Intelligent life on planet Beauty.

In psychology and the academic study of aesthetics, the contrast effect refers to the phenomenon by which the presence of attractiveness stimuli affects a person’s ratings of other attractiveness stimuli.

In other words, if you are looking at a person and someone even more attractive walks into the room, you will rate the first person you were looking at as less attractive than you previously had. Similarly, if you are looking at a person and someone less attractive walks into the room, you will rate the first person you were looking at as even more attractive than you previously had. In both cases, the first person’s looks did not actually change, of course, but the contrast of another person’s appearance impacts how you rate the original person’s looks.

Psychology research suggests that men are more likely to be influenced by the contrast effect than women. In fact, men indicate they are less willing to date an average-looking woman after staring at photographs of very attractive female faces.

This phenomenon accounts for why women frequently dislike their partners gazing at other women (especially in advertisements and pornography) and why beautiful women have more difficulty keeping female friends. As Nancy Etcoff writes in her book, Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty, “we try to control our social environment to make ourselves look good, or at least better than the other choices, and no one wants her own light dimmed by having a beacon next to her.”

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Beautiful book worms, take note.

I recently came across three soon-to-be-released books that you might be interested in:

The Aesthetics Economy of Fashion: Markets and Value in Clothing and Modelling by Joanne Entwistle

Available August 2009.

Fashion is bound up with promoting the “new,” concerned with constantly changing aesthetics. The favored styles or looks of a season arise out of the work of a vast range of different actors who collectively produce, select, distribute and promote the new ideals, before moving on next season. If fashion is defined, in part, by the incessant requirement to be “new,” this requirement means aesthetic qualities are always in motion and, therefore, unstable. How, then, are fashionable commodities stabilized long enough for them to be calculated–i.e., selected, distributed and sold–by those critically placed inside the fashion system? Since there are few studies that actually examine the work that goes on inside the world of fashion we know little about these processes. Fashion and the Cultural Economy addresses this gap in our knowledge by examining how aesthetic products are defined, distributed and valued. It focuses attention on the work of some of the market agents, in particular model agents or ” bookers” and fashion buyers, shaping the aesthetics inside their markets. In analyzing their work, Entwistle develops a theoretical framework for understanding the distinctive features of aesthetic marketplaces and the aesthetic calculations within them.

Joanne Entwistle is a senior research fellow at the London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London.
 

Imagining Beauty: The History of the Global Beauty Business by Geoffrey Jones

Available February 2010.

The global beauty business permeates our lives, influencing how we perceive ourselves and what it is to be beautiful. The brands and firms that have dominated this industry, such as L’Oreal, Unilever, Rimmel, and Chanel, have re-imagined beauty for us. This book provides the first authoritative history of the global beauty industry from its emergence in the nineteenth century to the present day, exploring how today’s global giants grew. It shows how industry has shaped perceptions of beauty worldwide as beauty ideals were imagined by successive generations of entrepreneurs. These men and women built brands which interpreted prevailing societal norms, as well as the business organizations needed to sell them. They democratized access to beauty products, once the privilege of elites, but they also imagined the gender and ethnic borders of beauty, and its association with a handful of cities, notably Paris and later New York. The result was an extraordinary homogenization of beauty ideals throughout the world. However, over the last two decades globalization has worked in a more complex fashion, both encouraging further homogenization as global beauty brands entered China, Russia and India, but also encouraging heterogeneity through hyper-segmentation strategies and providing consumers with far greater choices. In the early twenty first century, beauty is in the process of being re-imagined again, with profound consequences for today’s managers and consumers.

Geoffrey Jones is a business professor at Harvard.
 

Because Your Worth It: The Ugly Face of the Beauty Business by Ruth Brandon

Available January 2011.

Book description not yet available.

Ruth Brandon is a biographer, historian, and novelist.

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Welcome to Spotted!, a new feature I’m trying out here on Belle IQ, which will share a photo and brief profile of someone who embodies brains and beauty. The Sartorialist-inspired idea came to me when I was on Facebook this week and spotted a talented and beautiful friend’s profile picture.

I first met Emily when she was in a class I was teaching at Sutherland Models. She stood out to me as a calm, confident, and honest young woman who is true to herself. She has a keen eye for snapping great photographs that convey a mood and tell a story, which is rare for someone so young. Emily kindly agreed to be the first person I profile for this feature.

Name: Emily Santi

Occuption: student

Interests: art, fashion, photography, music, and clothing

Beauty is…what we make it and how we look at it. How we decide what is beautiful to us may not be the same to others. The beauty of an individual should always be defined by his or her character and nothing else. To me, beauty is an elusive mystery and it is up to each of us to define it for ourselves.

