The Latest Celebrity Ad Campaigns: Why Do They All Pose like That?

Since the new year began, actresses have been pushing useless products harder than the Sham-Wow guy. A spate of  fashion campaigns, fronted by Hollywood's leading ladies have been rolled out this month—Katie Holmes for H.Stern, Lindsay Lohan for Jag Jeans and Philip Plein, Kate Winslet for St. John and Mila Kunis for Cristian Dior. Advertising experts suggest famous faces provide the kind of brand recognition models can't.

Here's another theory: fashion photographers need women who can act. How else are you going to believe any of the modeling poses they're Gumby-ed into are natural? There are only a few circumstances where a human might hover her hand over a corner of her mouth or turn her arm into a halter top. It's a famous spokesperson's job to make it all seem believable. Seductive even. Consider the latest proof from celebrity ad campaigns introduced this month...

The pose: Fingers creeping toward the corner of the mouth
The models: Mila Kunis for Christian Dior, Katie Holmes for H.Stern
Why it's used in ads: It points traffic to an erogenous zone without being too explicit
Mila Kunis for Dior
Reason #1 why it's used in real life: To self-consciously cover a zit while talking to the most popular boy in school.

Katie Holmes for H.Stern
Reason #2 why it's used in real life: To wipe off that foamy saliva/dried toothpaste concoction that's been baking on your face all morning.

The pose: The push-up arm bra
The model: Katie Holmes for H. Stern
Why it's used in ads: It's a way of shooting a topless photo without showing boobies. Obvs.
Holmes for H. Stern
Why it's used in real life: To massage a sudden kink in your neck because it's so painful you can't even pull up your bra straps.

The pose: Hand behind head, elbow-to-the-sky
The models: Lindsay Lohan, Kate Winslet
Why it's used in ads: To showcase certain details in the clothing and give the photo a dynamic element.
Kate Winslet for St. John
Reason #1 why it's used in real life: After you've just crazy-glued a tiny hat to your head and the instructions say to hold it like so for at least five seconds.

Lindsay Lohan for Philip Plein
Reason # 2 why it's used in real life: there's a strong wig-shifting wind's a blowin'.


The pose: The mermaid (lounging Splash-style along the floor)
The models: Lindsay Lohan, Kate Winslet
Why it's used in ads: To showcase clean lines or accessories.
Lohan for Philip Plein
Reason #1 why you'd use it in real life: the yoga instructor said to.

Winslet for St. Johns
Reason #2 : That martini hit you harder than you expected.
Winslet for St. John
Reason #3: You took something but you can't remember what it was. It was definitely blue.
Winslet for St. John
Reason #4: No really, you've got a problem. Sometimes you wake up on the floor and realize you never even made it to bed. And now that awful neck cramp's back.

Related:

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Tiny hat glued to man's head