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November 08, 2005

Ashanti Reps Regular Girls

Boy, it’s expensive to be a teen these days! Thumbing through the teen rags, I see advertisements and product placements for items my mother wouldn’t have even dreamed of when I was a teen. There’s Gucci this and Marc Jacobs that. Many of the jeans cost $100 and up. Heck, I can’t even afford half the shoes! What makes it even tougher is the fact that these days, it’s so important to look like music and movie starlets- who can afford all that stuff and wear it proudly. How is a teen girl to look like her idol these days without sending her parents to the poor house? Tweens have Mary Kate and Ashley’s affordable line at Walmart, but their older counterparts are left on their own… at least until now.

Ashanti, the angel-faced, vocally-questionable crooner and actress, has not only launched her own perfume at Walmart, but has also signed on as the spokesperson for Mudd’s new Delicious Curves line. These were two great moves for the self-proclaimed “princess of hip-hop and R&B.” Most importantly, they separate her from the outlaw reputation of the label Tha Inc (formerly Murda Inc), where she started her career. They also align her with the “regular girls” who can’t afford Seven for All Mankind jeans and Escada perfume. The perfume, Precious Jewel, comes in a bling-inspired bottle and looks every bit as luxurious as its more expensive counterparts. The jeans are designed to hug a gal’s curves and start at a closet-stuffing $40. Her representing these products tells girls that even though she’s made quite a bit of loot, Ashanti is still one of them and understands their financial challenges. It also makes it OK to get perfume from Walmart. Nice to see a “chick from the ‘hood” rep items teens from her background can actually afford.

Posted by Nafi Saboor at November 8, 2005 10:37 AM

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