Beauty Counter Culture - Beauty Business and Style, and the Business of Style

Too Thin Not In

2008-05-05T12:20:00.003-04:00

The French government is considering a media ban against images of models and celebrities who are deemed to be too thin, and who could potentially be seen as promoting anorexia or unhealthy eating habits in women.

Now, this story is too delicious for words for so many reasons. Once we've stopped counting the ribs on the Olsen twins, we can take a look at the French PM's arm candy of a missus. Former supermodel Carla Bruni Sarkozy has stopped wearing stilettos around her diminutive husband, and now it would seem she's also just dying to dig into some creme brulee. What better way to allow her to stop competing with the cover models than to outlaw anyone thinner than she is?

Obviously, I'm kidding, but to be honest if you take a really good look at the so called beauty standard these days, it's not only ugly, but really frightening. Instead of the lush beauties of bygone eras, we're faced with skeletal waifs - instead of envying them I just want to feed them.

According to some sources extensive airbrushing will also be banned at a certain point.

Imagine that. Women and men will be faced with pictures of celebrities who actually look like them - albeit with lots more implants and nip/tucks.

Warts and all,
Rachel x

Sexski and the Cityi

2008-03-18T13:55:00.003-04:00

Moscow has pink taxis for women and now apparently women will be getting their own tipple too- in the form of a new line of "Ladies" vodkas, which according to Reuters comes in girlie flavors like lime, vanilla and almond, or plain for cocktails. The new vodka is lighter in taste and breezier in appearance and being marketed to women as a perfect cocktail companion with a light salad after a workout.

Russian psychologists though aren't thrilled with the idea of an even greater push to imbibe. They're concerned that Russia's vodka market, which is already estimated at about 2.2 billion liters annually, will rise significantly.

According to the story, the Moscow Serbsky Institute for Social and Forensic Psychiatry estimates that more than 10 percent of Russia's population of 142 million are alcoholics - a significantly higher figure than that on record..

Yuri Sorokin, a psychologist running a Moscow rehab center said 60 percent of those he treats for alcoholism are women, including the wives of Russian millionaires.

"I believe that female alcoholism is a huge problem in Russia. I believe it is as huge and hidden as the underwater part of an iceberg," he said.

The makers of the Damskaya brand however, tout it as being no more dangerous than chocolate is - to a diabetic.

Intoxicatingly yours,
Rachel x

Calvin Klein- The Butt Of Many Jokes

2008-03-17T11:24:00.009-04:00

I'll admit that I cringe when I think of people who mock publicists publicly on blogs like guilty pleasure Bad Pitch Blog, but this one cracked me up and will likely go down in the annals of heinous PR pitches.

"WWD News Flash: Eva Mendes to Be Calvin Klein Underwear's Face"

some blah blah and then this tidbit "The deal deepens the brand's involvement with Mendes," Groan. How are we not supposed to break out the bad puns with something quite this bum-tacular?

'Nuff said. I'm not sure that anything quite this perfect should be tampered with, but they were really scraping the bottom of the barrel with that one.

One last thought, is announcing a stint at rehab really preferable to admitting a quick round of lipo or bootie nip/tuck? Inquiring minds really, really want to know.

Smugly and Snugly yours,
Rachel

Green Makeovers

2008-03-13T09:02:00.004-04:00

As a culture we're pretty makeover obsessed. Have a major life trauma? Try subtle face framing highlights and forget about that pesky foreclosure or that fact that your husband spent nearly $80k on hookers.

Well, apparently the U.S. dollar which is definitely losing a popularity contest with the Pound, Yen and Euro was feeling like the ugly girl at spring break and in dire need of some prettification. To combat the ugly money blues, a new improved $5.00 bill will be launched today complete with pretty purple detailing- no, really. The new design is meant to deter counterfeiters, but it's actually weirdly attractive if you can stop obsessing over the fact that it probably cost a small fortune to redesign our money which is sadly only worth only a very small fortune.

Related unrelated, Bliss Spa whose ads are generally fun if forgettable, has come up with a way to combine freebie market research with a pre-launch makeover. The brand is debuting a new line of skin care and allowing the ultimate consumer to pick the scent from one of three possibilities which include fresh, spicy or vibrant fragrance combinations.

In an era of user generated content it will be interesting to see if user generated product development will drive sales.

Feeling pretty, oh so pretty,
Rachel x

How Young Is Too Young?

2008-02-29T14:34:00.006-05:00

I clearly remember my first manicure. I was nearly 17 years old and about to graduate from high school and my sister treated my best friend and me to our first professional polish. Until that point we'd lacquered our nails on our own on a daily basis with everything from stripes, polka dots and argyle to match our outfits. I felt incredibly sophisticated and suddenly overwhelmingly grown up. It was a transition, a rite of passage and entry into the world of adult women and their beauty rituals.

Then again, until I was about 16 years old I had hair down past my waist. One blustery winter when my parents were on vacation I decided to go for my first official (read pricey Manhattan salon) haircut. Trust me when I tell you that the change was nothing drastic. A few snips, a trim and a fluttery fringe. When my father saw it for the first time he refused to speak to me. I seem to recall him saying something to the effect of, 'What have you done with my hair?'

