Womenkind: Marketing to Women

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Summer Fementainment??

If you missed “Cougar”, TVLand’s embarrassing train wreck reality show that depicted a 40-year-old “Cougar”, a woman who dates younger men, don’t despair, TVLand is debuting a new series aimed at showcasing “older women”.  The second season of “She’s Got the Look” a modeling competition for women over 35 starts next week.  Initially “She’s Got the Look” seems like a semi-empowering premise: one woman was a homeless single mother at one point, some are gray haired septuagenarians, and some are making their first attempts at a career after having taken care of others for years, and the winner gets a $100,000 contract and representation at Wilhelmina.  Pretty good right?  Well one look at the promo videos for the show reveals that the producers are gunning for stereotypical catty infighting and some of the most persistent archetypes of ambitious women, there’s the Crazy Lady, the Crying Lady, The Tireless Self-Promoter, the Ice Queen, the Diva, and this is just from the sneak peek clips, wonder what a whole episode might reveal.

Check out our old pal Sarah Haskins who recently did a spot critiquing “Cougar”, can’t wait for a “She’s Got the Look” video in the near future…

And since the infuriating and demeaning term Cougar doesn’t seem like it’s going away any time soon can we think of a word for the LEGIONS of older men who choose to date much younger women? Codger is a good counter but refers mostly to age not dating predilections. Hound Dog is a strong contender. I personally like the sound and image of Pterodactyls, pre-historic, angular and boney, and swooping around ominously looking for fresh prey. “Watch out girl, there’s a Pterodactyl circling!” What do you think? Submit your suggestions for a word for old men who hit on young women!

Spending Well for Yourself and the Economy

A recent article in one of our fave blogs DoubleX, confirms that women’s inclinations to continue to spend on personal services (hair, nails, skin treatments) despite cutting down on other expenses like clothing and appliances, is just what our economy needs!

In an earlier post we detailed how women have disciplined themselves and cut back spending on dining out, are socializing at home more, switching to generic brands, and adding more research and planning to their shopping excursions.

But one thing women haven’t, and shouldn’t cut back on is personal services, aka beauty treatments!  As DoubleX puts it:

“This is a more efficient and effective form of consumerism, for yourself and the economy as a whole. Service industries generally have low overhead and spend more of their revenue on paying staff than a typical store. They are also often locally owned, keeping your dollars not just within the country's borders, but in your own community.”

Got that?  Whereas as large retailers have huge overhead, spending money on inventory, storage, infrastructure etc with smaller businesses in the personal services realm more of your money is going directly to the technician, stimulating your local economy.  Also included under the umbrella of personal services?  Gardeners, babysitters, tutors, dog walkers and other Craigslist regulars who make your life easier.

Spending strategically is always a smart woman’s priority but if in the process you are able to relieve stress, pamper yourself, and feel reenergized, well that borders on genius.

Princess Pandemonium!

Since 2000 when The Walt Disney Company banded the heroines of their wildly popular films together under the brand “Disney Princesses” the franchise has grown to (this year) project annual sales of $4 billion dollars through DVD’s, merchandise, games and multi media.  While many of us grew up adoring one or more of these perfect princesses, (still have a soft spot for Sleeping Beauty, sigh) and they provide a fertile launching pad for storytelling and fantasy games, the aggressive merchandising and culture surrounding them has been found to be troubling and problematic to many parents.

As journalist Martha Irvine notes in her article for the Associated Press, the game of pretending to be a princess during playtime has been encroaching into behaving like a princess all of the time.  Irvine describes how the princess fairy tale has expanded to blur the lines between fantasy and reality, thanks in part due to the inescapability of princess “merch”:

These days, that message begins practically at birth with everything from princess baby shirts and "her royal highness" bibs to princess-themed photo albums and picture frames for baby girls. By the time those girls are toddlers, many are drawn to the princess dresses, glittery crowns and even makeup.

