The decline of asthetics in the toothpick/Q-tip category
Here’s something dug up from the bottom of the ocean: No, I don’t mean the clamshell; I’m talking about the gold thingee inside it.
Continue reading →Category Archives: Fashion and beauty
Photoshopping gone wild: ah, but you should see the pictures!
There’s an old Jewish joke that goes something like this: A Jewish grandmother walks down the street proudly pushing her new grandchild in a baby carriage [that’s how old this joke is; a carriage rather than the $1000 stroller that … Continue reading →
Bardot and Marianne: free speech marches on in France—not!
From my own encounters with the French legal system and the cause of freedom of speech in France, I ought not to be the least bit surprised at the news that Brigette Bardot faces charges of inciting racial hatred against … Continue reading →
Swimsuit wars
Science and sport—and Speedo—(how’s that for alliteration?) march on. In the drive for human progress, the competitive swimsuit has undergone a remarkable transformation. Some of us, of course, merely hope that our swimsuits will manage to hide rather than reveal … Continue reading →
Here’s the skinny on male models
The NY Times takes note of a disturbing trend towards ultra-thin models. Why is this news? Well, the models in question are men. Take a look. We’re not talking slender and trim here; after all, male models have never been … Continue reading →
French sales: la difference
The LA Times describes a French shopping phenomenon that seems positively archaic: retail stores only have sales twice a year. In the US, land of the perpetual discount, this may seem odd indeed. Even in France, there is opposition; Sarkozy, … Continue reading →
The decline of the $400 purse—and the streetwalker
The $400 purse isn’t dead yet, not by a longshot. But in the current economy, fewer people are able to easily afford them. Although I suppose designers have got to eat, too, please excuse me for not being able to … Continue reading →
I dreamed I was oh-so-fashionable in my…
…underwear. Maybe they should rename it, though. Apparently, underwear isn’t so very “under” any more. It’s come out of the closet, as it were, according to the NY Times, which reports that “showing off your lingerie has become very much … Continue reading →
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder: fattening up
Everybody knows how fashionable it has become for Western women to starve themselves for beauty. And recently I wrote this post on how many other ways we’ve pummeled and badgered and beaten the body in the quest for greater attractiveness … Continue reading →
Nobody’s satisfied: the imperfect earlobe and the unfashionable human body
Recently I saw an ad on TV for a product designed to fix a problem I previously hadn’t known existed: saggy earlobes. At first I thought it must be a joke of some sort. Saggy earlobes? Of all the available … Continue reading →
Random Oscar notes
Okay, so I watched the Oscars. In addition to observing the usual self-congratulatory self-righteousness from the very rich and very famous, I observed what’s far more important, of course: the fashions. Since I’ve seen none of the movies except “Dreamgirls,” … Continue reading →
When the mudroom isn’t just a place to put your boots, and oxblood isn’t just a color:
I think Hansel and Gretel’s house may have had one of them, along with a thatched roof and a cozy hearth. In my student days, I lived in a rented house that had one in the basement. But these dirt … Continue reading →