Strike A Pose: Is My Migraine Trendy Enough For You?
In case you missed it, migraine is the newest demam isu in the fashion, makeup and modeling industry. Elle magazine posted an article yesterday on how "Pretty People on Instagram Are Doing The 'Migraine Pose'". Thanks to makeup artist Nam Vo who coined the term "migraine pose", our disease is now trending on Instagram for all the wrong reasons.
The article boasts on how this so-called pose (posing with one or both hands pulling your face up as if you were having an active migraine attack) makes you look flattering. Vo says in the article that she "love[s] it because the beauty of your hands frame the face and give it more structure. I always make my models pose this way... It's also a great time to show off your manicure."
Yeah, you read that right. An obviously unaware Vo diminished a genetic neurological disease to an opportunity to showcase your freshly done manicure. But the buck doesn't stop there. Someone or possibly a group of people who work at Elle somehow thought this was a great pitch for an article.
The egregious tone deaf oversight by Elle is not only irresponsible but an example of how microaggressions against stigmatized groups of people are hurtful, offensive and demeaning. I immediately addressed them, the makeup artist and the beauty editor on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Many migraine warriors followed suit and did the same.
Eventually, Elle deleted their tweet and Facebook post linking to the article. I was beginning to feel hopeful that a statement of apology would soon follow. Then this happened...
Really? Using headache in place of migraine does not fix the problem. They have only made their ignorance more apparent. With over 300 headache types, one of them being migraine, Elle has only further dug themselves deeper into this mess they created.
I am using this as a call to action. Not only for the migraine community to bring attention to this, but for Elle, Hearst Communications and makeup artist Nam Vo to take ownership of their ignorance and use this as an opportunity to learn and be more mindful of the language they choose to use in the fashion industry.
Yeah, you read that right. An obviously unaware Vo diminished a genetic neurological disease to an opportunity to showcase your freshly done manicure. But the buck doesn't stop there. Someone or possibly a group of people who work at Elle somehow thought this was a great pitch for an article.
The egregious tone deaf oversight by Elle is not only irresponsible but an example of how microaggressions against stigmatized groups of people are hurtful, offensive and demeaning. I immediately addressed them, the makeup artist and the beauty editor on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Many migraine warriors followed suit and did the same.
Eventually, Elle deleted their tweet and Facebook post linking to the article. I was beginning to feel hopeful that a statement of apology would soon follow. Then this happened...
Really? Using headache in place of migraine does not fix the problem. They have only made their ignorance more apparent. With over 300 headache types, one of them being migraine, Elle has only further dug themselves deeper into this mess they created.
I am using this as a call to action. Not only for the migraine community to bring attention to this, but for Elle, Hearst Communications and makeup artist Nam Vo to take ownership of their ignorance and use this as an opportunity to learn and be more mindful of the language they choose to use in the fashion industry.
Here is who you should tag in your posts and hashtags to use:
| Name | Title | Company | Social Media Handles | Hashtags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hearst Communications, LLC | - | - | Twitter: @hearst Instagram: @hearst | #migrainepose #truemigrainepose #reclaimingmigraine |
| Elle Magazine US | - | - | Twitter: @ellemagazine Instagram: @ellemagazineus | |
| Nina Garcia | Editor in Chief | Elle Magazine | Twitter: @ninagarcia Instagram: @ninagarcia | |
| Kristine Rodulfo | Senior Beauty Editor | Elle Magazine | Twitter: @kristinarodulfo Instagram: @kristinarodulfo | |
| Nam Vo | Makeup Artist | Instagram: @namvo |
