It's the type of lighting used for make-up ads-- Even white models look whiter. It's the contrast/brightness.

Ever notice the bright lighting at make-up counters in the department store (while you are walking past them on your way to the mall? )

SCNDLS said:

Gabrielle Union is brown-skinned.
Queen, Eve, Halle, and Kim are carmel-colored.
Rihanna and Beyoncé are light-skinned.

Suggest a celeb who should be on the list.
Most American black women are somewhere between Gabrielle Union and Eve's color. Its rare to see a sista that looks like Alex Wek.
[Edited 8/8/08 13:06pm]

Dsoul said:

That'd be my main issue with it.

"If you buy Loreal hair colour and shampoo, your hair can look JUST LIKE THIS! Oh yeah, you might need a human-hair weave costing you several hundred dollars too..."

I'm not surprised they lightened up her skin though. It's happened before, with models and celebs alike.

Zeezow said:

It looks like it's on sideways.

meow85 said:

lol I don't know, it looks kinda curved to me!

maybe coz I never looked at her nose before ... you know, like REALLY look at it

SCNDLS said:

Can u say..... Vegas? Feb 07

Graycap23 said:

YOU know I stayed in the same hotel on the same floor and I saw her repeatedly in the Concierge lounge getting her free drank on. At least that's what I was doin'. . .

Graycap23 said:

Care to explain? I don't get that reference.

Many people have talked about how good her skin is. I'm just going off her rep. I haven't been all up in her grill like that personally.

BlaqueKnight said:

I'm not EVEN going here, this is another dead horse in the pasture.

BlaqueKnight said:

All star weekend in Vegas last year. I stayed in the same hotel as her and she was at 3121 for Prince's show that weekend.

SCNDLS said:

Can't say what I was doing but Gabby was there.

Graycap23 said:

I can guess tho. . . but with Miss Thang it wasn't no mystery. But back to her skin, it ain't "perfect."

SCNDLS said:

Very true.

Cinnie said:

I'll go with the lighting for many print ads but that doesn't explain her reshaped nose and angled jaw.

Graycap23 said:

Alrighty then. I stand corrected.

JackieBlue said:

BlaqueKnight said:

What I don't get is, if you have to do all that airbrushing, why not just get somebody else? If it's to appeal to blacks, then get a black girl who fits the look that they want rather than basically 'repainting' somebody to appeal to consumers because she's a celebrity. Their hair's not gonna look like that anyway.

JackieBlue said:

That's the point. . . this add wasn't made to appeal to blacks. How many blonde/red haired black folks do YOU know. I'm not saying they don't exist but not in the numbers to support Loreal's business.

JackieBlue said:

Because celebrities sell and photoshopping is easier. Target markets can be tricky but popular people make great marketing devices. Its a proven fact. They use more than one model. They just hire according to their target demographic. Then there's market analysis - who's popular with the target group, what are their other interests, etc. They picked her because she was hot with the public. Popularity can transcend race at times. Since she's already lighter-skinned, she can appeal to a wider spectrum (black/latina/east indian/etc.)

SCNDLS said:

That's the point. . . this add wasn't made to appeal to blacks. How many blonde/red haired black folks do YOU know. I'm not saying they don't exist but not in the numbers to support Loreal's business.

So there's a hole in their market that they want to fill, then?

Would one of you women PLEASE explain to me which companies cater more to black and latina women? Honestly, I really don't know. I'm ignorant in this area since I never have to deal with makeup.
[Edited 8/8/08 15:20pm]

BlaqueKnight said:

Nah, I don't think that Loreal's trying to raise their profile among black consumers by using Beyonce. If that was the case, I think she'd have a more natural/ethnic look in the ad which would appeal to a broader spectrum of black women. As for which makeup companies actually market to black women, that's hard to quantify. I say that because I can only think of two, Fashion Fair and Iman, that gear their marketing specifically to black women. However, there are others, like Bobbi Brown and MAC that have makeup that appeals to a wide spectrum of ethnicities and their marketing somewhat reflects that.

To me, haircare is a different thing altogether. I don't color my hair so I don't know how many black women would actually use Loreal. It just seems to me that by putting a blond, slim-nosed, photoshopped, white-face version of Bey, they are trying to make her paletable and acceptable to their key consumers, white women.

SCNDLS said:

Probably. Also to those peanut butter colored women trying to "blend". Just keepin' it real. You know they exist.
Nothing says "we can make you look white" like a good old fashioned "Tommy Mottola" makeover complete with the blonding of an "ethnic chick".
[Edited 8/8/08 15:50pm]

BlaqueKnight said:

Exactly. That's why I said earlier, "No darkies on the list." Cuz it's easier to use a passable sista than one who is unmistakeably black. But to be real, when I read Essence I do see darker skinned models in ads for companies like Covergirl, etc. I just wonder if these ads are as common in mags sold to a diverse demographic.

purplesweat said:

AS IF they didn't alter it. lmao. Unless she's wearing a shitload of makeup, including body make up to make her look paler, and then in comes the lights and she's washed out completely.

Either way, beyonce, her photogs, loreal or whoever, have tried to make her look lighter.



They can't deny that pic is altered in any way either- including her features- it's clearly airbrushed to the shit- she's almost unrecognisable.

Forget the whitening...I just can't get over the fact that she is wearing a full-blown wig in an advertisement for hair color.

PurpleCharm said:

Is it definitely a wig? Could just be extensions..

purplesweat said:

its a wig.look @ the hairline

That cover bee is on looks really generated, by an amateur. Looks pieced together with a lot of lighting on it. Her nose doesn't look like that, I don't think she would wear her hair that outrageous, and the eyes don't sit right. I think they USED her eyes though. Much respect to her but I don't think that that is all pure her facialwise. Maybe she is looking out for a photographer. But I know she can do some really great photo shoots.

I could have sworn Gabrielle has one cosmetic that she promotes.

Beyonce is "fake" anyway, her whole image doesn't portray anything that speaks of realism. The mere fact that she does makeup ads speaks to her willingness to let her image be manipulated by madison ave. Makeup in of itself is all about altering ones appearance. This ad, imo, is poor example to use when discussing colorism.

Her arm doesn't look white to me btw. That said, you will find many pictures of Beyonce with various skin tones, this can be due to numerous things from the camera, lighting, makeup, tanning.... Case in point, I've seen Beyonce look "lighter" than the photo on the left.

lilgish said:

The video for "Ring The Alarm" comes to mind for me. I don't know what look they were going for in that video, but in the close up shots she was pale as hell and the green contact lens didn't help either. The Loreal ad has clearly been altered though, I mean we all know Beyonce is light skinned, but not that light. It's not even a good pic either. She looks like a horse in it.
[Edited 8/9/08 8:27am]

Cinnamon234 said:

Its that mane on her head j/k but 4real her nose has been altered.