I looked thru your TALBOTS September 2021 catalog this evening and want to share some of my reactions regarding Talbots’ and Haven’s cultural representations in this catalog. It’s time to let the blonds and brunettes take a break and bring some realism to who really shops online, in the shops and the catalog.
First of all I will address Haven’s complete reliance on the “All American Beauties” used in their space. If you want a cross section to buy your clothing and skin products, you must show a cross section of REAL women wearing and using your skin products. And they should be doing something more than sitting pensively in a corner or on the floor looking beautiful. You will get a small corner of the market if you continue to market your products in this way. Realistically how many women do you know have the time to sit and relax in this manner. Ask your models, any women that work for you how much time they spend in these positions. Add to that the women you are aiming your products to. Add some very Black women, Asian, Indigenous, Indian, Spanish, Morrocan women, etc., and DON’T camouflage their diversity of looks to make them look like the blonds and brunettes they should be replacing.
Next I would like to comment on the models you used in this catalog. I was an employee of Talbots about 30 years ago and obviously saw a lot of customers come and go. Since then I have continued to shop in your stores and have also seen many different women shopping. (This past year has been an exception for me shopping in the stores because of the pandemic.)
Once again the blonds and brunettes need to take a rest. I have seen some efforts on your part to diversify your models and I applaud you for it. However, as I stated in my message to Haven, let them appear the way they really are, not by blowing their out so it has no resemblance to how women in their culture really style their hair. Finally use some models in your catalogs and in your stores that wear plus sizes. You use some of these models online but it’s time to get the elephant out of the living room. We hear every day how much of this country’s population is overweight and you have done a great service over the past many years for finally including clothing that many plus-size women want to wear.
Finally, and I have written to you about this issue before; you have one model that wears what appears to be more than one ring on the left second finger of her hand. I have never seen this in any other catalog. Perhaps it’s time to start selling whatever is on this finger for women who want the exact outfit she is wearing. It could also be included in your “How To Wear This” advertisements online. It might definitely boost your bottom line.
Culture diversity
I looked thru your TALBOTS September 2021 catalog this evening and want to share some of my reactions regarding Talbots’ and Haven’s cultural representations in this catalog. It’s time to let the blonds and brunettes take a break and bring some realism to who really shops online, in the shops and the catalog.
First of all I will address Haven’s complete reliance on the “All American Beauties” used in their space. If you want a cross section to buy your clothing and skin products, you must show a cross section of REAL women wearing and using your skin products. And they should be doing something more than sitting pensively in a corner or on the floor looking beautiful. You will get a small corner of the market if you continue to market your products in this way. Realistically how many women do you know have the time to sit and relax in this manner. Ask your models, any women that work for you how much time they spend in these positions. Add to that the women you are aiming your products to. Add some very Black women, Asian, Indigenous, Indian, Spanish, Morrocan women, etc., and DON’T camouflage their diversity of looks to make them look like the blonds and brunettes they should be replacing.
Next I would like to comment on the models you used in this catalog. I was an employee of Talbots about 30 years ago and obviously saw a lot of customers come and go. Since then I have continued to shop in your stores and have also seen many different women shopping. (This past year has been an exception for me shopping in the stores because of the pandemic.)
Once again the blonds and brunettes need to take a rest. I have seen some efforts on your part to diversify your models and I applaud you for it. However, as I stated in my message to Haven, let them appear the way they really are, not by blowing their out so it has no resemblance to how women in their culture really style their hair. Finally use some models in your catalogs and in your stores that wear plus sizes. You use some of these models online but it’s time to get the elephant out of the living room. We hear every day how much of this country’s population is overweight and you have done a great service over the past many years for finally including clothing that many plus-size women want to wear.
Finally, and I have written to you about this issue before; you have one model that wears what appears to be more than one ring on the left second finger of her hand. I have never seen this in any other catalog. Perhaps it’s time to start selling whatever is on this finger for women who want the exact outfit she is wearing. It could also be included in your “How To Wear This” advertisements online. It might definitely boost your bottom line.