Fathers and daughters have unique bonds as do sisters. Of course my father got over his horror at my more mature 'do, though years later he still muses on how pretty my hair was before I 'ruined' it. Granted, I came from a sheltered background and lived in a more innocent time (though it would seem that any era is radically more innocent than our own), but girls my age didn't alter their looks drastically until they felt old enough to take responsibility for it. I'll admit that I spent years with hair every color of the rainbow and a few not found in nature with piercings and other style subtleties that I came to regret, but I'll always be grateful to have had the opportunity to remain a young girl for as long as I felt the need.

A story in the New York Times yesterday Never Too Young for That First Pedicure, highlighted birthday parties for the 6-9 year old set, including one 7 year old and her 3 1/2 year old sister. Their mother Anne O’Brien is quoted as saying that the party was the girls' father's idea. To say that the notion of toddlers going for pedicures is troublesome at best and to me at least evokes images of JonBenet Ramsey, and other very young girls who are no longer given the option of remaining children before being forced into an ever hyper sexualized world. The idea of a father wanting his daughter to remain a daddy's girl may seem clichéd, but the idea of a father coming up with the idea of his barely out of diapers daughters going for makeovers to celebrate a single digit birthday seems troublesome if not a bit creepy to me. The story talks about 'makeovers' for the girls. To be honest, what is there to make over?

15 year old Miley Cyrus AKA Hannah Montana who is deified by the pre-tween set, is held up as the epitome of wholesome, though she seems disturbingly brittle. Are there any truly wholesome role models for girls left?

My sister Kiki mentioned another anecdote from my own teen years in her blog in which I yearned for the outlandish and supremely inappropriate clothing worn by a classmate of mine. My mother's response, ‘What will she look forward to?’ If little girls can no longer stay little girls and are pushed into womanhood before they’ve even neared puberty, how can one expect them to grow up with any healthy sense of self, much less when faced with the barrage of visuals that include skeletal fashion models or eerily perfect celebrities?

How truly tragic that these little girls have passed a milestone while they’re still too young to even remember it.

Nostalgically yours,
Rachel x
Read Career and Corporate Cool (TM) now or visit the website

How Not To Evolve

2008-01-25T07:43:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's New York Times included a feature about the new book "How Not To Look Old" by Charla Krupp. Without going into the painful particulars, "How Not To Look Old" scares me a little, okay it scares me a lot. The premise of the book, which debuted on the New York Times best-seller list last week at No. 8 in the advice and how-to category is neither particularly new nor groundbreaking- society doesn't particularly revere aging women, so try not to look like you're actually aging.

The most terrifying part though is the fact that we live in a society that encourages plastic surgery (you know, the potentially life threatening kind that involves scalpels and anaesthesia, that requires weeks if not months of recovery time and frequently leaves people looking like they've been dipped in wax) as a smart way of dealing with aging. Aging is a natural part of life. We live, we (hopefully) learn, we become more interesting or at the very least somewhat evolved people and it shows on our faces and bodies and in our senses of humor.

I'm all for wanting to look and feel your best at any age- and have for all intents and purposes built my career on advising women (and businesses) how to present their best face or brand and look great and feel better. What troubles me though is the notion that women, or men for that matter have to change themselves to conform to a dangerous ideal of not only beauty but relevance. Ms. Krupp is quoted as having previously stated that her book "is hitting a nerve because I am giving not looking old a spin as if your life depended on it.”

Take a look at the nightly news lately and you'll likely encounter the frozen faced visages of presenters who look startled not by world events but by overzealous Botox injections and partial face lifts. Watch your favorite sitcoms or movies and you'll likely notice actresses shaking their hair extensions vigorously to make a point since their faces no longer register emotion, much less expression.

The actor Heath Ledger's death earlier this week at the age of 28 was shocking. Comparisons were made to the late James Dean, whose favored adage was said to be "Live fast, Die Young, Leave a beautiful corpse." Dean died at 24, Ledger was not much older at 28. By my estimations that means that using their lifespans as a gauge at the ages of 12 and 14 respectively, Dean and Ledger were both middle aged. Ridiculous perhaps, but then again so is the notion that youth is the only commodity of value left to working women and that zealously protecting, enhancing or whittling their faces and figures is the only recourse left for modern women.

Warts and all,
Rachel x
Read Career and Corporate Cool (TM) now or visit the website

The RedHeaded Stepchild

2007-12-19T11:18:00.000-05:00

I recently heard the expression redheaded stepchild for the first time and was mystified.... first off I was puzzled that I'd never heard it before, and secondly because I couldn't fathom why having red hair would be used as a pejorative. My grandmother Mindel was known for her fiery red hair (and matching temperament) and nearly every one of my cousins on my father's side of the family has at least one redheaded child. Only my own family is relentlessly brunette, though I've explored my own red roots over the years with shades ranging from cherry cola to Crayola red.

When people ask me my 'type' of man, I usually have a hard time describing him, since I don't have a type or ideal. I tend to be attracted to smart men first and foremost, wit is high up on my list, kindness, decency - all priorities, I usually get along well with foreign men so an accent is good too. If you really asked me to admit my one weakness though- it's for the ginger haired lads.

