the same,” but to run out and expect the same results and get angry when it doesn’t happen is just plain stupid in my opinion.  Air Jordan shoes never made anyone jump like Michael Jordan.  Gatorade never made you perform any better, it just kept you from dehydrating.  So why are beauty creams and cosmetics any different?

It’s terrible that we have to doctor photos to show perfection, when perfection is already achieved with the natural beauty we possess.

Miss California Decrowned

It was only a few months ago that Miss America Pageant took place causing a stir of controversy. The fore runner Miss California was one of the contestants that we all figured would win this year, until she was railroaded by the gay judge sitting on the panel. It was a simple question “Do you believe in gay marriage.” She simply stated “no, she believes a marriage is defined by the Bible as a man and woman.” That comment sent that judge into one huge tirade, he called her just about everything but a woman. That comment would not only cause her the grief of her life, but also the Miss America crown.

America was dumbfounded how she was treated, they were dumbfounded that someone would even ask a question like that; not to mention that her belief’s cost her the crown. Following the padget Miss California took a lot of media heat in this liberal pro gay country. She was so upset that she actually turned to a cause, now dear to her heart, fighting for the true definition of gay marriage across the USA.

With her choice of beliefs, and her well known charm from being Miss California, we all knew someone would try to dig up some dirt on her, and of course they did. They found some risque photos of Miss California, which then brought her Miss California crown up for scrutiny. Donald Trump, the owner of Miss America, Inc. decided to keep her as Miss California, despite the fact that all of the liberal America wanted her tossed. The heat was on and the Donald, I personally feel, was pressured beyond pressure to de-crown Miss California.

That day has come, now all the gay Americans can rejoice that she is no longer Miss California and will never be Miss America because of her belief, what she feels is true to her heart. Though it wasn’t the gay controversy that had her tossed, she missed a Miss America function. Normally overlooked unless you do it over and over, this was Trump’s way to toss her from her crown, now it can’t come back to him that he de-crowned her for her belief, he de-crowned her for her lack of participation; which is her duty in her position.  Donald has now made everyone happy and relieved the heat off his back.

All this did was get Donald Trump off the hook from all the negative press and countless demands to remove her. I applaud Trump for sticking to his guns and not de-crowning her for her belief; honestly I think Donald feels the same way. However, it shows me that even Mr. Apprentice has his limits and anxiously waited for her to mess up so he could remove the stress from his life for something less controversial than her belief. In the end we all know what brought this on.

I just hope that a gay Miss American contestant never has to be in the same position with the same question. If she does, she should get the exact same treatment Miss California did.

In the words of the Donald… Miss California “YOUR FIRED.”

Carla Caison- Work Your Body

Nestled in the modest rural setting of Florida’s Panhandle, lives a woman with high ambitions to someday perform on stage or on film for her audience.  Acting has always been her dream, but it was acting that led Carla Caison into a field she never thought possible, modeling.

If you would have told Caison growing up that she was going to model, she probably would have laughed at you.  She always felt herself to be a tomboy; never a girly-girl who dressed up in clothes and make-up.  Instead, she loved sports and fitness and wore sweats and t-shirts; a far cry from what a model would wear. 

Caison has the skinny, tall body that fashion and scouting agents look for in a model.  She’s beautiful and charismatic which play right into the hearts of the camera.  She got her break in this field while auditioning for an acting part. However, the director wanted her to do some modeling instead.  Caison was taken back a bit by this but decided to give it a try and since then, fell in love with the industry.

It’s a hard industry, filled with rejection and criticism and people trying to make you into something you’re not.  It’s an art, where you are the subject and medium.  The model must set the mood and he/she must play the part to make the work of art speak volumes. It is the model’s movement and  expression that are critical to making people believe what they are trying to convey.  This is very similar to what paints do, except the emotion and mood are set by the mind and hand of the artist who portrays his vision through this medium.

Despite the fact she has encountered rejection and criticism, Caison believes that you should not alter yourself for a part.  In today’s modeling world there are plus size models as well as petite models, conveying beauty is in the person, not the body. You shouldn’t change yourself for a part, you change the part to fit you by finding a gig that represents who you are.  Be true to yourself, Caison emphasizes, because if they don’t like you for you, then it wasn’t meant to be.

Since her modeling career bloomed unexpectedly one fine day, she has found herself in advertisements, magazines and even in the phone book.  Carla Caison is what you call an all around artist, dabbling in many mediums the art world has to offer.  Besides modeling, she paints and acts.

Acting is still a passion for Caison. She is currently doing plays and still auditioning for various acting gigs.  This is probably something Caison will never give up by the excitement she gets in her voice when speaking about acting.  Good for her, I say! You must do what you love and by doing what you love, you have more fun which shows to those around you.

Caison’s advice for aspiring models or actors is to get a good set of head shots, acquire experience through TFP (time for photos) shoots, and to not be afraid to try new things because it gives you a well rounded portfolio.

If you want to get in touch with Caison for booking, contact her through her MySpace page at, www.myspace.com/bookseagie 

Don’t forget to check out her podcast, which is located on our podcast link or simply download it through iTunes.