OpinionFilm This article is more than 10 years old

Total misfire: brands like CoverGirl and Subway miss point of Hunger Games

This article is more than 10 years oldHeather LongI can't wait to see the Hunger Games Catching Fire film, but spare me from the totally misinformed brand ads

I've already received several texts and notes in my inbox asking when I'm seeing Hunger Games Catching Fire (or if I've seen it already). I'm a fan. Sure, movie adaptations are never as vivid as the books, but the fact that Jennifer Lawrence is proving to be as good of a role model for young women as she is an actress is giving this franchise that extra verve. But there's one thing that has left me cold about this film: the advertising surrounding it.

The first time I saw the CoverGirl Capitol Collection ad, I thought something was wrong with my Facebook feed. There were blue lips starring at me and eye shadow that was painted on so heavily it looked like a mask. Was this leftover from Halloween?

Then I read the text. CoverGirl's Capitol Collection is beauty "inspired by the Hunger Games". Clicking on the Facebook ad takes you to a website with photos of (female only) tributes from the 12 districts in caked on makeup and flashy nails in fuchsia, bright blue and gold. You can even get detailed instructions on how to get these looks.

There's just one massive problem with this "beauty campaign": the capitol represents everything wrong with society in the Hunger Games trilogy. No one in their right mind should aspire to look like that. We're supposed to be horrified by it. Author Suzanne Collins has said that her inspiration for writing the Hunger Games came from being up late one night and alternating between a mindless reality TV show game and coverage of the start of the Iraq War. She combined those two threads in her books. As she said in an interview: "These two things began to fuse together in a very unsettling way and that was the moment when I got the idea for Katniss' story."

The capitol loves the superficial: flamboyant hair, makeup, clothes, lavish banquets, etc. The people who live there are so blinded by their lifestyle that they don't fully grasp that they're putting on "games" where children are killing each other. In fact, they're cheering it on like most people do sports teams. They make bets on who will die and laugh about it.

That's what CoverGirl is worshiping. It's as if no one read the books or even saw the first movie.

CoverGirl (and the film franchise that officially endorsed this) is out there telling girls to paint themselves up to look pretty. It's a huge contrast to the very earthy protagonist of the Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen, who loves the woods and nature and wants nothing more than to have a simple life.

The makeup line is only outdone by the even more bizarre Subway sandwich ads. You can celebrate the latest movie release by "catching fire" with hot, spicy sauces on your chicken sandwich. Yes, someone honestly thought that a story about food shortages and massive inequalities between the capitol and the rest of nation would make good inspiration to advertise new lunch sandwich flavors.

Donald Sutherland told the Guardian he hoped the latest movie would spur on a new generation to get politically active. Instead, a major ad campaign endorsed by the studio that produced Hunger Games is encouraging young people to eat snazzier sandwiches.

Again, you would think they never read the books – or even the title.

Then there are the spinoff toys. The one that really had me rolling my eyes was Hasbro's new line of nerf archery bows for girls. It's called the "nerf rebelle" collection.

I saw a TV ad for these bows before the start of latest Thor film. The clip looked like a movie trailer. While the bows are not officially sanctioned by Hunger Games franchise, Hasbro was sure channeling the feel of the movie with little girls charging around firing nerf arrows with intense looks. There's just one glaring difference: Hasbro's bows are bright pink, as if created to be a Barbie doll accessory. In other words, there's no way Katniss Everdeen would ever pick one of these up.

Some women in their early 20s sitting next to me in the theatre immediately began talking about how they grew up playing with nerf guns and bows. But even they got to the end of the ads and said, "pink, why pink? We didn't have pink bows growing up."

Then there are the names of the bows: the Pink Crush Blaster, the Guardian Crossbow and even a Heartbreaker Bow. Doesn't that just shout girl power?

I will say that I read some reviews on the Toys R Us website about these bows. Many parents (mostly moms) talk about how young daughter loves the toy and can now play with (often male) siblings. You just have to wonder why didn't they feel that way before? Or why it took a pink bow to make them want to play.

I can't wait to see the film, but these brands trying to capitalize on the Hunger Games' popularity should have thrown their marketing ideas into the fire. Or better yet, maybe they should actually read the books.

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