Tuesday, August 16, 2011

A suspicious new endorsement by singer Jewel, and a note from Anne re: life.

Working out at the gym the other day, I was rocking out with my iPod and reading a trashy magazine. Hey, some people can read Pynchon and listen to Mahler, I need brain candy and synthpop. (I also choreograph song parodies as I'm trudging away. If anyone ever needs a breastfeeding promo set to Madonna, I'm your woman. Call me Madoula.) Anyway, I came across an Oscar Mayer ad, and though I'd normally flip right past it, something in the jumbled images caught my eye.


Apparently Jewel is now shilling for Oscar Mayer. But leaving aside how icky I think this processed crap is in the first place, something else really, REALLY bothered me. Can you guess what it is before scrolling down to see a close-up?

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Okay, here's the zoom-in, also turned upside down:


That right there, in what we're apparently supposed to think is Stuff You Find In Jewel's Bag, is a copy of Babywise. No doubt about it. See?



I'm sure people following my blog are familiar with the most notoriously awful book on parenting ever there was, but just in case, you'll find all you need to know here.

So, was this an intentional endorsement? She just had her first baby a month ago (congratulations on your baby boy, sincerely), so it's possible that this was on purpose (not the Boudreaux's Buttpaste in there as well). Or was this purely a matter of "Hey, young photographer's assistant, run out and grab a bunch of mom stuff. I dunno, diaper cream, I guess, whatever. Jewel can't possibly care what it looks like she's promoting if she's doing an Oscar Mayer ad, anyway,"?

Anyone else bothered by this? I'm not, like, ready to torch her Texas ranch or anything, but some sort of explanation would be nice. If, in the end, only kindness matters, "Babywise" is philosophically about as far from that as you can get.


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And now for something completely different:

It bums me out that I haven't had more time for blogging in recent months. I normally try to maintain SOME boundaries between the blog and my real life, which may seem odd given the intimacy of many of the experiences I've shared here. But I'm not a "mommy blogger" in the strictest sense, if there is strictness in such things - while I certainly have blurred the lines at times, my focus is not on chronicling my parenting experience; my shared experiences have all been mostly on-topic.

But, suffice it to say, low-income single parenthood is seriously kicking my ass. There are LOTS of good things in the works for Lily and I, lots to give us hope and the gumption to stick it out - but the day to day present is quite difficult most days. Alas, this means blogging here is something that falls by the wayside during more strenuous times, which, again, bums me out because it's something I find very satisfying. This is my internal soundtrack* many days:



Point being, I'm not going anywhere, and as ever, hope to be able to produce more frequently in coming weeks and months. Just forgive the sporadic-acity and check in on me once in a while.

*Moment of teh fun: I managed to get out for some grown-up fun last week, and entered a pub trivia contest that was ALL JOSS WHEDON! And our team, Big Damn Heroes, won by a landslide.

13 comments:

  1. I am sure that you are right, and it was an editor slip that Babywise went in there. I cannot imagine Jewel endorsing that. She seems so natural and smart. Then again, Oscar Meyer? She cannot possibly be THAT broke, can she? But she did do those Intuition razors a few years ago so who knows.

    I am not a single mom but I totally feel you about money kicking you ass. I barely have time to comment on a few blogs a day, let alone write up my own posts. Which is a bummer, because it is so fulfilling. Here's hoping that someday our blogs will pay all of our bills! :)

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  2. Um... ewwwww... ! Jewel, that's just all kind of gross. Disappointed...

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  3. Wow, what a catch! Kudos on blogging it. I like to catch little things like that b/c even if we don't consciously think about it, our brains still soak it up, KWIM?

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  4. you forgot to mention there is a chance to win the bag and everything in it....and i always used desitin on mine, who cares what she puts on her new kids bum...maybe something else didn't work, fancy that ?

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  5. Maybe she's reading it to catch up on the controversy? I did, and I certainly don't endorse it!

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  6. AWFUL! I hope she had nothing to do with the stuff in there...just some ass wipe marketing people. Oh lord that is offensive.

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  7. Sorry things are tough for you right now! Brava on using Buffy to communicate :-) (And why am I not surprised that there was a Whedon-themed pub trivia in Portland??)

    If you get a chance I would love to hear more about boob school! Having gone through an LC training program myself I am super curious to hear about other versions.

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  8. I heart babywise. there I said it :) - I'd say I'm a 60% babywiser and it saved my life. co-sleeping just about killed me. Only wanted to leave this comment so others won't feel alone...

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  9. ...as though there might be no other options between co-sleeping and treating your baby terribly, Janie. Good job, Mama! Idiot.

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  10. Hmmm. That IS a rather weird thing, and I wouldn't expect it from Jewel.

    And I love that I can count on you for "random" Buffy/Whedon references. I've started rewatching Firefly whenever my dd is out of the room.

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  11. I know this is a late comment, but your post made me laugh. I swear, I am a photographer and we send 20 year olds out (with vague lists) to get props for photo shoots. I can just picture the 22 year old guy sent to Barnes & Noble to pick up a parenting book. I doubt Jewel has anything to do with it.

    Oh, and Babywise is t r a s h and I would have sent it back. Ha! That is all. :)

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  12. Love to see that you're writing Annie! Here's my take on the suspicious endorsement, for what its worth. I'm actually not surprised at all to see the book in her purse. As a new mom (and avid breastfeeder btw), Jewel has probably been reading EVERYTHING in an effort to "get it right". She and Ty are incredibly dedicated, hands-on parents dealing with sleep loss and diapers just like the rest of us!

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