Slightly Offputting Styling of TigerDirect Preteen Model

I guess this model's age to be around 12, judging by the length of her forearms and the soft, smooth "baby" quality of her hands and face. 

Maybe she's 13 or 14, or even a really young-looking 16. When I first saw this image in a TigerDirect email blast, I was slightly weirded out by this young (looking) model's luxuriously-styled hair, curled and mascaraed eyelashes, and the incredibly, unnecessarily-airbrushed face of an adult model, her chin resting on one baby hand with a self-assured half-smile. 

I tried to Pin this to share it in my "Slightly Disturbing" file, but TigerDirect's available thumbnail image cut off her head. (I made my own screen captures.) I thought it a little strange that their thumbnail contained no head. Then again, all the relevant sale information is on the lower half of the ad, so i guess it's not too odd. 

I see how they played it safe, dressing her in a fully-buttoned blue Oxford shirt, slightly roughing up her hair... And then it's a 12-year-old wearing all the same attitude, eye-makeup, and airbrushing of an 18-year-old. 

I wonder what the stylist and art director were thinking.

"A girl wearing her new school uniform."
The makeup artist just went a little out-of-control with the mascara, and then the art department intern went overboard on the airbrushing...

OR

"A pageant princess on her first day of private middle school."

It must be one of those two, surely.

Or is it actually an 18-year-old model who's been airbrushed into looking like a child??? So many questions!

On the comeback of fur.

I first saw the New Fur trend begin in August 2010's Allure: Best of Beauty issue. For background, it is an issue read by millions, even by people who don't subscribe and buy it just for the beauty product test results on hundreds of popular products from shampoo to moisturizer and every kind of makeup. Allure's Best of Beauty seal is a stamp of approval so prestigious that products print it on their packaging when they've received this honor. In short, this was a high profile issue, and it blatantly featured New Fur.

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Diabetes Pride

I had to go back for a snapshot when I saw this poster in the entrance to Rite Aid a few weeks back.

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CARMEX: not just FOR-COLD-SORES anymore

After searching for years for the perfect lip balm, I found Carmex to be the best one for me. Unfortunately, it only came in this little pot that announced "FOR-COLD-SORES" on a bright yellow cap. Ouch. There was a girl in one of my college classes who used to keep it on the table and smear it on her lips every five minutes. Then years later South Park had a character who did the same thing and offered Carmex to the kids. Both were unsettling. It's gross to think about cold sores, and when the label just announces it really loudly to everyone, it's a little embarrassing, even if you clearly don't have a cold sore.

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