Thirty years ago Dermablend was created by a dermatologist as cosmetic skincare coverage for scars, skin discolorations due to illness or genetics, and spider veins.
Yeah. Varicose veins.
Twenty years later Rick Genest decided that it would be neato to tattoo his entire body to look like a cadaver.
Yeah. A dead body.
As Dermablend grew in popularity at cosmetic counters, doctor’s offices and website retailers, Rick’s popularity as a sideshow freak was also gaining him some internet attention. Including a not so nice page set up specifically to call him out as a freak.
Yeah. I guess that one backfired.
Rick now likes being called Zombie Boy. And I’m betting that he also likes being discovered by Lady Gaga, whose designer stumbled upon that not so nice page and turned Rick into an internet sensation.
After starring in Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” music video and doing some modeling, Zombie Boy is now part of a massive viral video advertising campaign for Dermablend.
Yeah. Dermablend. This one isn’t for your Grandma’s legs.
Regardless of your personal thoughts on tattoos, be they little butterflies or full body, the Dermablend campaign is a must see piece of video art. Based on the premise that you can’t judge a book by its cover, the ad more than lives up to its tag line. Despite being a marketing tool, it has also started a world wide wedb discussion on what our own definitions of beauty are vs. what Madison Avenue tells us they should be.
Check out the Go Beyond The Cover site for even more of the story.
