Completely. Ridiculous.

UPDATE: Still no comment from bebe- even after posting on their Facebook page:

 

Take a look at the background- their latest post was (at time of this photo) four hours ago. My post? 21 hours ago. So… either they have  really crappy social media person or they only respond to positive comments. Not good.

****

I think we’ve established by now that I love fashion.

A couple of things that I do NOT love are two-fold: one- the fact that many times people may assume that fashion designers are only about these itsy bitsy size 00 women and two- when the industry then totally backs up said assumption with an image like this:

 

WTF

 

Are yall kidding me?!

Granted, I am not a photoshop wiz but even I could tell this was photoshopped. Just to be sure I asked the expert in my office and got an emphatic confirmation. The dress itself is rather hot from the front but the side view makes me want to throw up. What could be wrong with showing how it really looks?

Not only are we reinforcing the idea that in order for fashion to tell women have to be 00’s to model it but we are also reinforcing the unhealthy idea that in order to be pretty girls must be that size.

AND THIS IS PHOTOSHOPPED- like WAY photoshopped past the point of even being realistic!

I joke with my photographers and friends all the time about how my pictures need to be photoshopped to take out bags from under my eyes and that type of thing but Jesus LAWD this is unbelievable.

I tried to contact bebe for a comment, however when I first wrote this it was over the weekend and they don’t have a 24/7 customer service number. I did tweet to their @bebe_PRgirl but with no response. So I called Monday night while taking a break in class.

Aside from the truly awful semi-elevator-dubstep-type music they played, I got someone in the Phillippines who answered. I’m having a hard enough time hearing anyway due to a cold I am catching, and I can’t even get someone in the US to answer. Awesome. She was perfectly nice though. Ugh. Eventually got a manager who told me to email their marketing department. Sent them this email:

 

As you can see I also referenced the picture so that there would be no confusion. I was told I should hear back from someone quickly.

 

Nothing.

 

Ridiculous. Not that I have shopped there lately, to be honest, but I sure as hell won’t go back.

 

Love to All Yall-

 

Molly

Love, Molly Kate

Molly is a communications professor, parent, Southern culture commentator, and social media marketing maven. She is also a freelance writer who has worked with a variety of publications and online magazines including Bourbon & Boots, Paste Magazine, Macon Magazine, the 11th Hour, Macon Food & Culture Magazine, and as the Digital Content Editor for The Southern Weekend.

Love, Molly Kate has 959 posts and counting. See all posts by Love, Molly Kate

2 thoughts on “Completely. Ridiculous.

  • April 30, 2013 at 3:50 pm
    Permalink

    I think it’s funny that we know that most of these model images are edited, yet we still use these edited images as the standard of beauty. Girls are trying to starve themselves to look like the images they see and girls who refuse to starve themselves struggle with not feeling beautiful because they are several dress sizes outside of “mainstream beauty” range. Something definitely needs to change.

    Reply
    • April 30, 2013 at 4:13 pm
      Permalink

      Agreed! And it makes me sick that bebe didn’t even respond to my email. I’m hoping if we can get this going on social media perhaps they will do something about it. Even it it’s a small Twitter acknowledgement “oh yeah this image is photoshopped/ or even an unhealthy image” etc etc

      Reply

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