Now many cultures and religions do look down on redheads, either because of long standing prejudice based on old wives tales, residual fear of marauding Cossacks or Vikings, or old fashioned associations with redheads as being in some way associated with the devil. There was a recent spate of articles about anti gingerist sentiment in the U.K. where it has been likened to racism, with instances of adults being bullied or even driven out of their neighborhoods.

As a society we should know better than to ascribe certain attributes to individuals based on their hair color. Then again, I'm pretty grateful to NBC for casting the dishy Damian Lewis as primetime's first real redhead male lead since Ron Howard on Happy Days.

My point? As a culture we should get over defining people strictly by exteriors. Fat doesn't make you jolly, blonde doesn't make you stupid and based on the never smiling face of one Victoria Beckham AKA Posh Spice and her ever shrinking co-Spices- thin apparently doesn't make you happy.

Non-judgmentally yours,
Rachel x
Read Career and Corporate Cool (TM) now or visit the website

Now Ear This

2007-12-05T19:10:00.000-05:00

Good Lord, as if women don't have enough to be insecure about, the New York Observer reports that the latest society no no is saggy earlobes. Yes, you read that correctly- earlobe plumping is all the rage in more money than common sense circles. Imagine the *horror* of not having people notice your diamond chandelier earrings because your ears are all saggy and droopy. Now you can plop down close to a thousand bucks and have younger, fresher ears!

When does it end? Lever soap touts itself as being for all your 2,000 parts. I'm starting to wonder if these same Park Ave. docs start creating new procedures for each of these 2,000 parts- more frivolous procedures like cuticle enhancement or elbow drainage or perhaps belly button augmentation. Seriously, it's time to get a grip and accept yourself for who you are- flawed perhaps, but fairly fabulous!

Airily yours,
Rachel x
Read Career and Corporate Cool (TM) now or visit the website

When Beauty Kills

2007-11-12T14:10:00.000-05:00

Donda West, the 58 year old mother and former manager of rapper Kanye West died "as the result of complications from a cosmetic surgical procedure," West's spokesman said the family "asks for privacy during this time of grief."

I may find Kanye to be highly irritating, if not something of a bit of a spoiled brat, but who doesn't love a boy who paid tribute to his mother in a song "Hey Mama," singing: "You're unbreakable, unmistakable/ Highly capable, lady that's makin loot/ A livin' legend too, just look at what heaven do/ Send us an angel, and I thank you (Hey Mama)."

I cannot fathom hating a wrinkle that much, or being so obsessed with a lump or cellulite jiggle that I'd ever opt for frivolous surgery, that in this case claimed a life. Author Olivia Goldsmith died some years back from complications from cosmetic surgery, who knows how many other women suffer long term paralysis or unmentioned fatalities as a result of cosmetic surgery? See, it might make you look better, but it's also 'surgery' - scalpels, anaesthesia and all. I for one am quite comfortable climbing up on my soapbox and declaring that it's time for society to stop focusing on the pursuit of youth and the celebration of externals over all else.

Donda West was a former academic who prior to managing her son's career was the head of English at at Chicago State University. What a tragic loss of a life.

Mournfully yours,
Rachel x
Read Career and Corporate Cool (TM) now or visit the website

Spam Makeover

2007-11-12T10:38:00.000-05:00

As a culture we're fairly obsessed with the notion of makeovers.

Fat and ugly? Become beautiful with Botox and Lipo!!!

Feel like your Prozac has lost its punch? No worries- Cymbalta to the rescue!!

Plagued by icky PMS and that oh so annoying monthly visitor?! Have a happy period- only four times a year with brand new coolio birth control pills!!

Artist Linzie Hunter seems to have tapped into the ridiculousness of the dubious marketing messages contained within spam and elevated them to art status. Check our her Spam One-Liners (via murketing) in which some of the worst offenders are newly beautiful - if no more palatable.

Non-offensively yours,
Rachel x
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All Hail The Queens Of Glamour

2007-11-05T10:39:00.000-05:00

I'm panicking about an upcoming birthday. Not because I look any older, but because for me at least it's a giant milestone. I won't tell you the number, because then you might gasp at how old I am or chide me for being so very young and ignorant. Instead I'll point you in the direction of British Vogue's list of the world's most glamorous women which includes the 81 year old Queen Elizabeth, who's right up there with the more expected lovelies like models Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell.

In this issue at least, Vogue has decreed that age was no barrier, yet for the most part their publication celebrates youthful exteriors over age and experience.

Vogue was gushing in its praise, declaring the queen to be "as glamorous in her brogues and headscarf at (her country estate) Balmoral as she is wearing the crown jewels." See, that's where it gets tricky for me, because I imagine it's a lot more glamorous to bandy about expressions like crown jewels and country estate rather than cheapo knockoff watch or one bedroom apartment

Related/unrelated Queen Latifah nee Dana Owens graces the cover of People Magazine with a large headline screaming something to the effect of '200 lbs. and loving it.' If you read the article, Latifah's weight isn't the focus of the piece, and yet the magazine almost apologizes for having featured a non brittle looking cover model by declaring her pride at her pudge.

