A Royal Annoyance

With the royal wedding coming up, it's taken over the media. Even smaller local news channels are taking time to talk about how the design for Kate Middleton's wedding gown has been leaked. I couldn't be less interested and think that there are more important things to be talking about in the world. For instance, what are the updates on Japan? It was this big tragic thing and now it's fallen off the media radar save for when there is something about the nuclear plants to be said. However, what's being done for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami? Admittedly, I have not been out searching for this information because I think the media represents things to fit an agenda, but I would think this would be more appropriate to talk about than how someone leaked out the design of a wedding gown. And another event deemed a tragedy just popped into my mind: the BP oil spill. Hey news media, how's that going? I don't hear you talking about that; indeed, haven't heard anything about that in a while and I don't even know what's been done since they were trying to stop the leak. Wow, that just strikes me as sad--no, not because we're losing all that "precious" oil, but because of the environmental impact. Apparently we don't care about that in the wake of royal wedding vows.

Don't get me wrong, we should be celebrating happy moments in the world, too, and not just flooding ourselves with disaster after disaster, but the sheer hype for this wedding baffles me. For one, it's just a wedding--I don't care that these are future British monarchs. People didn't really care much about them before the engagement and once the wedding is done I'm sure people will go back to the nonchalance, especially here in Canada since the British monarchs are only figureheads to this country. Yet right now, it's all the rage; the newest fad to distract us. But people, it's just a wedding. I don't care that they're famous and royal, they're human beings. That being said, if we're going to make this much hype about one wedding, let's make this much hype about them all. Ridiculous, right? Well I think it's equally ridiculous to have this much hype over one wedding that is going to have very little bearing on my life. I say very little bearing because it's obviously having some effects, for instance causing me annoyance and prompting me to write this blog.

Even in places that the monarchy does have power, these are still just people. I can understand making a mention about it, but the media going to the extreme that it is where it is mentioning gown design leaks and to the point where channels are going to broadcasting the wedding and other channels are having royalty-related movie marathons is just overboard. I honestly think this is being made more important than it actually is.

Outer Beauty Importance

"Inner Beauty is important, but not nearly as important as outer beauty." - Ellen Degeneres, CoverGirl Commercial.

Really? I honestly could not believe my ears when I first heard that line in the commercial. I thought, "No way. They did not actually say that..." I mean, I've known all along that makeup commercials and all these age-defiers obviously are saying that in the undertones, but the fact that they would actually come out and say it just floored me.

And what else killed me was that no one in the media (that I saw) seemed to notice this blatant remark. Instead, the focus was on how Ellen is the first lesbian and first woman over fifty on a CoverGirl commercial or something to that sort. Why is the fact that she said that being so ignored? Seriously. Is it because they'll then have to say, "Well, that's what the commercial is saying anyway, whether it's vocalized or not"? Perhaps. I think it's very likely at least.

I just read a comment saying that she is just being sarcastic as a comedian. Really? It sounds pretty genuine to me (as much as an obviously scripted line can), and the fact that she then goes on to promote the product suggests to me that there is no sarcasm at all. Why would a company take a sarcastic stab like that and actually publicize it as their own commercial? I could see if they were being sarcastic and have her say afterwards something like, "Well, not really, but Covergirl whatever-product can help you feel your outer beauty." I just don't see it as a comedic thing.

And comedic jab or not, there are many out there, like myself who don't see it. Many of those who don't see it, I'm sure, are those who will also believe the words. They will take the words to heart and feel horribly about themselves.

Good job CoverGirl. I hope you're proud, because I'm sure you pulled in more insecure consumers with this commercial.

Thoughts?