ATB Newsletter: A COSMETIC CONSPIRACY? Plus: DVD Update

A COSMETIC CONSPIRACY?

Special note – I’m not accusing any company of doing anything specific per se’.

The story you’re about to read is a factual account of something that happened last week. Nothing more. Nothing less. Let your collective imaginations run where they may! 

About a month ago, I got a call from PBS letting me know that they were doing a show called “Health Secrets: What Every Woman Should Know.” They wanted to interview me along with other health experts because I’ve spent 5 years interviewing women about beauty and how it’s effected them.

I accepted the invitation. About a week before the taping, they called to firm everything up and let me know who the other guests were. One of the guests happened to be  the Ambassador of the Dove Self-Esteem Fund.

Hmmmmm.

I thought to myself, wow, that’s really cool that Dove is okay with me being on the panel.

Last February, when I toured the country speaking at various places during Eating Disorders Awareness Week, countless speakers told me that Dove had them removed from panels that they were supposed to speak on with the Dove models.

I asked, “Why?”

One of them said, “They don’t want their products associated with anyone talking about eating disorders.”

Interesting -

I wondered what was going to happen at the PBS taping especially when I found out that Alberta-Culver was one of the sponsors of the show. Alberta-Culver is a giant in the cosmetics industry and my film, “America the Beautiful,” asks all of the major cosmetics companies a rather simple question – “why do you continue to use Phthalates in your products?”

It seems simple to me. They’ve been banned in cosmetics that are sold in Europe, so why can’t women in American be afforded the same safety. Phthalates have been suspected of causing cancer and allergies in women by numerous environmental agencies.

After thinking about it realistically, it would be a miracle if I actually made it on the panel.

I was allowed to show up at the taping with one caveat.

The producers called me the day before the taping and said I couldn’t sit on the sofa with the other panelists, but I could sit in the audience and the host would ask me a question from there.

I told them I really didn’t have to come and it would probably be easier that way.

The producer said, “Oh no. Your film is awesome. We all love it and we want you to come. You just have to sit in the audience.”

I didn’t want to be a party pooper, so I went.

By the way, these 3 women were very nice. They were on one of the panels.

She told me her 15 year old daughter saw the trailer for ATB and REALLY wants to see the film.

No accusations here, but when I came into the room, I met the Dove Ambassador woman and she took off to get her makeup done and never came back.

This is the actual taping. See the empty seat next to the Dove Ambassador? That’s where I was supposed to sit.

The host that you see in the picture came up to me before the taping and said, “Your movie is awesome. I want a DVD for my 20 year old daughter. Thank you so much for doing such a wonderful film. You’re awesome!”

She was very nice – I had no idea who she was. More about her in a minute -

This is me in the audience. Actually this was a great place to be because I was with hundreds of teenagers and I was able to interact with them.

It was fun answering 2 questions from the audience. I felt like I was at “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

Okay – Remember the awesome host of the show that I didn’t know -

It was Paula Zahn, the legendary news anchor from “CBS This Morning.” She also had her own show on CNN.

For the record, Paula Zahn rocks!

- DVD UPDATES

Here’s the story with the DVD’s -

Every DVD that was ordered has been shipped. You will receive them this week if you live in the US and next week if you live in Canada, Australia, Austria, India, Israel or the UK. If you don’t receive your DVD by the end of the week, email me and I will get in my car and find it for you. 

Also everyone that paid full price for the DVD should have received the $4.96 refund per DVD. You should have received an email confirmation of the refund. If you didn’t receive the email confirmation and you paid full price, $24.95 in the US and $29.95 in Canada, email me and I will make sure that you get your refund swiftly, promptly and most expeditiously.

The PG-13 version of the DVD will be ready to ship in 2 weeks. You’ll be able to order it in 10 days or so.

If you’re still having problems with your credit card, email me and I can get the order processed for you manually. Something that I worked out with the payment processor.

I will post the list of “America the Beautiful” House Parties in a couple of weeks.

We’ve received our second shipment of R rated DVD’s. We have some left, but when this shipment is gone, they’re gone. We won’t get anymore.

You can still get the discount price of $19.99 by entering – savefive – in the discount box when ordering.

To order your copy of “America the Beautiful,” click here:

Order DVD Here

- RALPH LAUREN DOESN’T GET IT!

It seems like Ralph Lauren got caught with his hand in the cookie jar – AGAIN!

