How Free People lost the business of every ballet dancer, ever (and what I would do differently)
Over the years, brands have made numerous embarrassing attempts to slap a pair of pointe shoes on a model and have them twirl around a studio wearing whatever clothing they're trying to sell (ahem, Kendell Jenner). These brands don't realize that they will lose customers, rather than gain some.
A notable example would be Free People's ad for their new line of "barre-ready dancewear and ethereal warm-up essentials." Quite honestly, I couldn't even finish watching it. The model in the ad talks about her experience with dance and what being a dancer means to her, but she may have never taken a dance class in her life. She shows off some interesting moves at the barre and center, none of which are actual ballet steps, and then puts on a pair of pointe shoes. Her feet are entirely sickled (when the foot and ankle faces inwards) and her ribbons are untucked. She attempts to do some bourrées, but can't even point her foot enough to get onto her box. In non-dancer language, this basically means she is unable to get up onto her pointe shoes at all. Ad Week even featured an article describing the backlash Free People recieved.
Free People
If you are a non-dancer reading this who hasn't seen the ad, I beg you to do so before thinking I'm being too harsh. It is clear to anyone that this woman is highly unqualified to be dancing in an ad for a huge clothing brand like Free People. Not only is it embarrassing on Free People's part, but it's also highly offensive to dancers who train their entire lives for an opportunity like that, just to have a model with no dance training be picked instead. It would have been so easy for Free People to hire a professional ballet dancer. There are hundreds of ballet companies in the United States, all with incredibly talented dancers that would jump at an opportunity to represent Free People. Many people are not aware of the life-long dedication ballet requires, especially when a dancer’s job is to make it look easy on stage. To hire a non-dancer is to diminish professional ballet into a hobby, something anyone can do with a few classes under their belt.
If I were in charge of Free People's advertisements for their "barre-ready dancewear and ethereal warm-up essentials," here's what I would do.
Free People's headquarters are in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which coincidentally is also home to the Philadelphia Ballet. A quick search on Philadelphia Ballet's website led me to Nayara Lopes, who is a Principal Dancer with the company. Her Instagram boasts 27.5K followers, and she describes herself as a ballerina, model, and life coach. She is a BLOCH influencer and a Chameleon Activewear ambassador. Both BLOCH and Chameleon Activewear are brands that sell ballet apparel.
Nayara Lopez, photo by Pointe Magazine
I would make the ad a day in the life of Nayara Lopes. It would start with her waking up early in the morning and walking to the studio before the sun is fully up. She would put her bags down at the barre and put on her Free People warm-ups to get ready for company class. There would be shots of her doing a few combinations and receiving notes from the teacher, all in her Free People gear. It would then show her putting on her pointe shoes and preparing for rehearsal. She would be wearing a tutu and a Free People wrap for her arms.
The camera would follow her to the stage for the night's performance. There would be shots of her putting her makeup on while wearing Free People, getting her pointe shoes ready, and then finally taking off her Free People warm-ups to put on her costume. The last shot would be from behind Nayara in the wings and then showing her start to walk on stage. The audio would be Nayara talking about what dance means to her and how although it is challenging, it is rewarding.
With the ad I have come up with, dancers around the world will be recognized for their hard work, and Free People will have a good standing within the community. Ballet isn't always portrayed as a real job and is often looked down upon. It would be very uplifting and powerful to have a large company like Free People use a professional dancer to model their clothing, and would set a precedent for other brands moving forward.
