Clutch Magazine: Lolo Jones and the Madison Avenue Machine
Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 12:03PM
Thursday for Clutch Magazine Online I take on how Madison Avenue, in their continuing quest to sell flavored sugar water and tennis shoes, "made" Lolo Jones happen to the detriment of both Jones and her fellow hurdlers, Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells, on Team USA.
Jones, while a talented hurdler, was never the favorite to win gold in a race that was always going to be about defending Beijing gold medalist Harper and eventually 2012 gold winner Sally Pearson of Australia, but advertising execs had already decided long ago hyping Lolo was where money could be made. Sure, it would have been a great narrative if she redeemed herself after clipping the last hurdle in Beijing, losing her lead, but either way Madison Avenue got their star and the media got their narrative -- an attractive female runner to love then hate then talk about it endlessly.
All in an effort to sell you stuff.
Here's a snippet:
Lolo Jones is a talented hurdler. You have to be to qualify for an Olympic team twice, which Jones did in 2008 and 2012. But we’re dealing with some of the best athletes in the world who, in some respects, have dedicated their entire lives and the lives of their loved ones to the sport. Being good enough to get on the team isn’t necessarily what it takes to be good enough to win, and there were three hurdlers who simply ran a better race than her that night. But you can’t ignore the fact that so much of why the media made Lolo Jones its darling comes from its own tortured logic about women, sports, and race.
Jones is conventionally pretty, biracial, and very light complexioned in a sport that – in the US at least – is dominated by African American women. And because, long ago, Madison Avenue decided black women of a brown-skinned or darker hue have a face only a bottle of syrup could love, they aren’t considered “marketable.” Oh sure, Dawn Harper has gorgeous skin and a magnetic smile. Of course Wells has that girl-next-door cuteness and pluck. But they’re both on the darker end of flesh tone spectrum. Hence, in the eyes of your advertising exec, unless their names are “Oprah” and “Winfrey,” they aren’t marketable.
The hard truth is that those who have the money – meaning your captains of media – are mostly white men. Most of the people who cover sports in the United States are white men. And when they choose who to cover and who not to cover, who to “make happen” and who to ignore, it’s purely about what is of interest to them.
Reader Comments (9)
"We" don't control our image. So until "we" do.. "they" do... period.
The problem I have with the coverage of this is that folks are jumping on Lolo when its not her fault. Them other girls are just not that cute, skin tone aside. Gabby Douglas is adorable and she will be selling neutrogena very soon because she is cute, but them girls look like somebody's uncle. This is just the way marketing goes everywhere with all races. You don't see not that cute white women selling makeup or white strips either no matter how great their skin is or straight their teeth are. Not everyone has a face that can sell things. We have to realize that whether or not someone is deemed marketable is not related to anything but dollars and cents.
I reluctantly agree with novanova. If life were fair, Ms. Harper would get the lion share of endorsements because she won the gold. She's the champ.
But while her body is nice (suki suki now), she looks like Omar from "The Wire" up in the face. Harper can't sell Wheaties because if you stare dirctly at her mug, you WILL lose your apetite.
Lolo is pretty. Not because she's fair skinned but because...she's pretty. I'd buy damn near anything she tried to sell me. Harper? An air sickness bag perhaps... but that's it.
It is so sad to read the previous comments regarding the ladies in the 200m Hurdles. Most of the Fortune 500 businesses with money to handout for endorsements are white men who probably think the way those who commented think, but we are the consumers and we should be the ones to let them know who we want to see. If they do not hear from us then there is no incentive for them to change. They know that we will buy whatever they sell to us, so they go with the old standard. I would by cereal, sneakers, burgers or whatever Dawn or some other dark-skinned sista endorsed because I would have recognized her from the Olympics and would want to support her. Instead of supporting each other, we play into the same old stereotypes that whites use and keeps us down and oppressed - color, looks and size. Let's be the change we want to see.
I wish Lolo would gogo away. The fact is she didn't win any medals at the Olympics and should go away with some dignity instead of crying on the Today show and running around telling the world that she's a virgin.
While I completely respect Tia's comments, I think she's being a tad judemental on my and novanova's comments. I don't think Harper is unatractive because she's dark skinned. Some of the most beautiful women in the world are dark. I'd buy ANYTHING Vanessa Bell Armstrong tried to sell me. That is one FINE dark skinned sister. My wife is dark.
I don't think Ms. Harper's face is unactractive because she's dark. Her mug is unatractive because...IT'S UNATRACTIVE. You're reading too much into it.
Now, you could slam me because what I said was mean. Yup. chop me up for that. But I have no bias against dark skinned people.
Lolo is very unattractive , and Lolo also had the choice not to run and take advantage of the media hype that was built around her. Congrats to Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells for winning 2nd and 3rd place medals at the Olympics.
Dawn has a right to be upset, being a gold medal winner, but her frustrations got the best of her during a baited interview. I believe however, her athletic abilities will get her marketed eventually.
Kellie could also have chosen the higher path instead of cattily answering a direct question about catfighting with Lolo. After seeing her photo ops and a blog about childhood abuses published , right after Lolo's interview, I dont believe Kellies jealousy is around marketing her athletic ability. I strongly feel, it's about her insecurities around marketing her looks and being popular like the Lolo's and Jessica Ennis's (who's been mentioned by other commenters in similar blogs).
The media flock to Lolo, she doesn't have to run after them (as Kellie is doing).
Hope Kellie's eating some humble pie. She's kinda rough looking if you ask me, scars on her stomach, rough looking face. No amount of booty photo ops is going to top Lolo's personality and looks. Mind you if Kellie were competing with a real booty model like Melyssa Ford, she'd lose hands down. Well in truth she'd lose to Olympic gold medalist and best Olympic body, Jessica Ennis. Kellie is out of her league doing all this self promotion, and it looks downright rediculous like she's competing with Lolo, photo ops and publishing her life story right after Lolo was interviewed about overcoming adversity, makes her look jealous and competitive. Granted, none of this would matter if she hadn't jealously dissed someone who never dissed her. Not nspiring.
They should follow their role models, one being Jackee Joyner-Kersee who said to focus on what you're doing and dont worry about what others say.
@ Tia
There are plenty of dark-skinned/brown skinned women/men used to endorse products, we as black folks really need to let the "light-skinned" priveledge thing go, white folks really don't see it that way, ("we all niggas" samuel l. jackson in schooldayz voice) we do and too many dark/brown skinned black folks hold on to it for dear life. I'm sorry but I refuse to believe that all light skinned people have/achieve what they have soley based on their lack of melanin.
@Tiffany
Why wouldn't she "take advantage" of a means to support herself while she is training 6 days a week. These atheletes don't get paid for that. They need endorsements to survive. Thats just stupid. Would you be mad if those other two ladies did it?
Bottom line is, Don't hate the player hate the game and jealousy is a shade of green not flattering on ANYONE...if you already are not that cute, I would strongly suggest that you avoid it at all cost.