If you thought the last airbrushed photo of the Ralph Lauren model was draconian, look at this new one -

This is absolutely ridiculous. The unmitigated gall or should I say blithe unconcern of Ralph Lauren.

I wonder if he has daughters?

The Model above, Valentina Zelyaeva is currently featured on the Ralph Lauren Australia Web site.

What’s strange is that there are two different versions of the photo on the site, and one seems to show the model in her true form (did they think they could sneak the digitally altered one past us?).

Hey Ralph, “why don’t you just show your clothes on skeletons… or are those not skinny enough for you?”

It seems that something has to be done about Ralph Lauren.

About-Face, Mewithoutmeasure, Monte Nido, Beyond Hunger, Girl Scouts, Remuda Ranch, Emily Program, Shaping Youth, Renfrew Center, YWCA, The Ranch, Anad, NOW, New Moon, Neda, and the 170 universities that I’ve visited, I have a question -

When are we going to show these companies that advertising to young girls in this manner is totally unacceptable?  Collectively we have massive power and we can make Ralph Lauren say uncle. Trust me.

I promised the 50,000 women that I met at college campuses over the last year that I would do whatever I could to make the world a safer place for them. And I meant it!

I’m serious, if all of you are ready to put an end to Ralph Lauren’s disrespect. Just say the word. and I’ll lead the offensive.

I have 50,000 college women that will join us.

Personally, I can’t take it anymore, so if you have my back, I for sure have yours.

Remember after doing this documentary, the fashion industry isn’t too fond of me anyway, so I have nothing to lose. 

- MIAMI SCREENING

I spoke with the head of the Alliance for Eating Disorders in Miami today. Along with the Renfrew Center, they’re hosting 2 screenings of “America the Beautiful,” in December.

One of the screenings will be on December 2nd at the Cinemark Palace 20 in beautiful Boca Raton and the other screening will be on December 3rd at the University of Miami.

I’ve heard that HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of college students are anxiously awaiting the University of Miami screening.

During my 2 days in Miami, Art Babel, the largest Art Show in the US, will take place. I plan on catching some of the awesome exhibits.

To get tickets for the Florida screenings go to:
Florida Screenings

- COOL TESTIMONIALS

Darryl,

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the work that you’ve done. I look forward to following you in the future.

You are a trailblazer in a society of insecure lemmings who are afraid to question things or to speak their minds. You are an admirable, wonderfully unique, passionate, empathetic person who is blessed with insight and vision. I am so thankful that I had an opportunity to meet you, and to hear your story.

Best of luck to you.

XXXXX
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Dear Darryl,

We had a little bit of correspondence at the very beginning of the movie release.. I was trying to get you to come to Winnipeg in Canada. I recently learned that the film was briefly here last spring which was very disappointing because there was little to no advertising about this.

I believe it played at one of the universities but no one in the eating disorder community was even aware it had been here.

I have ordered the DVD Of course (still haven’t see the film!!) but I also wanted to see if there is any way we could get YOU to be HERE the week of February 1-7. That is ED Awareness Week in Canada. Its really cold — we can loan you a big parka!!

Winnipeg is in the middle of the country… a city of 600,000 in the centre many miles away from other major city centers (we are about 8 hours drive north of Minneapolis just to give you a hint) … we don’t get the opportunities places like Toronto or Vancouver do to screen amazing films like ! this or to host big splashy events like you show us in your newsletter… but I know we can pull it off and create a special night that will promote your film but also let the province know about our new program and how/where to get treatment and support.

Please email me to talk further. Thank you so much.

XXXXXXX
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- “MAJOR DISTRIBUTOR PROMO”

“America the Beautiful” will be available on Cable TV/Video on Demand starting in December. It’s being distributed by the “major distributor,” that doesn’t wan’t me to mention their name. I think I’m going to slip up. 

Every month, “Major Distributor,” runs 5,000 commercials all over Cable TV promoting the hot independent films that they’re distributing/featuring that month.

The commercial features the 4 “hot” titles that they want everyone to see. These are the films they put all of their marketing muscle behind.

In December you’ll see the commercial run all over cable TV and guess what? You got it, “America the Beautiful,” is one of the titles selected for their national commercial campaign. Exciting!

Here’s a sneak preview of the commercial. I don’t know why they sent it to me, they had to know I was going to share it with you:

Watch Commercial