Over the past few weeks, I’ve received dozens of messages from people 1) telling me about Mothercare’s casting call and 2) asking if I’m going to put Hunter in it and 3) telling me they found him on the voting site.
So here’s my story……
Since I buy a buttload of stuff from Mothercare, I was interested in their 2011 Casting Call when I heard about it. Specifically because the 20 finalists get a free professional photoshoot (yay!), which I super duper wanted. And so we trundled Hunter down to the Call and they went snap! snap! snap! and it was all done.
Unfortunately, everyone was then subjected to delays and confusion and rule-changing from the Mothercare team which annoyed a whole bunch of people (as witnessed on the Mothercare Facebook site), but I didn’t care that much because I couldn’t be bothered to get stressed over it.
But when they sent me the photo of Hunter they selected for the Voting process, I was first HORRIFIED, then bloody AMUSED 😛
It is the single ugliest photo of Hunter, bar none.
I mean, I never say stupid things like “Ohhh Hunter is soooo cute!“, “People loooove to tell me he’s adorable!” etc because I feel it is NOT my place as a parent to comment on my own child’s looks.
But, in this case, and because I’ve taken helluva lot of (amateur) photos of Hunter in his 7 months of existence, I feel I can make this qualified opinion that he is so ugly in his ‘official’ photo it makes me LAUGH. And, no, I’m not being melodramatic.. because family and friends that have seen it have all either laughed or recoiled in horror.
Don’t believe me?
Yeah, bet you’re laughing right now, aren’t you 😉
Anyway, Mothercare has since changed the rules such that the process is predominantly based on Facebook voting. I find this EMBARRASSING. I refuse to stoop to the level of begging my friends and family to “Please vote for Hunter!!”. Plus, I see it as just a popularity contest gone wrong when it’s done this way.
Yes, of course I can go cajole all my blog readers to go vote for Hunter. But that’s not fair, is it? If he gets selected, I’ll know it’s only because I shoved everyone there to vote, not because it’s a lovely photo of him (*snigger*).
For this reason, I can’t bring myself to make my friends vote for such a horrific photo of Hunter, and from the whole fiasco (can read their Facebook wall if you can be bothered), I’d rather not be part of it at all.
And so I’ve emailed them asking them to kindly remove Hunter from the voting.
But, if you’re reading this, I welcome you to please hop on over there and check out the kids and vote if you’re interested (obviously not for Hunter as I’m trying to get his photo down). Cos honestly, there are lots of super-cute kids and hopeful parents over there that actually deserve your vote. Because contests like that should be based on who impartial people think is the cutest, not because crazy parents have frantically forced everyone they know to vote for their kid in some sort of deranged popularity contest.
Ugh!
[EDIT: Chris says Mothercare should’ve just used this photo instead of the one they put up for Hunter. LMAO]
And these are photos of him, snapped quickly with just my iPhone camera:
oh I totally laughed…I’m sorry..but its really was your fault for bulding up to that moment when the eyes set upon his picture! teehee…
Poor Hunter eh?! I’m scared off these ‘competition’s now 😉
Totally agree with how you feel about these baby contests. I really hate to pull votes from friends to “Like” my baby pictures. It’s not about whether the baby is truly goodlooking anymore! Hence I refused to partake in such events too.
Hunter’s picture really dun do him justice! Takes a professional photographer to screw this up?! Gee!!
Yeah exactly! At first it wasn’t that, it was Mothercare FIRST selects the 20 out of the 300+ kids, and then FB voting.. which I thought was at least a bit better :X
Loved your website. Speak of a dedicated mother. I like Hunter’s photo (middle right in the six shot).. my daughter is in the 0-3 age range (#1) but our friends are not Facebook savvy and all of them have jobs and lives… so there’s that old Singaporean thing where ppl with the most unemployed friends… win popularity contests, like the singing contests on Singaporean TV. 🙂
Thank you Dave, it’s really kind of you! I agree with you fully… I feel uncomfortable asking friends/family to vote. If it was the original criteria (MC selecting 20, professional shoot, then voting), I’d have gone along with it because at least then it doesn’t look like MC wanted the lazy way out!
wtf mothercare?! gawd!
I hope the event planner was severely told off by management. It was really badly handled in general.. *sigh*
This is such a funny post! I love entering contests, BUT, once I figure out it’s a Facebook contest I don’t bother. It’s annoying. It’s unfair. And I don’t want to “like” a company just so I can win something.
And p.s., Hunter is still the cutest boy alive. =)
I full agree. At first it was Mothercare judges selecting the top 20, professional shoot, THEN facebook voting. But they changed it to voting on all 300+ kids (laziness). Bah!
Hey Bev,
Thanks sooo much for posting this!!! My hubby and i had a much-needed early Morning laugh! We laughed sooo badly I thought our neighbours might make a visit to our door!!!!! Hahahah…. Loved the cartoon pix u put at the bottom.
Btw, my friend who also sent her baby for this photoshot lamented the same thing as you – that the pix wasn’t as nice as those she usually takes by herself.
Shame on you for laughing at poor Hunter. Just kidding, we laughed too!!
It’s a shame Mothercare didn’t let parents upload their own photo, that would’be helped against 50% of the complaints..
i love your blog, i have it in my rss reader and always like new things coming up from it.
Aww thanks! RSS readers are awesome, I agree
Beverly, you are soooo right!! The photo of mika (number 152) they chose was terrible even my mum said she takes better photos on her iphone!! Mika looks so different from what he actually looks like!
Omg Hunter is such a cutie! The photo really didnt do him any justice! We should so set up a playdate for Mika and hunter!
