By VICTORIA ADDISON
Sports Editor
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Since TMZ released the footage of former Baltimore Raven’s running back knocking his then fiancé Janay Palmer out cold in an elevator located in a New Jersey casino, the world of social media has been fixated on the issue. Of all the forms of protest, perhaps one of the most overlooked messages was recently created with the combination of a makeup ad, Photoshop, and the power of Twitter.
It began on Saturday, September 13 when a picture that was released via Twitter began a new wave of controversy for the NFL and its commissioner Roger Goodell in relation to their handling of Rice and his surrounding domestic violence situation.
The picture, part of CoverGirl’s “Get Your Game Face On” campaign, showed a model posing in a Baltimore Raven’s jersey with makeup inspired by the team’s colors. To make matters worse, thanks to Photoshop, the model had a black eye and the statement “Boycott CoverGirl, ‘Official Beauty Sponsor of the NFL,’ until Roger Goodell is gone” was added across the top of the image.
As with all controversial memes on the Internet, it did not take long for the picture to go viral. Those in favor of the protest for CoverGirl to drop their NFL sponsorship have also been busily advocating for Commissioner Roger Goodell to be fired using the hashtag #GoodellMustGo, which was a part of the tweet associated with the picture upon its release. CoverGirl responded to the image last week via FaceBook in which they stated they “believe domestic violence is completely unacceptable” and also that they “have encouraged the NFL to take swift action on their path forward to address the issue of domestic violence.”
Although CoverGirl took the time to address the issue, the comments from their followers in regards to their FaceBook post ask the obvious, why has the company not yet dropped their NFL sponsorship? As a company whose market is built around female consumers, one of their primary concerns should be protecting women’s rights. Not only has the photo fueled the fire that has started to grow out of control in regards to the issue of domestic violence in the NFL, but it has also provided a haunting image that begs for attention.
While you can watch the video of Rice abusing his fiancé and read countless articles about the incident, to actually see a close-up shot of a women with a black eye immensely adds to the severity of the issue. Even though it is a product of Photoshop, the picture depicts the horrors of domestic violence in a more personal manner. The image draws attention to the impact of abuse on the victim, which is one aspect that most media outlets have been failed to elaborate on when addressing the Rice situation.
If anything, CoverGirl should be worried about how bad they are making themselves look by keeping their sponsorship with the NFL. While CoverGirl mentioned in their statement on FaceBook that the “Get Your Game Face On” campaign is intended to “celebrate” female NFL fans, the companies’ actions regarding the protest are providing little cause for celebration. With the mounting tensions in the NFL concerning the off-the-field issues with its players, CoverGirl should have been smart enough to make the right move and separate their name from the situation as soon as it was thrown into the conversation.
Yet, to use a simple post on FaceBook to state their disapproval of domestic violence is a slap in the face to any women who purchases CoverGirl cosmetics. A company who not only uses females to advertise, but also who has based their whole premise around making women feel beautiful should not be associated with domestic violence at any level. At this point people will not listen to a word CoverGirl says until they disassociate from the NFL, and until then the company is going to continue to receive serious backlash regarding their actions.
Although the image itself may not be easy to stomach, the way in which the picture questions the NFL’s efficiency is brilliant. To showcase the severity of the issue through the use of such a well known makeup company is bound to create controversy for both the NFL and CoverGirl, and those who want their voice to be heard in protest are certainly doing so. At the end of the day, CoverGirl needs to encourage women to use their products to feel as if they are “Easy, Breezy, Beautiful”, not to cover up black eyes.
