Search “Betty White” on youtube and amidst clips of her referring to Sarah Palin as a “crazy bitch” on Craig Ferguson’s show, making fun of the Facebook-mania when she hosted Saturday Night Live, and calling herself a whore on The George Lopez Show, you will now find a recently released promotional video for her clothing line, a collection of t-shirts and hoodies sporting images of Betty’s very own face. The clip features White as a far-from-polite fashion designer taking us on a behind-the-scenes tour of her sweatshop-like factory.
To describe the video as funny would be an understatement, as Betty White never falls short of hysterical. Perhaps it is because she is so lovable and smart that her bossy, unkind, and oblivious character is so comical. One of her sweatshop employees aptly describes her as “la diabla” after she barks at them, “If I ask you to sew, you say how fast. And if I ask you to iron, you say how hard.” She makes a parody of the self-important celebrity designer while still being the endearing and light-hearted Betty White that we have known and loved for 88 years. Masterfully, she points the finger at herself before others ever have a chance to- as if saying, “Yeah, making a clothing line with my face on the merchandise is absurd, and not only am I going to be the first one to point that out, I’m going to use it to sell the product.” That’s expert crowd-pleasing with just the right amount of critical commentary, if you ask me.
But the video and clothing line are not just for laughs. Affiliated with animal charities for years, White will be donating part of the proceeds to the Morris Animal Foundation. Add this to the list of reasons to love Betty White, alongside her being the first woman to win a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host in 1983 and being one of the only women in television to have full creative control on and off-screen when she created the show Life With Elizabeth in 1953. Small wonder the entertainment industry just can’t get enough of her.
With 20 Emmy nominations and 7 wins under her belt, Betty White is a pioneer and an inspiration. I’ll wear her face on my torso in a heartbeat.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67wFpe-Rfyg 425×344]
Check out the Betty White Collection on HoodieBuddie.com.
PHOTO CREDIT: JERRY LEIGH APPAREL
