The appeal is relatability - the polar opposite of GOOP superiority. Good artists, actors, writers, broadcasters - ie: Walter Cronkite, all make us feel that we know them - have felt that way, know exactly what they mean. It's the ultimate goal of advertising and art of all kinds!
What does it really mean when you put the phrase "self-style" in front of a descriptive noun? Can I be a self-style something? I want to be a self-style lifestyle wunderkind. Is that acceptable? Did self-style replace self-taught because people dislike learning?
I think there is an inherent tension in the upper echelons of the fashion and beauty world between the need to sell more (i.e., the necessity of reaching out to ordinary women) and the desire for exclusivity. The former is why there is lip service to "real women" and the latter is why it's just lip service. Add to that the fact that if you've been breathing that ratified air for long enough, you really believe that everyone thinks like you; hence the predominate belief that everyone is doggedly striving to achieve and maintain a look that conforms to the very rigid beauty standards that govern that world.
I LOOOOOVE her videos! I've been a subscriber to them for well over a year and she really takes the time to show you (or a person like me with no talent with a makeup brush) how to not walk out of the house looking like a raccoon...and how to re-create looks you've seen elsewhere.
She even personally responded to a plight I had regarding "the smoky eye look" (see above raccoon reference) - but that was before she got famous and stuff.
I wouldn't put this crappy stuff on my face if you paid me! It is a shame that she could have created her cosmetics without all the chemicals yet, she opted not to do so. The ingredients list is a nightmare.
too bad
Real people movement? No, its reality. We are the people who make up a majority of the population.
It infuriates me that people like her and susan boyle are an enigma to some. As if they've never seen someone like that capable of grasping the attention of someone. Its ridurculous!
I hope TV gets taken over by this Real People movement. With the Julia Child clips this week, I noticed there isn't anyone like her who seems helpful and realistic in what she does, on TV.
I demand us common folk take to the streets! Stop showing teens images of unattainable beauty! Stop calling shows with people with Average builds, Fat. More to love should just be called dammit.
I'm mad now.
Oreoes for all!
All this "EVERYONE FAMOUS (and in possession of a vagina) MUST BE FLAWLESS LOOKING" is a fairly new, definitely American phenomenon. I mean, even a lot of the shows that were on in the 90's (Roseanne, Blossom, Golden Girls, 227) featuring normal looking women that would never be allowed on TV now. Just the other day, I was watching part of a Living Single marathon (don't judge) and in every episode, a new dude was in love with Queen Latifah. Can you even imagine that happening in a television series now?
I also say it's an American thing, because despite Simon Cowell's sentiments, judging by the BBC shows I watch, and the musicians that are coming out of the UK, they're a bit less specifically horrified by the idea of normal looking people doing things other than hiding under bridges over there.
When we see a Dove ad, we know we're being shown "real women" and the condescension and the self-congratulation are palpable.
This is what really gets to me. You can see the media testing the waters with shows like More to Love, but all they really care about is using "real" as another cheap, empty marketing ploy. AND another way to pit women against each other. (Because skinny women aren't "real," of course.)
I just watched her video for "My New Makeup Line" Good lord, if she could make me look vintage like that I would work it hard. I also love her accent.
Screw you Hollywood and Media, THIS is who I really want to sell me stuff.
Her "quirky honesty"? I think is more the painful self-deprecation of someone who knows she doesn't fit the stereotypes of beauty. What I always thought peculiar about her videos is that unlike other tutorials, where the girl lets you know she knows she's pretty and she's teaching you how to apply make-up to look pretty like her, Lauren is more about "I know I'm not sensational, so let me tell you what I do to try to feel good about myself, I've found out I'm very good at this". Her insecurities are never out there or explicitly stated, but they're very present. And that's what I think makes her so likable and relatable, that we all indulge in this bizarre rituals of "OK, I know I don't look like Gisele, but I don't think I should either, although there's a dissonance between what I want and what I have in terms of physical appearance, so I'll try to do something about it and maybe have fun"
I love Lauren and even though I have my own techniques (past life as a makeup artist) she has got some fabulous insights to share... I love her simply for showing me an easier way to use the MAC Sharkskin than I was using before.
What is up with these average people walking around like they're allowed outside after dark and speak when not spoken to? Keep them away from my children.
@Lady Skittlehattington: They should really be sterilized so there's no chance of more average children being born. They might trick one of our superior children into mating with them! THE HORRORS.
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She even personally responded to a plight I had regarding "the smoky eye look" (see above raccoon reference) - but that was before she got famous and stuff.
08/06/09
too bad
08/06/09
Real people movement? No, its reality. We are the people who make up a majority of the population.
It infuriates me that people like her and susan boyle are an enigma to some. As if they've never seen someone like that capable of grasping the attention of someone. Its ridurculous!
I hope TV gets taken over by this Real People movement. With the Julia Child clips this week, I noticed there isn't anyone like her who seems helpful and realistic in what she does, on TV.
I demand us common folk take to the streets! Stop showing teens images of unattainable beauty! Stop calling shows with people with Average builds, Fat. More to love should just be called dammit.
I'm mad now.
Oreoes for all!
08/06/09
08/06/09
08/06/09
08/06/09
I also say it's an American thing, because despite Simon Cowell's sentiments, judging by the BBC shows I watch, and the musicians that are coming out of the UK, they're a bit less specifically horrified by the idea of normal looking people doing things other than hiding under bridges over there.
08/06/09
This is what really gets to me. You can see the media testing the waters with shows like More to Love, but all they really care about is using "real" as another cheap, empty marketing ploy. AND another way to pit women against each other. (Because skinny women aren't "real," of course.)
08/06/09
08/06/09
08/06/09
Screw you Hollywood and Media, THIS is who I really want to sell me stuff.
08/06/09
08/06/09
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08/06/09
08/06/09
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08/06/09