Selena Gomez recently attended the launch of her makeup line’s latest product, a luminous powder blush in lemonade pink, dressed in head-to-toe pink at Studio 525 in New York. This coincidental outfit choice came less than 48 hours after Reese Witherspoon announced a TV offshoot of Legally Blonde was in the works, adding to the similarities between Gomez and the iconic Elle Woods character. The color pink, which is Woods’s signature hue, has become synonymous with celebrity marketing in today’s post-Barbie world, with it serving as a visual cue for promoting products available for purchase. Utilizing a shirt dress, double-breasted trench coat, and bow-adorned pumps, all from Versace, Gomez embraced the role of a celebrity marketeer in her pink ensemble.
In 1999, the French collective of authors and activists known as Tiqqun anticipated a future where all the surplus value of the capitalist regime would be produced by young girls, who automatically convert existence into market value. This prediction seems to ring true in the success experienced by Hailey Bieber when she coined the term “Strawberry Girl Summer” to coincide with the launch of Rhode’s Strawberry Glaze Lip Peptide Treatment in August 2023. Elle Woods, despite not being a girl herself, showcased girly attributes such as wearing pink, owning a chihuahua, and exuding a guileless optimism that helped her succeed over her more conservative peers at Harvard. Selena Gomez, a former Disney star turned businesswoman with a penchant for incorporating grosgrain ribbons into her hairstyle, seems to have adopted a similar approach to boardroom excellence by embracing a more feminine and sugary-sweet image.
The concept of young girls as automatic converters of existence into market value links back to the success of celebrity influencers like Selena Gomez, who are able to seamlessly blend branding with personal style and product promotion. In a world where pink has become synonymous with the promotion of consumer goods, Gomez’s choice to wear head-to-toe pink to a product launch further reinforces the idea of using visual cues to connect with consumers and drive sales. The evolution of marketing strategies to incorporate girly attributes and whimsical aesthetics is a trend that has been embraced by celebrities like Hailey Bieber and businesswomen like Selena Gomez, who have found success by appealing to a younger, trend-focused demographic.
The convergence of fashion, marketing, and celebrity culture has created a landscape where young girls are seen as key players in generating surplus value for capitalist regimes. This phenomenon is evident in the success experienced by celebrities like Bieber and Gomez, who have leveraged their personal brand and image to promote consumer products and drive sales. The adoption of Elle Woods’s girly attributes, such as wearing pink and exuding optimism, has become a powerful marketing tool that resonates with consumers and allows celebrities to connect with their audience on a personal level. Through strategic branding and visually appealing aesthetics, celebrities like Gomez are able to tap into the market value generated by young girls and utilize it to promote products and drive sales.
As a former Disney star turned businesswoman, Selena Gomez has successfully incorporated Elle Woods’s signature girly attributes into her personal brand and marketing strategy. By embracing a more feminine and whimsical aesthetic, Gomez has positioned herself as a key player in the celebrity marketing landscape, using visual cues like head-to-toe pink outfits to promote her products and connect with consumers. The evolution of marketing strategies to incorporate girly attributes and sugary-sweet aesthetics has allowed celebrities like Gomez to appeal to a younger demographic and drive sales through the creation of a personal brand that resonates with consumers. In a world where pink has become synonymous with consumerism and product promotion, celebrities like Gomez are able to leverage their personal style and image to generate surplus value for capitalist regimes and connect with consumers on a deeper level.