In my perfect world, we stop looking at people's age, weight or social status and instead decide that we like them or not because they're smart or funny or have personalities that click with our own. Not terribly glamorous though.

Glamorously yours,
Rachel x
Read Career and Corporate Cool (TM) now or visit the website

Birthday Girl Hillary Bringing SexyBrainyBack

2007-10-26T10:05:00.000-04:00

Today marks Hillary Rodham Clinton 60th birthday and I for one think it's time to celebrate. Not with celebrity studded parties, or with the requisite loved up Bill and Hill pictures, but in a way that puts Hillary's accomplishments into perspective.

Hillary may very well be our nation's first woman president, which is almost embarrassing to say since we lag decades behind Europe, Great Britain , Israel and India in having the recognized most qualified not well connected person not male as our commander in chief.

Hillary is no a style setter, her headband wearing days in the White House were mercilessly mocked, her pantsuits are frequently joked about, and her recent cleavage display was more cringe inducing than reputation enhancing.

What she is in fact is a trend setter, showing that she is more than just the great woman behind the great man, but also a driving force for change and role model for younger women. Women who in fact might think that their only worth is in fact in their exterior beauty, a concept stressed in major women's and men's magazines.

EW.com, the website of Entertainment Weekly magazine has been running their top 25 'Ultimate Hotties' lists for some weeks now and included in their choices for sexiest woman ever is Madonna, another brilliant business woman. Madonna has also received the dubious distinction of being one of Maxim magazine's choices for unsexiest women alive (one imagines that even Maxim finds it distasteful to mock the dead?), sharing the spotlight with Sandra Oh, Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse and Sarah Jessica Parker, who topped the list.

While I won't offer my own commentary on what makes a woman or man sexy, I think that Amy Winehouse is in a bad state, and judging by what she looked like when she burst onto the music scene and the way she's scarily descended, it's negative and obsessive media scrutiny that helped to take her to this place.

While we all engage in idle chatter if not gossip, I think that it's time to start looking at what makes a woman truly sexy, and in the case of Hillary Clinton it isn't her perfect features nor her dainty form, it's her big sexy brain and bold attitude.

Hail to the Chief!
sexily yours,
Rachel x

Hiding in Plain Site

2007-10-23T10:19:00.000-04:00

Two recent features in the New York Times struck me not only for the visuals, but more for the way that women in different cultures have learned to become invisible in cultures that don't respect them.

The first was an article on how certain Japanese fashion designers including Aya Tsukioka were creating clothing meant to hide women from potential attackers. A red skirt transformed the wearer into a coke vending machine for instance, while a handbag doubled as a manhole cover. The article cites the groping of women on the Tokyo trains as a recognized if not almost accepted problem.

The article goes on to say that "While Americans want to protect themselves from criminals, or even strike back, the creators say many Japanese favor camouflage and deception, reflecting a culture that abhors self-assertion, even in self-defense." Along those lines the Japanese have instituted women only cars on the train, so that the unsuspecting office ladies and teenage girls can reach their destinations with their modesty intact.

Related/unrelated I was transfixed by an image of Laura Bush from today's times (look for the picture, I couldn't find it online). The caption of the photo is "First Lady Helps To Fight Stigma On Breast Cancer." In the picture Mrs. Bush sits in the center of six burqa shrouded women, their faces hidden but for their eyes. One woman's face is almost visible, her smiling head bowed in modesty. Another wears a white headscarf, and her face bears the pain of a cancer survivor. The most shocking part of the photograph is the woman immediately to Mrs. Bush's left. There is no clue that she is a woman really, more a mountain of heavy black fabric, with a poignant pink ribbon pinned to her shoulder. A less impressive version of the AP shot shows the women, their stark black gear contrasting with the garish pink backdrop of bubblegum pink meant to conjure up breast cancer awareness.

While America embraces a culture of girls gone wild, many countries seem to embrace an aesthetic of women being neither seen nor heard.

Visibly yours,
Rachel x
Read Career and Corporate Cool (TM) now or visit the website

Retro Sneakers, Yo!

2007-10-16T16:34:00.000-04:00

I am by no stretch of the imagination overly athletic, nor will I ever be mistaken for a sweats and sneakers kind of a girl (and no, this will not be a discourse on East Coast Sneakers vs. West Coast Tennis Shoes and the like) and yet here I am positively possessed by the inexplicable urge to acquire, own and attire myself in clunky, multi-hued athletic shoes that best resemble miniaturized sports utility vehicles for the feet.

When I was a little girl, my extremely fashionable foreign born mother grudgingly allowed the wearing of knee socks (navy blue and other dark colors were acceptable, white only on *very* special occasions) since they made my prepubescent legs look fat (or to use a bastardization of Hungarian, the language favored by my mother and aunts- they were definitely neither csinosz (sp?) nor csudosz the two favored descriptors of choice meaning thin and beautiful, but rather csúnya or ugly - the worst possible thing for any good Hungarian girl to be called). Ankle socks weren't even an option- and were only spoken about in hushed whispers, much like one might discuss other treyf items like bacon or birth control.

