Man, some people are never happy

[Tab]

In the annals of advertising imagery, few brand symbols are more iconic and recognizable than the Sun-Maid raisin girl.


Nevertheless, Sun-Maid recently decided to join Betty Crocker, Aunt Jemima and Mrs. Butterworth's in giving the female face of their product a substantial makeover from a young, early 20th-century girl into a buxom, modern young woman, leading some to say that the newly made-over raisin girl looks like a Barbie Doll in Amish attire

Since 1915, the face of Sun-Maid has been Lorraine Collett Petersen, who, according to the company's website , "was discovered drying her black hair curls in the sunny backyard of her parents' home in Fresno, California." Petersen was then asked to pose for a watercolor painting holding a basket of grapes while wearing a sunbonnet. In the years since, the company has tweaked its trademark design occasionally to keep up with the times, but every variation has always been based on the original pose by Petersen. The new computer-animated version of the Sun-Maid girl currently featured in television advertisements is a departure from the classic design that harkened back to a time when "life was much simpler, more rural, a lot less hectic."

Naturally, the revamped look hasn't gone unnoticed, rankling both ends of the political spectrum. The blog for conservative magazine The Weekly Standard noted that the new Sun-Maid girl looks "as if Julia Roberts decided to don a red bonnet and start picking grapes," while the feminist website Jezebel.com remarked that it looks as if she's had “some implants.

More: http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/108296/sun-maid-girl-makeover-sparks-controversy.html?mod=family-love_money

[eleny]

1. The new one looks skinnier and more Barbie-like

Pfui.

I like the older one as she looks like something out of a silent movie and with a sweet attitude.

[Warpy]

2. Yeah, her proportions are all wrong

unless she's got raging anorexia and had monster implants.

[salvorhardin]

5. Did you see this part?

At the time, Sun-Maid president Barry Kriebel said that the decision to make changes was inspired by the desire to educate consumers about healthy living choices.

"This is as good a time as any to get on the wave of health and nutrition,'' he said. Kriebel also noted that he felt the new look was a reasonable modernization, saying "You're not going to see her dancing or kicking up her heels out in the vineyard, but have her do what is appropriate for her to do, based on her history but also being a contemporary person living in the 21st century.''

What was so damned unhealthy looking about the older look?

[Warpy]

6. Ugh.

The computer that shit out that image could have done with some basic anatomy lessons. Look at the right arm. There is no shoulder there, it's coming off her body like a PVC pipe leaned against it.

The old image was too chunky for the modern heroin chic aesthetic, but she radiated vitality and you knew that tray of grapes was going to help her live to 100.

The new one conjures up a Valley Girl voice that would break glass, "Oh, look what I found! Aren't they CUUUUTTTE? Like, did you ever see any thing like this?"

This is as bad as the New Coke was.

[Tab]

9. You're right

I guess it could be anatomically correct, but I think it's just more "marketing correct".

The older one reminds me of an old girlfriend, and I like that look just fine. Don't know why they wanted to change it, except maybe you can't find girls like that anymore, but it's not like you're going to find the new one either.

[katkat]

10. shoulder

I think her shoulders are, like, very narrow. The implants make her torso look odd because they stick out further than her shoulders.

[tigereye]

11. yeah, right... unhealthy...

:eyes:

[EFerrari]

3. Griping over stuff like this is likely a mini vacation from real worries.

And to think they could have used Sarah Palin. :)

[pengillian101]

4. HA! (n/t)

[Irishonly]

7. Yep

:thumbsup:

[Vinca]

8. Wow - she's got big "raisins."

:rofl:

[Tab]

12. Actually she looks like a rendered image straight out of Shrek

I bet she's a 3-D wire model so they can animate her for commercials. She has that look to her.