From The Straits Times    |

A new cosmetics ad by MAC has had the internet aflame for its bold interpretation of female beauty.

Serbian-American bodybuilder Jelena Abbou stars in the latest advertising campaign for MAC, titled “Strength.”

This time around it’s not a shockingly nude, scarily thin, or dangerously obese female body that’s been creating the buzz, but a muscular and prettily made-up woman.

A competitive bodybuilder and fitness model, 35-year-old Abbou was born in Serbia but is now a resident of New Jersey, and the athlete’s body is creating chatter online.

Jenna Sauers, writing on Jezebel, explained why: “hers is a body that is so different from the usual physical ideal that is shoved down women’s throats.” The Huffington Post commented that “the overall effect is pretty striking in a great way.”

Previous MAC campaigns have featured collaborations with fashion icons Lady Gaga, Daphne Guinness and Iris Apfel, but this is the first to feature such a radical divergence from the ‘normal’ bodies featured in cosmetics advertising. 

While it’s new for MAC, this is not the first time that Abbou has appeared in a promotional campaign: in 2011 she became the face of body-building supplement Fahrenheit. – AFP RELAX NEWS

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