If knee socks and anklets were frowned upon, sneakers were not even part of the discourse. They were simply too ugly to be worn, and as such could be purchased under duress (my father funded these purchases) for required gym classes, but were never, ever to be worn at any other times, and it was unspoken that they would never be worn in the presence of my mother.

I imagine then that these memories of my properly attired youth have fueled my newly rekindled passion for Chuck Taylors, Reeboks and Adidas. These days, I furtively sneak peeks at Zappos retro sneaker department the way that a fetishist might fondle a corset, or an Olsen twin might lust after a Kit Kat. As God is my witness, I have every intention of buying and proudly wearing a pair of too big, too garish, too expensive retro sneakers-- just never, ever in front of my mother.

Kickin' it old skool style,
Rachel x
Read Career and Corporate Cool (TM) now or visit the website

The Bald and The Beautiful, The Young and The Tress-less

2007-10-10T22:57:00.000-04:00

There's been much media mention lately about those who are less than well tressed, and even more speculation on whether being bald can block your career path. The NY Post ran a story by John Egan which included research from a recent survey commissioned by the Hair Sciences Center of Colorado. The Survey included hair raising stats that suggested that people judge men on things like virility or professionalism based on their full head of hair or lack thereof, and tend to to think those with good hair are brainier and snag better jobs. The survey also suggested that 66 percent of those surveyed think men with a full head of hair are more successful. (My favorite line in the NY Post article: "Based on these results, it's no wonder The Donald is rolling in dough; his gravity-defying coif has enough hair to knit winter coats for the Olsen twins") Men losing their hair ranked the least successful, even more so than those who are bald. (One George Costanza comes to mind, though curiously, his real life chrome domed counterpart Larry David could likely wallpaper the various Olsen residences with his petty cash alone).

Apparently, I disagree with some of the career related follicular factoids of the survey, as quoted in the article:

New York style maven Rachel Weingarten, author of “Career and Corporate Cool," isn't so sure. “Some people are put off by bald men; others see them as being brash and ballsy," she says - a description that could fairly be applied to Revlon CEO Ron Perelman and former Tyco chief Dennis Kozlowski, whose follicle deficits clearly never led to financial ones.

Fair or not, men with shiny pates (Bruce Willis and Michael Jordan come to mind) are considered sexier than ever- must be something to do with that testosterone machine running on overtime. Not to split hairs, but Sinead O'Connor on the other hand, was always seen as being vaguely freaky when she shaved her own head. If balding men tend to feel insecure, what about women? A 2000 report by Professor Marianne LaFrance of Yale University found that bad hair days can negatively affect self esteem. One imagines that some people take the bald truth about hair loss affecting career to heart as USA Today featured a story about the future possibility of avoiding painful operations like hair transplants and the bizarre freshly planted appearance of spanking new hair plugs, and to instead have an entire scalp transplant....from a cadaver that is. Seems a pretty desperate attempt to reclaim a lusher pate.

Related unrelated, October is Breast Cancer awareness month and one of the debilitating side effects of cancer and chemo is the loss of hair. British television presenter Gail Porter, once a striking blonde lost all her hair (and eyebrows) as a result of Alopecia a common form of hair loss. Instead of opting for a wig, like Felicity Huffman's character Lynette Scavo on Desperate Housewives, Porter instead flaunts her bald pate and bold attitude. But what about real life desperate housewives? Jen Singer is a stay at home mom, the founder of popular website Mommasaid.net, a blogger for Good Housekeeping and a freelance writer. Oh, and she does all of this while battling cancer. Singer is too busy living life and inspiring others to wonder if her lack of hair affects her level of success, sense of humor or sense of self. So all you hair hat wearing insecure men and bad hair extension addicted women, it's time to forget about the faux-hair and embrace the real, cool, thin or thick haired you.

Boldly yours,
Rachel x
Read Career and Corporate Cool (TM) now or visit the website

Real Beauty/Real Fiction/Magic Realism

2007-10-07T12:58:00.000-04:00

There's been an ongoing controversy surrounding Dove's campaign for Real Beauty, the latest offering shows a young girl and the onslaught of self esteem crushing advertising images that might assault her over a lifetime. Well what's real beauty anyway? US Weekly magazine's headline screams about Heidi Montag (who?) of The Hills and her "revenge plastic surgery" and lists the torment she felt while being taunted by friends. US also chronicles her before and after pictures to illustrate her shiny, happy new life (who cares?) along with her two new silicon best friends and straighter nose. (they neglected to comment on her brand new chin though). There's also a terrifying moment when Montag comments on the risk that she might not actually wake up from surgery, but she bravely soldiers on because she wants it so bad.

With all due respect to Playboy wannabes everywhere, (apparently Montag studied Playboy to ascertain her desired assets), there is actually a concept of healthy, natural beauty, no matter your bra, nose or chin size. Then there is the obsession with an unhealthy ideal of perfection or distortion that becomes watered down and sadly, becomes mainstream.

I'm not sure that the issue at hand is strictly young girls needing to be protected from the beauty industry, as much as the beauty industry needing to protect itself from the notion of surgery and unhealthy body weight as the ideals of perfection. And while you're at it Dove, you might want to chat with your parent company Unilever about the Axe effect on young men's expectations, self image and perception of women (something I've commented on for CNBC).

