As we've learned from following the ongoing saga of the Hunger Games nail polish line, this adaptation of the bloody young adult novel is straddling a fascinating line between appealing to a teen audience and staying true to its sometimes-dark subject matter. To be fair, there is a lot of mention of fashion in the books, primarily used to critically describe the residents of the wealthy, frivolous Capitol-- that's the tie-in for the nail polish line, and now for a new viral site called Capitol Couture. You need the password #lookyourbest to get into the site, but so far it's just a teaser image of Elizabeth Banks's character Effie Trinket, done up in even more outlandish makeup. Check it out below.
You can sign up to be notified when Issue #1 of this fake magazine launches-- and yes, of course I've already signed up. In the meantime you can peruse the only copy on the website, which tells you that Capitol Couture is the "place to turn for all the tips, tricks and trends you need to look your best." There's also a quote from Caesar Flickerman, the TV personality who interviews all of the contenders in the Hunger Games before they go into the arena to fight for their lives:
"The Hunger Games is the most public, prestigious event of the year in Panem. Cleanliness, dress and comportment offer an opportunity to affirm District pride and Capitol loyalty."
Caesar Flickerman would say that, of course-- he's concerned with the showmanship aspect of the games, not the part where kids fight to the death, and when he interviews our heroine Katniss he gives her an opportunity to show off her fabulous dress and establish herself as a bold personality to follow during the games. Is there more to the Hunger Games? Of course. But the fashion and the glitz sells, both in the world of Panem and with us, the moviegoers who will be buying the tickets. If you ever doubted that the messages of The Hunger Games applied to the real world, here's your proof-- a fun viral marketing site, and something I'm eagerly following, that also points a finger at me as being just as shallow as the Capitol denizens Katniss mocks.
The Hunger Games is just more than two months away from its release date of March 23, and there's probably plenty more tricky marketing to come. We'll let you know when the first issue of Capitol Couture arrives to see what else is coming our way.
