Photoshopping: One Lingerie Company is Bucking the Trend while Making a Buck

It is no secret that advertisements, especially for clothing, accessories, and even cheeseburgers. About a year ago, Brent (Lorentz, of the fellow Duets Blogger fame) discussed the prevalence of unrealistic expectations in advertising. As Brent mentioned, while ethical standards are applied to all sorts of industries, there seems to be little discussion of any ethics in advertising. Sure, some academics, activists and other groups might complain now and then, but the complaints don’t seem to build into any meaningful action or change.

As an anecdotal example, when Hardees / Carl’s Jr. came out with its first “pretty ladies in very little clothing cheeseburger ad,” the Parents Television Council objected. They released a public statement chiding the restaurant chain stating “The Paris Hilton/Carl’s Jr. commercial is nothing but a sleazy attempt on Carl’s Jr. part to make money selling burgers with pornography.” The response from Andy Pudzer, CEO of the chain? “Get a life.”

Against this backdrop, American Eagle took a risk with it’s “Aerie” chain of lingerie stores, choosing to not photoshop its advertisement models. The brand’s decision is particularly powerful due to the chain’s target market, 15-21 year old females. Here is one of their summer ads:

The fact that one brand has made this commitment isn’t big news. After all, companies have an occasional bout of conscientiousness quite frequently. I haven’t heard any announcement from any other brand. No, the real news is that the ad campaign is not just a “feel good” moment, but is actually making American Eagle more money. Sales of the Aerie brand shot up 9% over the last quarter. Sure, it could be coincidence or it could be that people simply hadn’t heard of the Aerie brand until these ad campaigns. Regardless of the “why,” there is at least anecdotal evidence that consumers will positively respond (with their wallets) to more ethical, realistic beauty standards for women.

To be sure, professional models don’t provide a truly realistic expectation of beauty either. But it is a step in the right direction. I doubt that the entire industry will follow suit and, honestly, I’m not sure that it would be necessary. The primary problem, for me, is that realistic body images were never portrayed in advertisements. The idea, I suppose, is that companies think that consumers see the advertisement and on some subconscious level think that they’ll be just as beautiful if they buy that swimsuit/wear that perfume/ eat that jalapeno chili cheeseburger. By extension, choosing to not make the women in the advertisements as beautiful as possible would presumably have less of an effect on the viewer because they don’t want to be average, they want to be beautiful. Even if companies didn’t believe it, it likely wasn’t worth the risk. But Aerie’s ads question these assumptions. Here’s to hoping at least some companies follow suit.

 

 

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4 Ways to Use Social Media to Land a Job

By now everyone is quite familiar with the powers of social media — the good (connection to millions around the world, direct access to Taylor Swift’s dating advice) and the bad (the vulnerability that comes with exposure to millions). Social media has no doubt played a part in how we interact with people in our personal lives, but it’s also a useful tool when it comes to looking for — and landing — a job.

A 2013 Jobvite survey revealed that 94 percent of recruiters look for candidates on social media sites, and 78 percent have made hires this way. A good social media strategy should include more than just an existing LinkedIn profile. To get noticed in today’s competitive marketplace, a deliberate approach is necessary. Do it right, and you can successfully network with people who may help you get a job, meet potential employers, promote your brand (that’s you and your unique skills) and advance your career. These four women did just that. Read and learn from their smart strategies.

Think of every status update as building your brand.

Natalie McNeal, 34, was beginning to increase her social media footprint as she was researching and writing her book, The Frugalista. She started a blog, became more active on Twitter, and used Facebook groups to network and meet new people. She posted news links of anything relevant to the world of smart budgeting — the premise of her book — and religiously commented on other people’s posts, engaged in trending Twitter topics, and didn’t shy away from sharing her opinion. She knew strengthening her online presence would help promote her book, but she was also looking for a full-time job. A more dominant presence on social made her more visible to potential employers.

“I reconnected with a girl I knew from college on Facebook,” says McNeal, who lives in Miami. “She saw my blog posts that I shared on Facebook, followed my Twitter feed, and ended up referring me for a job at AOL. It was for one of their startups, so I wouldn’t have even known to apply for it.

She got the interview from her friend’s recommendation and landed the job.

“It freaked me out a little bit at first, but in a good way,” McNeal says. “I would not have been in contact with this person outside of Facebook. I grew up going to job fair as a place to meet someone, but this experience helped me realize this is the current way to network. Now I am very deliberate about what I post, how I comment, and what conversations I join. If you’re working for media, employers want to know that you can create viral content. You don’t get paid in popularity. So I don’t want to just build followers, I want to show that I know how to use them.”

Look at social media as a potential client base.

Julie Armstrong, 29, was working as a photographer in Chicago for a small company that offered newborn photos in hospitals while she was building her dream business: a boudoir photography studio. When Chicago Doll Photography was ready, she thought very carefully about which day she would choose to debut the website.