Related/Unrelated, Famous former Playboy model and mega implantee, Pamela Anderson was quoted (I think it was the Daily News) as saying that she'd traded sex for money and had a $250,000 gambling debt erased as a result. Anderson subsequently swapped vows with Rick Salomon (he of the most elegant cinematic experience, One Night in Paris) at the Mirage Hotel & Casino in between Anderson's two magic shows at Planet Hollywood.

Harper's Bazaar magazine has started printing fiction short stories. No really, simply read the *interview* with Sharon Stone in the current issue for a light and entertaining account of her own real beauty, lack of nippage or even a stray tuck, and the absolutely real photos of her used in the Christian Dior advertisements. Seriously, I was grateful that her name was on the ad since her visage was mostly unrecognizable.

So what is it? Face or fiction? Implant or onslaught? Real Beauty or Reel Manipulation?

(Thanks to Dionne F. who urged me to read Harper's this month for their woman at work images of Ivanka Trump, another delightful article that perhaps is more magic realism than outright fiction.)

Magically yours,
Rachel x

Scents And Sensibility: A Rose By Any Other Name...

2007-10-02T09:25:00.000-04:00

Here's a cautionary tale for those inclined to apply their perfume just a bit too enthusiastically.

According to the New York Post, there's been quite a stink about Jorinda Sullivan, a 24 year old customer-service representative, who lost her job because she wore too much Red Door perfume. Sullivan is suing her former employer on grounds of racism, while her boss asserts that Sullivan had been the subject of repeated complaints by customers.

Now, those of you who have battled the crowded NYC subway system, or packed airplanes only to find your nose twitching at the overwhelming aroma of a fellow passenger, will empathize with the concept of being bothered by an overly fragrant co-worker or cubicle mate. I have no idea if Ms. Sullivan overdid her ablutions (apparently, she was grilled on her choice of soap, shampoo and deodorant), but I do subscribe to the notion that scent should be subtle.

If you're close enough to be in my very personal space, then I'll spare you a sniff. If however, you're my co-worker, I'm hoping to neither seduce you nor to trigger your gag reflex.

Some thoughts:
"A women who doesn't wear perfume has no future." ---Coco Chanel - (Obviously, Ms. Chanel never worked in corporate America.)

"A woman's perfume tells more about her than her handwriting." ---Christian Dior (But what about her e-mail signature?)

"Change comes like a little wind that ruffles the curtains at dawn, and it comes like the stealthy perfume of wildflowers hidden in the grass." ---John Steinbeck (The operative phrase here being stealthy perfume)

As for me, I'm plagued with seasonal allergies and tend to describe my nose as being purely decorative, so am vigilant about not overdoing the spritzing. My new fragrant mission? the ideal of stealth perfume.

Fragrantly yours,
Rachel x

Best and Worst Dressed Men at the Emmys

2007-09-26T09:39:00.000-04:00

Just thought you'd enjoy my take on what the boys wore to the Emmys this year from Boston Now:

We women think it's so easy for guys to get dressed up. But watching the Emmys proves that it can go horribly awry, Celebrity Style maven Rachel Weingarten, the author of Career and Corporate Cool, offers some tips:

Go long. If you're uncomfortable in the traditional monkey suit, follow the lead of everyone from Jerry O'Connell to David Krumholz and the cast of Heroes. Pair your well cut tux with a crisp white shirt and tie instead of bowtie.

Act your age. Robert Duvall and Duran Duran led the way. Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna are looking too dipped in self tanner and like they've both been attacked by a swarm of killer botox/collagen. You're both so gorgeous, why not at least pretend to try to age gracefully instead of scarily?

Careful with retro. Tori Spelling and husband Dean both look like they've gotten sucked back into the '80s- minus the sense of irony.

Update. Al Gore's lapels were just a bit outdated looking, his face a bit too shiny and his hair a bit too gooey, leaving him looking more like someone's pervy uncle than a Hollywoodized former politician.

Rachel Weingarten's best dressed Emmy men:

Robert Duvall never tries to look younger than he is. He didn't wear a classic tux, but his pearl grey tie and perfectly cut suit suited both his age and stature in the entertainment industry.

Greg Grunberg: Best 'real' guy in Hollywood. He's cute, he's not scarily buff or overly chiseled, he seems like the quintessential nice guy, and I'd love to know if he has a single brother.

T.R. Knight: great haircut, perfect fit on his suit, and slightly wide tie gave him a bit more personality than I usually give him credit for...

Worst:

Randy Jackson's power shirt and mismatched tie looked more suited for an exhausted executive in the 'family' business than entertainer

Steve Carell looked a little nebbish and like he'd been a bit too enthusiastic with hair product- his look (and hair) fell flat

James Denton wore his political beliefs on his chest, but he looked a bit too influenced by his character. AndI think that I speak for all the real desperate housewives in America when I say that we deserved to see him in a tux.

Fashionably yours,

Rachel x

Posh is a bust, but what about Pammy?