The activities of role-playing and make-believe are key experiences of child development that Disney Princesses clearly ignite in little girls, but what has parents, doctors and other development specialists are concerned mainly with two things: Firstly, heightened senses of consumerism and materialism, e.g.: the sheer amount of Disney Princess merchandise, activities, theme parks et al creates a nightmare for parents who can never get to the end of their princess-addicted daughters’ demands.  Disney is not the only culprit in the game of over-marketing to girls, just think of Barbie, Bratz and the palaces that are American Girl Doll stores, which contain doll hair salons and restaurants that promise “the royal treatment” complete with custom “Treat Seats” for dolls.  The second problem is a major skew in little girls’ perceptions of reality and themselves.  Being consumed in princess culture 24/7 can lead girls to become disappointed with regular life, chores, sharing and eventually work and real relationships.  The fact that Disney has a burgeoning business of Princess-inspired wedding gowns shows that indeed some adults have trouble letting go of the fantasy.  And certainly girls who are indulged, referred to, and treated as Princesses can develop a bit of an “attitude” when it comes to behaving as an equal member of the family. Disney is kind enough to provide a website full of tips for Parenting a Princess complete with such helpful features as Princess recipes and crafts, a Royal Photo Gallery and Princess Parents (Support) Group!

Fortunately these blatant displays of consumerism are somewhat out of vogue during the current climate that favors frugality and modesty in material possessions, though it may take some gentle reminding of a determined princess-in-training.  Since nowadays trying to keep up with the Joneses seems as passé as acquiring Hummers and McMansions, it may be helpful to remember it’s impossible to keep up with the (Princess) Jasmine’s, and in attempting to do so, what’s the lesson we’re teaching our girls?  Where are the self-made role models who seek more out of life than Prince Charming?

Dell’s Marketing of Women-Targeted “Della” Notebooks a Big Fat Fail

A couple of weeks ago Dell launched Della, a netbook geared to women in all kinds of girly colors and designs!

But women and bloggers have been mercilessly ridiculing the campaign and Della’s website since then which treats women as a niche market that needs their technology candy coated in pastels.  Joanna Stern writing for LAPTOP magazine describes Dell’s approach thusly:

The Tech Tips page, with its patronizing "Seven Unexpected Ways a Netbook Can Change Your Life," is full of stereotypes of how women's lives can be changed with a mini-notebook... "Track your exercise and food intake at free online sites like Fitday," is Tip Number One, like any self-respecting women's magazine would recommend. Number two: Find recipes online (just because we have laptops doesn't mean we don't still belong in the kitchen). Dell, is this all you think us women do with our laptops? Or do you think women are that slow at the technology uptake that we don't know that a netbook is capable of these activities?

Due to the backlash from customers and the media Dell quickly responded with an apology and a revised site but we wonder why Dell seems to feel the need to market a product to a demographic (women) that are apparently so intimidated by technology that they would gravitate to a cartoonish notebook that suggests how to maximize you new tool through shopping online and counting calories!  Finding any actual technical specifications on Della’s Mini Netbooks requires several click throughs, but we probably wouldn’t know what processors or gigs are anyway!

On the Stylish Heels of Chanel, Dior Makes an Equally Dazzling Fashion Film

We recently spotlighted the artful and romantic short film collaboration made for Chanel by Audrey Tatou and “Amelie” director Jean-Pierre Juenet. Now the House of Dior has gotten in the game with a film starring Marion Cotillard directed by her “La Vie En Rose” director Olivier Dahan. Whether you prefer a perfume-inspired romantic journey by train (Chanel) or an accessories-driven Noir potboiler that scales the Eiffle Tour (Dior), we are delighted by these artistic and old school French auteur-muse-designer collaborations.

