In their latest ad promoting a collection of "barre-ready dancewear and ethereal warm-up essentials," Free People hired a cute, curly-haired dancer to show how the clothing moved with her body as she practiced. Her voice is heard narrating the footage and she talks about how she has been dancing since she was three and all that she has learned from the art form. The Internet is full of people from all walks of life, and unfortunately for Free People, the dancers on the Internet that were being marketed to noticed that the actress is not a classically trained dancer at all.
The backlash was swift and vicious as real dancers called the company out on their Facebook page and on YouTube for the "dancer's" bad form and calling the ad "disrespectful for professional dancers" who have "dedicated their lives to learn and to perfect their technique and most important, to develop their artistry."
What's worse: not hiring a professional dancer to sell your clothing, or being caught? The YouTube video currently has 273 likes and 2,034 dislikes, so at least they have some fans left.
[via HuffingtonPost]