2007-09-25T10:30:00.000-04:00

As if it wasn't tough enough to be a woman in today's obsessively looks based society, women aren't only pressured to nip/tuck inflate or deflate- now they're actually judged by the quality of their cosmetic surgery (yes, that was in fact a visible shudder).

According to an article in the Daily Mail, cosmetic surgeon Patrick Mallucci, in an impressive display of dedication to his craft, spent hours studying images of topless models to define a formula for the perfect breast, which according to the article has "a nipple that points slightly skywards, and an upper half just a bit smaller than the bottom half." Mallucci's choice for best in breast is the mostly unknown in the U.S. model Caprice Bourret, who is rumored to have have as much cosmetic enhancement above the neck as below. The chest obsessed Mallucci cites Victoria Beckham AKA Posh Spice's "unnaturally round globes" as being the worst offenders (one imagines he's never seen photos of Pamela Anderson's less than natural assets). In case you feel the need for additional titillation, under the guise of scientific research, Mallucci will present his findings in a lecture titled: "Concepts in Design for Breast Augmentation" at the first international conference on breast enlargement, held in London this week.

All kidding aside, October is national Breast Cancer Awareness month, when the fashion industry, authors and hundreds of companies think pink to raise awareness for a disease that according to the American Cancer Society claims the lives of 40,460 women a year. While by no means the most pressing threat to women's health, (sadly, heart disease is the top contender in that category) at least the Breast Cancer awareness initiatives get people talking about and hopefully understanding the importance of women's health and not only their appearance.

In case you're wondering about the flip side of the obsession with Britney Spears' alleged belly bulge, take a look at this image by Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani which appeared around Italy to usher in Milan Fashion Week. The image of Isabelle Caro, a 27 year old anorexic French model who attributes her 'troubled childhood' to her terrifying 31kg (about 68 lbs.) total body weight, appeared on billboards and in full page advertisements throughout Italy with the tagline- No anorexia. one can only hope that gratuitous cosmetic surgery doesn't become dangerous enough to warrant a similar campaign- or is it already too late for that?

naturally yours,
Rachel
(Remember to Go Back To Cool today - www.careerandcorporatecool.com/btc.html)

Beauty in Strength/Strength is Beauty...

2007-09-21T09:02:00.000-04:00

Today's New York Times Sports section (as you've correctly surmised, not my regular reading matter) ran a story todayabout Eva Birath of Sweden, a former marketing executive turned pro body builder. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not generally a fan of body building in either sex, and question my own squeamishness at Ms. Birath's giant guns. What I am a huge fan of however is the fact that after being laid off from her former job, Birath downsized her life but seriously upgraded her (physical) presence and quite literally became even more of a force to be reckoned with. That's pretty beautiful.

beautifully yours,
Rachel

Ivanka Trump- like Barbie, only different....

2007-09-21T00:59:00.000-04:00

As a child I always wondered when Barbie had time for all of her diverse and unbelievably cool careers. Look she's a veterinarian! Now she's a supermodel! No she's a businesswoman! Wrong again, she's a realtor- but wait, could she have a new jewelry line out? In case you're wondering, the first reference was really to Barbie, the rest was all the Ivanka.

I suppose it stands to reason that the Donald's little girl would take an interest in the family business(es) and that she'd also like attaching her name to shiny things from baubles to buildings. What adds to the ick factor however, is the fact that when the Trump family unveiled their latest venture, a new (and offensive to many) high rise condo building in Soho, the Trump men were all clad in their retro '80s power suits, hands primly poised over their individual shares of the family jewels, while Ivanka was front and center - long hair, longer legs, clad in a cover girl mini dress and couture pumps. Cute for a fashion shoot- incredibly out of place in the business world (well, the non rarified/nepotism free business world that is).

Makes me wonder though, Do the Trumps see Ivanka as merely decorative, do they think her beauty balances out Donald's hair? or do they actually find Barbie Trump to be a viable look/attitude/brand for a modern woman in business? Makes me long for the days of Melrose Place, when we all knew that Heather Locklear as Amanda Woodward was all make believe.

contradictorily yours,
Rachel

Divine Beauty and Influencers

2007-09-19T08:36:00.000-04:00

Forbes recently had a profile of the 100 most powerful women a fascinating peek into the world of the female movers and shakers worldwide. Call me shallow, but I couldn't help but notice how downright frumpy most of them looked including the top 10 (5 listed below because Oprah Winfrey came in at 9, and while her style is uneven at times, she certainly does work it!) who seem to have gotten stuck in a time warp somewhere in the early-ish '80s.

As a woman in business, I understand the delicate balance between wanting to look great and not wanting to appear frivolous, but I think that these women seem to have been working so hard to develop their careers, that they've completely lost sight of their personal brand and style. Then again, when you work that hard to develop respect in the workplace and are finally at a point to command that kind of paycheck, perhaps looking good is no longer on your to do list.

On the other hand the folks over at Beauty Tips for Ministers (tagline- Because you're in the public eye and God knows you need to look good) recently referenced a CareerBuilder article by Rachel Zupek in which I weigh in on the new definition of business casual.

