Need a virtual girlfriend? There's an app for that
A new app called Invisible Girlfriend is hoping to help singles get their family and friends off their back about being unattached. The service for texts, phone calls, voicemails and gifts makes it seem like they are half of a happy couple. There are other reasons users might want to lie about having a girlfriend, says creator Matt Homann. "Maybe they're in a same-sex relationship they're hiding from disapproving relatives, are trying to avoid unwelcome advances from a co-worker, or have chosen to focus on their work instead of romance." The girlfriend may be fake, but singles still have to choose how much they want to spend on her - from $9.99 for the "Just Talking" package, including an "emergency interaction button", up to $49.99 for the "Almost Engaged". Homann says they're exploring whether phone calls will be live actors or "realistic computer-generated voicemails". (Source: Buzzfeed.com)
Use plain GI Janes for army PR, says colonel
The US Army should use photos of "average-looking women" when it needs to illustrate stories about female soldiers, a specialist recommends - images of women who are too pretty undermine the communications strategy about introducing them into combat roles. That's the gist of an internal US Army email. "In general, ugly women are perceived as competent while pretty women are perceived as having used their looks to get ahead," wrote Colonel Lynette Arnhart, head of a team of analysts studying how to integrate women into combat roles. While the underlying message to Army PR is a good one (avoid using makeup or female models which could undermine efforts to integrate women into combat roles) the articulation of that message - pretty girls v ugly girls - is not so good. (
Source: Politico