Sonia Sotomayor Nominated to Supreme Court

President Obama announced today his pick to replace Justice Souter on the Supreme Court Bench: Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Since Souter announced his intention to retire critics and pundits have been buzzing over the shortlist of potential nominees, of whom it has seemed a foregone conclusion would be a woman. Putting aside for the moment affirmative action-tinged arguments as to whether it is best for the court, women, and Americans in general to have a spot on the bench earmarked “woman," Sotomayor makes a strong statement as a potential Supreme Court Justice for a variety of reasons. As a woman of Puerto Rican heritage raised by a single mother in a Bronx housing project, many have been inspired by her personal story. If she is to be confirmed, Sotomayor will be the first Latino and only the third woman on the bench in our nation’s history. Her hardscrabble upbringing combined with the achievement of graduating from Princeton and Yale make Sotomayor stand out as a self-made minority woman against the backdrop of the still mostly “old boys club” appearance of the Supreme Court.

Sotomayor has a reputation as a direct and practical judge, not necessarily a pondering intellectual.  Critics predict a quick confirmation with relatively little hindrance from opposition as Sotomayor’s credentials, both professional and personal make her a very hard target to pin and one that would be politically damaging to undermine should critics try to block her.  Whether liberal or conservative, Sotomayor’s life serves an inspiring example for women, Latinos and anyone of less than privileged means who dream big and are willing to work really, really hard.

Chanel No. 5: The romance isn’t over

Most perfume ads are similarly pretentious, esoteric, and most often weird. As proof, consider how many have been parodied on SNL. But Chanel has always understood what women really want in their perfume. Attainable fantasy. And true romance.

Women like stories, and they just adore love stories. So take a couple of minutes and enjoy this romantic novella starring Audrey Tatou.

Costs Up and Care Down for Women’s Health Care

In addition to paying more on average for health insurance than men, a recent study by the Commonwealth Fund finds that 70% of adult American women, or 64 million are either uninsured, suffering from medical expense related financial difficulty or are under cared for due to costs of medical treatment. The study covered a period of time ending in 2007 so as unemployment has risen and the economy has taken a major downturn, these numbers are sure to be even more grim today.
 
Many women have recently become unemployed and thus uninsured, so fewer are seeking medical care including annual check ups and screenings.  Compounding this, as the New York Times reports, simply being unemployed or even having lost a job due downsizing or reasons no fault of your own, greatly increases the likelihood of developing new illnesses.  Talk about adding insult to injury. 

Following President Obama’s major announcements Monday two major health care developments are in the works: 1) The health insurance industry pledging to reduce costs to users, and 2) The Obama administration and allies’ support for creating a public health plan in the near future, there is cause to be (cautiously) optimistic.

In the mean time use resources such as ehealthinsurance.com to find and purchase health insurance for yourself and family while in between jobs.  And remember, stress is a killer but prevention is a powerful counter-weapon.  Maintaining a healthy lifestyle of nutrition, exercise, and emotional and intellectual activity with others will stave off many maladies and build good habits no matter what your financial or insurance situation is at the moment.

Honoring Marilyn French

“My goal in life is to change the entire social and economic structure of Western civilization, to make it a feminist world.” These are the words of Marilyn French novelist, essayist, critic and rather ambitious feminist who passed away this Saturday of heart failure at age 79.  Most famous for her debut novel (published at age 47 after a divorce, raising two children and returning to school) “The Women’s Room” was a semi-autobiographical story of women escaping unhappy home lives and male-servitude through education and a reclaiming of their independence.  Speaking with the New York Times personal friend Gloria Steinem described the novel as such, “It was about the lives of women who were supposed to live the lives of their husbands, supposed to marry an identity rather than become one themselves, to live secondary lives,” Ms. Steinem said in an interview Sunday. “It expressed the experience of a huge number of women and let them know that they were not alone and not crazy.”

In 1992 at age 62 Marilyn was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and given months to live.  Unbelievably she beat the diagnosis and recounted her successful battle with the disease and the unexpected affects of it on her life in “Season in Hell: A Memoir”.  This past year she published a four volume, massive work “From Eve to Dawn: A History of Women”.  While the history focuses largely on the subjugation of women throughout history, it ends on optimistic note, aware of, and hopeful for more empowerment for women.   Whether you share Marilyn’s sometimes extreme feminist leanings or not, we can all celebrate a life given to prolific output of work that helped shape modern womanhood into the more independent, empowered state that it is today