Touch of Gray Men's Hair Dye: For That Distinguished Look

Here is an image for the website from Just for Men's Touch of Gray line:


This product covers most, but not all, of a man's gray hair. From the website:

Why use Touch of Gray? A little gray to show your experience, but not so much
that it hides your vitality.

There are a range of shades available and you can control how much gray is hidden.

The website has a total of four images of men with women. As Vanessa V., who sent this one in, pointed out, none of the women have a "touch of gray." Nor could she imagine a product like this marketed to women.

Here is another example of an ad that gives men permission to age in a way women never are.

Other men's hair dye posts: here, here, and here.

Thanks, Vanessa!

Commodifying Personal Change

These images get at a common message in ads--changing your life or becoming a different person isn't about self-reflection and effort, it's just about buying the right product.

Also see this, this, this, this, this, and this.

Shave Or Men Will Never Find It

So apparently when women don't shave their body hair becomes a dense and impenetrable forest in which men will be utterly lost. I wonder what they're looking for... if it's what I think it is, it's a pretty underhanded threat. At least the brave explorers don't look disgusted.


Found here via copyranter.

Just For Men Ad Plays on Men's Fear about Dating

Another Just For Men Hair Dye Ad: Former Athlete Gets His Masculine Vitality Back by Covering Grey Hair

Just For Men Hair Dye Ad Plays on Career Insecurity

Ad Warns Moms Not to Let Themselves Go

Here is a link to TV ads for Suave shampoo (sorry, I can't figure out how to embed it; click on the "Beauty" tab on the left, then the "Advertising: TV ads" link). The first one claims that having kids makes both your hair and your breasts flat. The third ad says that "89% of women" say they have "let themselves go," but then announces that with Suave, "100% can get themselves back."

Here is a link to a report on a survey Suave conducted, titled "Can Motherhood and Womanhood Coexist?" Here are some excerpts:

A whopping 84 percent admit they’ve let their appearance slide since
becoming a mom and that taking care of their appearance has become more of a
wish than a reality. The majority (66 percent) say guilt is one of the barriers
to self care.

The brand’s 360 degree 'Say Yes to Beautiful' integrated marketing
campaign reminds moms that beauty has a place amongst the dirty dishes and piles
of laundry that are an inevitable part of motherhood.

Race, Ethnicity, And Hair

These three confessions, from Post Secret this week, illustrate that "ethnic" hair carries meaning (in the first authenticity, in the second ugliness, and in the third it's left open) and how some women feel about that:

"Wildflowers And Shame"

This one's a treat:

Nair Hair-Removal Products for Teens

Nair (a cream hair-removal product) is now targeting teen girls. The Nair Pretty website treats shaving for the first time much like the first period--talk to your mom or older sisters! We know it can be scary! And of course what makes it scary is all the cuts and nicks you can get from a razor. And guess what? There's an easy solution!

I especially like that Nair Pretty is supposedly formulated especially "for the skin of teenage girls."

Race And Biology

This website created by the American Anthropological Association is a great way to explore the social construction of race. There's an awesome timeline that traces political and scientific trends where you can click on any part of it and get more information. It's a great resource.

It also includes this great 7 minute video called "A Girl Like Me":



I'd actually love to get some feedback on this video. I really like it, but last time I showed it (in a social psychology portion of a Race and Ethnicity course), the class had a hard time recovering. It was depressing and I wasn't very successful in DOING something SOCIOLOGICAL with it. Any ideas?

BYU Dress Code

Yan sent me this link to the Brigham Young University dress code. Here are some examples:

One of the things I think is really interesting is how aggressively multicultural the posters are. The Mormon church did not allow black men to be priests (and therefore they could not ascend to the highest level of heaven) until 1978.

Thanks Yan!

Race and Beauty

Notice that this product line is called African Pride, and yet the model is light-skinned, has straight hair, and more typically "white" facial features.

Sunsilk Shampoo Ads from Glamour Magazine

Before...


















...and after.


Good for showing how gender is inscribed into product packaging, how packages become symbols of ideal femininity, and the normalization of cosmetic surgery as a way to achieve that ideal.