-Makeup- Your Mind

** From 1:00-3:00 I’ll be participating in preparation for Lemonade Day, and sadly I cannot be here to do much facilitating! Please don’t let this defer you from leaving a comment!! Nonetheless, I’ll be online and replying to your comments after 3:30 PM, so please check back so we can keep the conversation going! Thanks.

Please first read from the following link: http://www.rolereboot.org/life/details/2012-10-why-makeup-is-a-waste-of-my-time

In her article Emily Heist Moss tells her audience of her experience with makeup, and how she thinks it’s a waste of her time. Within the text she argues that with the abundance of social media and unrealistic ideas of what a woman should look like, many women are feeling isolated, insecure, and lacking confidence. The question is, is makeup to blame?

As we live through her experiences from lower school to college, we not only see that exposure to makeup can start early, but also that as she gets older, it seems like she “needs” more and more “necessary” products. Not to mention the fact that when she didn’t know much about makeup at the age of 24, she was rudely laughed at! Excuse me; I didn’t know I only have 4-6 more years to master the art of makeup.

Moss mentions the word “mask-less” to describe a woman who is going out of the house without any makeup. Personally, I don’t like that term because I don’t think that makeup is a mask since it implies that we have something to hide. For me makeup wearing is an art form, a way of expression, even a stress reliever. I love taking the time in the morning, or on special occasions, to experiment with different eye shadows, lip colors, blushes etc. Does that mean I’m putting a mask on? Does it mean I have something to hide?

As we gear up for college and eventually joining the work force, the word “professionalism”, specifically in appearance, is brought up. If what Moss says is true, professionalism for women usually entails a little makeup, then my question is why? Is the basic hygiene of brushing teeth, showering, and hair combing not enough? Hmm.

Besides the questions scattered above, what do you think of what she has said? Is makeup a way for people to deal with their insecurities because of social medias portrayal of women (and men) as flawless human beings? Why do you wear makeup? And if you don’t, then why don’t you? When you see someone wearing makeup, do you automatically assume a specific idea?

 

In advertisement, are important figures more influential than super models?

In a world full of creative geniuses, in order to be successful at selling an idea or product one must reach to the target buyers in their Achilles’ heel. Please read the following articles What if all the major fashion brands ditched supermodels and hired super women instead? and ‘Super Women’ Replace Supermodels In Fashion Ads And The Results Are Epic.

Every day society is faced to advertisement. Even if an individual does not notice it, we are constantly exposed to ads that deliver the message of whether we can or cannot live with or without certain product. These advertisements picture the product very appealingly to the individual and he or she is then directly thrown into the desire of acquiring it. How do advertisements sell their idea? They hit on the buyers weak points. They present the product or idea using individuals with certain characteristics. These characteristics typically are traits any woman or men wished he or she had. By picturing the product with this “perfect individual” the public is attracted to the product.

Advertisers base their campaigns only on superficial traits that attract people. They use super models that are only known because of their flawless physical features. Buyers do not even know their names in most cases, unless it is a recognized super model. But again, to be a recognized super model you just have to fit into the perfect parameters society sets. What would happen if this advertisements substitute the super models with important figures? Would it be as effective? Or maybe even more effective?

Recently Céline, had one of the most influential writers in America, Joan Didion, pose for their sunglasses campaign. Given this, Elisa Rodriguez-Villa, was then attracted to Photoshop important woman figures in big name brands’ advertisements. About Joan Didion’s for a Cé campaign, she says “I’ve never even been able to afford a pair of socks by Céline, but all of the sudden they had my attention on so many levels”. She explains that the reason of her project is that when she recently skimming throught fashion magazines she was getting bored of seeing always the same: woman whom you did not even know their names but had the “perfect characteristics.” Rodriguez-Villa states that after seeing such an important figure, as Jian Didion, in the advertisement she was suddenly attracted to the product, an attraction she probably wouldn’t have felt if a super model was modeling it. Being this the situation, I ask you why do you think that advertisements use perfect super models to sell their products instead of actual important people whom have accomplished significant and influential things?

I would say that this is because people of such importance would be out of context posing and / or supporting these expensive brands. Take for example the photo-shopped image by Rodriguez-Villa of Malala Yousafzai with the Louis Viutton bags. Malala is an activist for female education that had lived through extreme poberty conditions and is fighting against sexism; why would she be posing besides these brands’ expensive bags? With the money needed to buy this product she could, and probably would, use it for another cause. So, do you believe if that by using important figures brands would rise their sells or people would just be confused by having to different poles in one image? Or the success of the campaign depends most likely on the product?

For more information about the Joan Didion Céline campaign visit Joan Didion Stars In Céline’s New Campaign.

Gone Girl: Impressive Example of Female Intellect or Sexist Depiction of a Crazy Bitch?

The following may include spoilers to the film Gone Girl.

Prior to reading this blog post: please read the following article linked here: http://time.com/3472314/gone-girl-movie-book-feminist-misogynist/

Gone Girl, one of this past Autumn’s most popular films based om Gillian Flynn’s 2012 novel, sparked conversations scrutinizing Flynn for being anti-feminist. The film is based around the lives of a husband and his wife, who mysteriously disappears early in the movie. The wife, Amy, after being furious with her husband for cheating on him, formulates and enacts and elaborate plot to frame him for her rape and murder. In the article posted above, the author argues that this film and it’s depiction of the heroine, Amy, is both a “sexist portrayal of crazy women” and a “feminist manifesto.”

In a time when Hollywood has made immense strides in it’s depiction of female heroines from beautiful but brainless women to both beautiful and intelligent women, it could be argued that Amy is simply another addition to these new and more realistic heroines. However, critics argue that depicting women as “psychotic bitches” only enhances the widespread belief that women who are intelligent also must be crazy.

Personally, I didn’t come to that conclusion after watching this film. Amy is an extremely successful journalist and writer, and, prior to her actions of insanity, would be considered a model for young, intelligent, women. Unlike critics, I am less turned-off by her psychotic onset. Without giving any spoilers away, I would argue that her calculated and well-executed series of criminal fabrications do not make her just another “crazy bitch,” but rather an impressive and admirable villain.

In very few instances within popular culture–including movies, television shows, and literature–have the heroine (or female villain) been depicted as such an organized, intelligent, and deceptive individual. In the past, only male villains have held these characteristics. This “new” female villain is an immense stride in the battle of dismantling gender stereotypes in popular culture, and should not be belittled to a “sexist portrayal of a crazy women.”