“I thought, what day do you get the absolute most attention on Facebook? Your birthday! I knew so many of my Facebook friends would be visiting my personal page and they would see that I had launched my website and I would get tons of clicks that day,” Armstrong says. “It absolutely worked in my favor.”

That was in 2012. Since then, Armstrong has moved her business into a studio space, and expanded her repertoire to include weddings, births, and family events. Social media remains her number-one marketing tool.

“In addition to Facebook ads — the only way I advertise — I have gotten an unbelievable amount of business from Facebook friends,” Armstrong says. “I like to post what I’m up to when I am at photo shoots. It’s just a little reminder to everyone that this is what I do. So the next time they need a photographer, or if someone asks if they know anyone, they will think of me.

Because her business is visual, Armstrong also utilizes Instagram and Pinterest to her advantage, posting inspiration photos for her shoots — sexy lingerie, Old Hollywood screenshots, and vintage Britney Spears album photos — and mindfully using search-friendly keywords to caption each one.

“One successful example is a blog post I wrote and posted to Pinterest. It was about choosing the right wardrobe for a boudoir shoot,” Armstrong says. “I know women search like crazy for boudoir outfit and pose suggestions, so I titled it, Wondering what to wear for your boudoir shoot? Here are some tips, from a boudoir photographer. It’s my top pin and it’s been repined more than 350 times. All those women and their followers have heard about Chicago Doll.”

Armstrong uses Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to give credit to any collaborators — such as hair and makeup artists — who then share her work and website on their social media accounts, expanding her potential client pool. She’s also taken to some creative strategies to get attention. For example, she live-tweeted last year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and showed up prominently in that trending hashtag. It gained her new followers,who then followed her business page and found her on Instagram.

“It seemed silly at the time but I knew it was something my boudoir clients would be interested in,” Armstrong says. “It paid off and it was fun.”

On LinkedIn, image is everything.

During the 2008 recession, Ebony Wilson, now 37, was unsure of what her next career move would be. As a technology professional, she felt it was key to keep moving up in the industry, but she wasn’t confident that she would find career advancement during such a hard economic time. She was looking for a vertical move and salary advancement for her already six-figure income.

“I knew that landing a job in my income bracket was going to be difficult and that the job market had shifted in terms of how people looked for work. But I also knew that it was critical to find more creative ways to get your foot in the door and differentiate yourself as a candidate.”

Wilson had tired of in-person networking events, she says, because they had grown into social gatherings instead of professional meet-ups. So she joined LinkedIn. It was a time when the company had added new social-sharing features — such as users being able to post news links to their feeds, follow companies they liked, and search for job postings within an individual network.

“The first thing I did was take a look at my connections,” Wilson says. “Prior to this I had pretty much accepted most invitations without considering what their individual impact would be to my network. I eliminated those that didn’t relate to me or my network and added connections that made sense. I also hired an outside company to design my profile. It was money well spent. I also really wanted my personality to come through in my photo, so I skipped a stodgy corporate photo and chose a personal one that was appropriate, and not boring.”

Once Wilson’s LinkedIn makeover was complete, she applied for a job at Cisco in Los Angeles to be the small business program director. She found the job listing online, then went to her LinkedIn network to see who worked at the company and asked them to endorse her on her profile. She even asked some connections to serve as references on her application.

“It was bold, but they were willing,” Wilson says. “One of my connections also went the extra mile and reached out to the hiring manager to give a personal reference. All of this made the difference. More than 400 people applied for my position and I was the one who got the offer.”

Three years later, LinkedIn did the work for her. A recruiter from Apple sent her a LinkedIn message saying she wanted to interview Wilson for a job.

“They had been looking for the right candidate for about a year and she mentioned that she was excited when she saw my profile because it was organized and clear. Also, my personal interests listed on my profile played a key role in rounding me out as a qualified person, not just a candidate. I participate in an aerial cirque group, among other things, and that appeals to Apple’s history of hiring employees with diverse interests.”

Wilson got the job and is now the company’s program director for U.S. education services.

Even when at play, use social media wisely.

Secelia Kirby, 26, quit her job as a social media coordinator for an entertainment publishing website to travel around Europe. A photography lover, she took along her camera. When posting photos of her travels to Instagram, she noticed that Travel and Leisure magazine ran a hashtag called #TLPicks, which ran photos from users.

“I thought it would be fun to get some of my photos on the feed of a big travel magazine, so I started tagging several of my European pictures,” Kirby says. “They picked up one of my photos of Calella, Spain, and eventually asked to publish it in their European issue.”

Once she returned home to Seattle, Kirby didn’t have time to fret about being unemployed. A recruiter’s email was waiting. Starbucks was looking for a community manager who had experience taking photos professionally in a social space.

“I sent the recruiter my Instagram links and they asked me in for an interview the next day,” Kirby says.

She didn’t get that job, but they offered her a different position as the manager of the company’s social channels.

“My personal photography and utilization of brand hashtags got my foot in the door, which led to my job,” Kirby says. “It’s made me think differently about making social media channels work for me in my career.”

Follow Heather on Twitter.

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