I feel beautiful when…I make someone smile, laugh, or feel accepted. I love to nurture and care for people. When I am able to do these things for others, I feel a sense of accomplishment and pride. And ultimately, I feel beautiful.

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A study authored by Dr. Markus Jokela at the University of Helsinki, Department of Psychology, suggests that women are gradually becoming more and more good-looking.

This, the researchers explain, is because attractive women tend to have more children than their less-attractive coutnerparts, and a higher percentage of those children are girls. These girls grow up to be attractive women who have their own children and thus repeat the pattern. Generations of this has reportedly led to women gradually becoming more attractive. Read The Times for a great overview of the study.

Academic Citation:

Jokela, M. (in press, 2009) Physical attractiveness and reproductive success in humans: evidence from the later 20th century United States. Evolution and Human Behaviour.

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Skin cancer isn’t pretty. In fact, it can be deadly.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has put tanning beds in the category of highest cancer risk. The Star reported today that tanning beds are “as deadly as mustard gas, arsenic, plutonium and other known carcinogens.”

I know some of you might be tempted by that (un)healthy glow tanning beds can offer, but I hope you agree that it is not worth the long-term risk to your health. And lets not forget the extra wrinkles you’ll be battling even if you are fortunate enough to avoid cancer. Instead, try a self-tanner or embrace your natural skin tone.

For more information about skin cancer and how to prevent it, read what Health Canada has to say.

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“I don’t like standard beauty — there is no beauty without strangeness.” — Karl Lagerfeld

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Ugly and wicked. These are the words that come to mind when one thinks of the way stepmothers are historically portrayed in children’s stories and movies. Mother’s Day is around the corner and the lack of stepmother cards available has got me feeling a little uneasy.

Perhaps, most famous of all for depicting the ugly and wicked stereotype, is Cinderella’s stepmother. She, and her equally evil and ugly daughters, go to great lengths to prevent Cinderella from having the life and love she desires and deserves. 

Snow White’s stepmother, the Queen, tries to kill her. The Queen is definitely wicked, but she is an interesting case, because she is, arguably, also beautiful. She is well aware of her beauty, and portrayed as so vain that she is willing to kill Snow White to be the “fairest of them all.” If a stepmother is beautiful this seems to make her even more evil.

Hansel and Gretel’s stepmother, an ugly witch, lures her stepchildren into the woods to a house made of candy. She subsequently tries to bake Hansel and Gretel in the oven. Instead, Hansel and Gretel succeed in killing her and subsequently live “happily ever after.”

Enter, Gisele.

The May 2009 issue of Vanity Fair features supermodel Gisele Bundchen on the cover. If you don’t know her love story by now, it goes something like this: Supermodel meets football star quarterback (Tom Brady). Supermodel and football player fall in love. Two months in, football player learns his ex-girlfriend is pregnant and he is the father. Baby is born. Supermodel and football player get married. They all live happily ever after.

“I think it was a blessing, because otherwise I don’t think I would have known what he was made of, and he wouldn’t have known what I was made of,” says Gisele of finding out Brady’s ex-girlfriend was pregnant with his son. “Our relationship has become so much stronger, and I think I wouldn’t be as certain as I am today if it weren’t for that.”

And as far as her feelings towards her stepson are concerned: “I feel blessed to have him in my life.”

Gisele isn’t ugly, nor wicked, nor jealous. She’s beautiful, optimistic, open-minded, and big-hearted. She sheds stepmother stereotypes as effortlessly as she sheds her dress on the cover.

Whether she realizes it or not, Gisele might be helping to change the face of stepmotherhood.

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“There is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness.” - Marguerite Gardiner Blessington

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I have decided to “retire” from modelling.

Modelling was something I had wanted to do for a very long time. I first began in the industry at 14, but for various reasons, left soon after that. I tried to return while I was a full-time university student, but geography and the amount of time and effort I put into my studies interfered. After university, I figured it was my chance. It was a late start, sure, but it enabled me to give this particular goal of mine 100% and see where it would take me.

To be frank, it didn’t take me where I wanted it to and it didn’t take me as far as I had hoped. Not everything can work out the way you want it to. But I’m still extremely glad that I gave it a good shot. I’m very fortunate to have been able to do so.

When I was in Paris earlier this year, someone outside of the modelling industry asked, out of curiosity and politeness in expressing interest in what I do, “So what are you hoping to gain from modelling? Why do you model?” I felt uncomfortable, embarrassed even, but gave a quick, polite answer mentioning the “usual” reasons people get into modelling - a chance to travel, earn money, and because it is an interest of mine.