As my friend Thien Lan above put it, what they should’ve done was to let parents select the photos.. to help prevent people getting annoyed with the selection. Oh well!
And OMG Mika is so adorable in your FB profile, how precious! And sure, a playdate sounds fun 🙂
Hi Beverly & everyone.
I can understand why people are horrified by the choice of Hunter’s picture. However, as a professional model, I can tell you that it takes seasoned skill, to choose the ‘best picture’, to know what to look for. For whatever reason, some of us have that skill & other’s don’t.
A friend of mine, asked me to look at pictures of their child. She asked me to guess, which photo the modeling agency chose. Without hesitation, I said “either that one or this one”. I guessed correctly. The child didn’t look ‘beautiful’, however, it was the ‘best picture’.
Interestingly enough, many models make this error too. They place way too many pictures, from one shoot in their portfolio, or they fail to pick their ‘best picture’, because they choose the picture, that they feel, they look the most ‘beautiful’ in.
Of course truly professional photographers are awesome (these days many call themselves “professional”, many are NOT), they are skilled and quickly work out the most flattering angles etc… However, every person photographs differently & being cute, doesn’t automatically guarantee, that you photograph well.
I don’t mean to offend anyone, just trying to help. Hope you’re all having a wonderful day. Thanks for reading.
Warmest wishes,
🙂
Yeah, agree with you Aimee that actually some supermodels dont look ‘beautiful’ but rather very interesting-looking, it’s why they’re popular.
My gut feel is that MC were strapped for time (they couldn’t meet the deadline and pushed it back) and so just randomly selected pics to throw up – it’s what most parents are annoyed about.
As for Hunter’s photo, I can honestly say it’s neither a ‘beuatiful’ picture OR a ‘best’ picture.. it’s simply ugly – I can’t think of a better way to put it 😉
based on the images off their facebook casting call page, um, most of the babies don’t look vote-able.
definitely not an issue with the babies.
What a shame.. Oh well, live and learn. Hopefully they improve next year!
actually, i think hunter looks adorable as usual!
Awww are you just being biased? 😉
Aww Hunter doesn’t look ugly! I think he looks extra cute making a silly face like that and sticking out his tongue!!
Haha you are a very nice person that sees the positive side of things 🙂
Im sorry…. but i have to say it….. he looks like the Marshmallow Man!! I know, bad thing to say from Uncle Matty….. sorry buddy!! but geesh!!
I just updated my post with a pic Chris sent me, think you’ll like it haha!
Lol what the?! Of all the cute pics they had to put this up??! Give them a smack! I’m sure he’ll still gain lotsa votes regardless 🙂
Nah I took him out cos it’s now weighted more towards Facebook popularity voting which I don’t agree with !
Not flattering at all! I think you take much better shots of Hunter! 🙂
I take pics with just my iPhone too lol. Did ya put Dylan in? He’s so smiley so I’m sure the pic will turn out well!
Agree with your view on this, Bev. And ANY of your pics of Hunter have been better than this pic, can’t believe they selected this one.
Yeah it’s a bummer they don’t replace with a photo the parents select :X
Oh my!!! C’mon! They can surely do better than that!!!
Yeah lol! Actually should’ve put Elliot in, he’d have fun I think!
Hey Bev, yes, popularity vote is what Bond and then Gap have been doing here to indeed get word of mouth and all your friends to connect with the brand (typical marketing promotion mechanics). Here Gap was so successful it attracted 50,000 photos this year vs 17,000 last year! Where Mothercare is going wrong I think is that they choose pic as opposed to letting parents choose the best pic and upload them themselves.
Couldn’t agree more TL! I don’t feel it’s a legit competition if it includes FB voting as it’s just a matter of who can hassle the most friends to vote… urk…
Lol Bev! I laughed so hard… More at your reaction in he post. Rather than Hunters pic. Honestly I feel for Hunter… Looks like he was laughing himself silly… I have many photos of me looking the same or worse… Compliments of Will….also another evil photographer
Oh dear thank goodness I haven’t been around Will when he has a camera then lol!!
I don’t think that camera angle, where it’s straight on the front of the face, is ever flattering for anyone. It makes the features look flat! At least your readers know what a cutie pie Hunter really is. 🙂
Heh very true, and even worse for Asian babies!! I’ll remember that for next time…
that baby doesn’t even look like Hunter? WTF! I’m upset and I’m just a someone who faithfully reads your blog. If that’s a professional photog who took that picture, then i’m the duchess of cabmbridge (yes, i’m dramatic!) LOL!
Teehee! Yeah we were a bit miffed with it all. I don’t like popularity competitions either :X
OH Bev!!! hahahahaha but ur right this isn’t his best pic :S looks like other baby…
Yeah.. even if I squint really hard at the pic, he STILL doesnt’ look any better, lol
Seriously WTH??! The person who took it (and the one who selected it!) ought to be shot. Do they have a vested interest or what? That is a really bad photo of Hunter.
Good grief. And yes, I hate the fb voting system but most casting calls seem to be doing vote counting via this way. Maximum advertising perhaps?
I think not that they purposely chose bad pics, but not enough time, so they just randomly pulled up photos (instead of reviewing them properly before making a selection). Disappointing..
Agree, it does promote maximum brand awareness and engagement, so brand managers LOVE it!
totally agree with you on the popularity vote thing! such a turnoff.
anyway, how bad is that photo of hunter. your boy is absolutely gorgeous and i can’t believe they can’t do any better than that!
To me, doing FB voting means it isn’t a ‘real’ competition, so I’d rather not be part of it…
…. gosh? why such a pic? I agree that this isn’t his best look!
Yeah, I mean I can’t say he’s the best-looking kid out there, but I definitely have seen more attractive pics 😉