Is 'Eat, Pray, Love' Selling Out? A Look at the Merchandising Plan

By Jo Piazza Posted Apr 11th 2010 01:00PM

Would you buy an 'Eat, Pray, Love' necklace? What if Julia Roberts looks really really pretty wearing one in the upcoming movie from Sony Pictures? Would you buy it then? Los Angeles-based jewelry company Dogeared, maker of pretty trinkets like "karma" and "chakra" necklaces, is betting that plenty of folks will answer yes to that question and has inked a deal with Sony Pictures to make merchandise co-branded with the film.

Fred Segal and ABC Carpet & Home have already decided to stock the collection of jewelry, trinkets, travel baubles and pretty lady things, with prices ranging from $20 to $100. "We relate to the theme of a woman's journey for self-fulfillment and happiness," the founder of Dogeared told WWD. Because self-fulfillment and happiness usually come in the form of gold-plated necklaces, mood rings and love beads.

But should we lady consumers feel insulted by the blatant merchandising push behind a movie that is ostensibly about a woman eschewing the trappings of her material existence to try to find herself?

At first glance, of course, this makes sense. Devoted fans of Elizabeth Gilbert's 'Eat, Pray, Love' already know that the book has been thrown in the commercializing sausage maker of movie-land and spit out with Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem looking impossibly gorgeous even as they sweat themselves silly in Bali. Movies these days make money through ticket sales and merchandising. That is why there are about 100 'Shrek' sequels.

"I think it's a smart move. In an era where cartoon characters get plastered on Burger King cups and actors who play superheroes get turned into action figures, a jewelry line connected to a movie isn't far-fetched in the least," says Lilit Marcus, managing editor of The Gloss.

It is smart and it certainly worked for 'Sex and the City,' which released a barrage of 'SATC' themed panties, jewels and booze when the first movie hit theaters. But 'Eat, Pray, Love' is supposed to be something different. It's supposed to be about one woman's search for fulfillment and love as she travels the globe, not as she trots across Manhattan in $700 shoes.

"It's so freaking Hollywood. I'm not at all surprised that a movie about inner peace is being capitalized upon. Nor am I surprised that the writer quietly found zen and sublimated her ego... only to go on Oprah and trumpet loudly from every corner about how enlightened she is. That will be $13.95, please. Everything is fair game, nothing is sacred -- especially not spirituality. Prayer beads, diamond crosses, first-class retreats in Bhutan, what have you," says Nadine Jolie, columnist for Stylite.com.

Merchandising and product placement are so expected these days, especially concerning the all important female 20-40 year-old consumer with disposable income, that maybe no one will be shocked by the appearance of 'Eat, Pray, Love' baubles. And maybe most movie fans will just embrace them without giving a thought to the cheapening of the movie's message through the buying of stuff.

"I don't necessarily think the merchandise is overkill, because it's traditionally been a major way celebrities earn cash. Things like concert T-shirts to movie mementos and memorabilia have been around for quite some time, but it's a more recent phenomenon to see major motion pictures doing it to such a degree. As long as they don't interrupt the film with ads for Julia Roberts' shoes, I won't be bothered," says StyleList editor Marissa Gold.

We aren't putting that one past them.

Follow Jo on Twitter

Tags: celebenomics, eat, Elizabeth Gilbert, Javier Bardem, julia roberts, love, oprah, pray

Comments

(10)

Sunday 11 April

By MAGOOS

Vote down Vote up Report this

Movies, books and other marketable items are essentially the primers for force fed globs of worthless rubbish fed to a public now guided by Madison Avenue. Disney makes billions force feeding parents into buying cartoon character stuff, most of it irrelevant after an hour or two in the playroom. (Like Disney said, "and it all began with a mouse").

By mn8

And Madison Avenue is guided by transformational-marxism.

By J. Michael

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Watch. Puke. Rest.

By tuffpaw

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

Can you say superficial con-artist crap wagon?

“The affective domain is, in retrospect, a virtual ‘Pandora’s Box. It is in this ‘box’ that the most influential controls are to be found. The affective domain contains the forces that determine the nature of an individual’s life and ultimately the life of an entire people” “… a single powerful experience may have as much impact on the individual than many less powerful experiences.” “ David Krathwohl, Benjamin Bloom, Book II Affective Domain p. 54, 91

By lizzie

I lost interest after the Eat part. Pray and Love were pretentious and dull.

By avo

The book itself is a sell out, so it's no surprise about the merchandising. The book wasn't about a woman's spiritual journey ... the author had a book deal before she even began her quest. So forgive me if I'm a little skeptical about the authenticity of her spiritual enlightenment.

Monday 12 April

By Chris

I prefer my travel in life, personal and adventure to someone else's. I chose to read "Three Cups of Tea", a true mission to build schools and peace over that other book. Won't be seeing the movie either.

By danterandal19

Psst! Here's a little-known secret!

Julia Roberts is an annoying, overrated actress who has coasted on one movie that came out 20 years ago and used it to crap up Hollywood.

So this "Eat, Pray, Love" nonsense isn't surprising in the least.

Monday 16 August

By sara

I read the book and I was suprised to find that I liked it. I was going to the movie tomorrow, but I just saw a news piece about the merchandising glut and changed my mind. I am so sick of people selling spiritual insight. It's just another person to be dissapointed in.

Page 1 of 1