But later, I reflected on his questions and my discomfort and answers for a long time. I realized that I was no longer sure of what I was hoping to gain from modelling and that I no longer had valid reasons for doing it. With my work experience and education, I could be earning better, more steady money, and easily pay for my own travel, so those reasons were no longer valid. And the chance of me becoming a highly successful, big earner in the industry was slim to none, given the age I was beginning at, among other things.

And as far as my motivations for being in the industry go, those have been the hardest to discover and accept. Initially, I loved the industry because I felt like I fit it. As is common for many models, I felt awkward in my tall, lanky body. But when I was around other models, I felt normal, average even. As a teenager, this sense of belonging and fitting in was intoxicating. I also felt insecure about my looks. If I can be a model, I thought, and models are held in high regard for their appearance, than my appearance must be attractive, too. I’m reminded of one answer an anonymous model wrote in a survey when I was conducting research for my undergrad thesis:

“I wanted to model because I thought I was, at least superficially, proving to myself and others that I was beautiful.”

Sometimes the truth isn’t so pretty.

But that comfort I took in the industry when I was young was not there nearly as much a decade later. Age and other experiences brought with them greater self-esteem and confidence in myself. Aside from being mildly comforted by being around other young women with similar heights and sizes as myself, I didn’t feel a sense of belonging and I didn’t feel like I fit in anymore. In fact, I started to feel uncomfortable. At a recent audition, myself and three other models auditioned in a group. We each were to say our names, ages, and then walk for the clients: “15.” “15.” “14.” “26.” One of these things is not like the others.

All in all, modelling wasn’t making me happy. And it is this that became my main reason for “retiring” from it. Unlike a lot of other careers, where if you work hard you have a chance at getting ahead, this is not necessarily the case for models. Your career is mostly in the hands of the decision makers: agents, photographers, designers, and other clients. Of course, you have to take good care of your appearance, can improve on things like your walk and ability to pose for the camera, and be a consummate professional. These things might be necessary, but they certainly are not sufficient. Furthermore, your ”look”, and whether those physical traits you possess are “in” in the modelling industry exactly when you enter it, are just luck of the draw.

This lack of personal control over my work, not fitting in, and not feeling a sense of personal or professional growth have been making me unhappy. It turns out that I’m not the only one who feels this way. A week or so after I had notified everyone I needed to about my decision, I came across this academic study, which suggests that models are less happy than non-models of similar ages because the modelling profession does not satisfy basic psychological needs for happiness and well-being such as competence, forming deep relationships, exercising personal control, and being valued for things like skill and intelligence.

This isn’t to say that I didn’t find positive aspects to the industry - in fact, I found many. Modelling has led me to meet some really interesting, kind, intelligent people like Danielle Meder and Dan Grant, just to name a couple. And there are a heck of a lot of wonderful young women working as models who do not fit the negative stereotypes they are often labelled with. Modelling has also helped me to learn a lot about myself, my interests, my motivations, and goals. I have thicker skin and can better handle rejection. It has helped me to learn how to look my best and broadened my definition and understanding of beauty. I’ve also learned that models can claim some pretty outrageous items as expenses on their tax returns.

Sometimes I’m angry at myself because I worry I made the wrong decision – wasting two years to go back to modelling when I could have spent that time building a more sustainable, future-oriented career. But I don’t think it was a mistake. It gave me a break from school and enabled me to fully engage in trying to achieve this goal. I leave it behind with full confidence that it is time to put it in the past and move on. Perhaps it was more of an exercise in preventing regret than anything else, but getting to move forward without wondering if modelling ever would have worked out for me, is satisfying and calming in its own way.

Having been in the industry, and now being outside of the industry, will enable me to better communicate my views and thoughts about it, and bring a better, more balanced perspective to my writing and research. I’m confident in my decision. My mind feels very liberated to be free from it, allowing me to begin planning out my next career move.

There are models-turned-actors, models-turned-designers, and models-turned-entrepreneurs. For now, I guess that I am a model-turned-nothing. But, most of us have stages of searching and self-discovery in our lives. I’m okay with this.

This is, in part, why there has been a hiatus in my blogging. I needed to set everything aside and do a lot of thinking and planning about my future. To my readers, I’m sorry for not posting for so long but thank you for your patience. And to those who encouraged me to keep blogging and expressed that they missed it - you are so sweet. Thank you for the push I needed to get back to it.

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