And to quote Tevye, but on the other hand, W Magazine has just released their mostly vapid list of the most influential in fashion which lists Scarlett Johansson " for maintaining her bombshell proportions that set her apart from her cookie-cutter contemporaries" (um, you mean as opposed to the Eastern Bloc Party - Grace Models gracing the same list "the next generation of super models who have stampeded out of Eastern Europe and onto fashion runways" You know the ones they mean the frighteningly thin and eerily tall coltish cookie-cutter models cantering down a runway near you. Only this group has accents similar to my Romanian born mother). To give them their due, W also celebrates "It Guru - Steve Jobs: for creating the most desirable accessory, the i-Pod, as no it-bag out there has come close to achieving its cultural resonance" and a bunch of other vapid or vonderful influencers.

One hopes that the rest of us can find a beautiful balance between frumpy world leaders and beautiful ministers and so hip it hurts fashionistas.

The Top Five According to Forbes

powerfully yours,
Rachel

Remember to Go Back to Cool on 9/25 from 9 to 5 - buy a copy of my book Career and Corporate Cool from any online retailer for your chance to win cool prizes including a diamond pendant and more....

Go Back to Cool on 9/25 from 9 to 5

2007-09-18T06:49:00.000-04:00

For those of you who have been waiting to get your hot little hands on a copy of my new book Career and Corporate Cool- now's your chance! To celebrate the first week of autumn on 9/25 from 9 to 5, we'll be having an all (work) day long promotional event that will include hourly giveaways including an icy cool diamond pendant, gift certificates to iTunes, Sephora, FabulousStationery.com, Barnes and Noble, autographed copies of my book, magazine subscriptions and more.

The rules are fairly simple: Purchase a copy of CAREER AND CORPORATE COOL™ from any online retailer on 9/25/07 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EST) and e-mail your receipt to backtocool@careerandcorporatecool.com for a link with access to exclusive hourly updated content not included in the book. Once purchase is verified, you will be entered to win the cool prize for that hour, with one grand prize winner announced at the end of the workday.

Visit www.CareerandCorporateCool.com for more information and complete contest rules.

Spread the word! Tell your friends, put it on your MySpace or Facebook page or post it on your blog.

If you're bored waiting for the contest to start, entertain yourself by watching the book trailers:

http://www.careerandcorporatecool.com/trailers.html

Stay cool!
Rachel

The Emmys

2007-09-17T10:36:00.000-04:00

I've never been a huge fan of Hollywood awards ceremonies since they in essence award statuettes and further adulation to people whose weekly paychecks are likely individually out-earning an entire nation of firemen, but I digress. I prefer instead to wait a few days to look through the glossy magazines that clearly identify each and every freshly (s)nipped and tucked face that have become unrecognizable during summer hiatus.

While we tend to gush about the best dressed, Yahoo has listed the worst-dressed as well, mostly unheard of starlets with a couple of household names thrown in for good measure.

Some random thoughts: What happened to Ugly Betty? America Ferrara is looking sleek and svelte (if not skeletal) boo. hiss. I was enjoying a normal looking face in Silicon Valley.

Yellow is not a flattering color- not even on brunettes like Minnie Driver. I cannot fathom stylists' fascination with this brutally unflattering color, but mustard or ochre are just about the only shades of yellow that are even remotely flattering.

My (un)Fashion(able) Week

2007-09-17T09:19:00.000-04:00

Note: I wrote this essay after spending what I'd hoped was an anonymous short vacation of the unfashionable kind upstate. So much for upstate anonymity though, since my destination of choice was mentioned in today's Daily Candy. Sigh. I'll have to seek out something less fab for the next time. For the record- my posts will be a lot shorter and punchier- this was meant to be an op-ed essay.

Last week, while many of my chic colleagues in New York City were gripped by a fever of the fashionable kind, I was chilling out upstate. After a particularly grueling few weeks, I opted to exchange the couture epicenter of Manhattan for the natural charms of Mohonk, and I sneaked out of the city during Fashion Week for an adventure of the non stylish variety. While the unnaturally beautiful strutted on the catwalks and sidewalks, I hiked through a nature preserve, while they oohed and ahhed, I swam and spa-d, and while they pouted and postured, I practiced yoga poses.

Make no mistake about it, I’m far from a granola girl, and in fact rely on the fashion industry for a significant chunk of my (seven grain and low carb) bread and (fat free) butter. In fact, I can safely state for the record that the last time that I spent any quality time in the Catskills was in summer camp in the ‘80s (and the no nonsense wardrobe of the locals remains eerily similar). No, this trip was more of an escape from my usually impeccably accessorized life. I heeded my inner cry for help, and attempted to shut out the internal chatter that branded me not good enough unless I was working 24/7 to advance my career, and the external chatter that deemed me equally lacking unless my enhanced lip to shrunken hip ratio were more similar.

Central Park, while an oasis in a concrete desert isn’t nature in its purest form, nor does the man- made lake in Prospect Park soothe the soul quite as effortlessly as the granite rimmed Lake Mohonk does. When literally and figuratively facing a brick wall, it can be hard to see the forest for the lack of trees. I needed to escape from the city, and was too burned out to attempt anything that involved great distances or complicated travel plans.

I stayed at the Mohonk Mountain House, a restored Victorian castle and national historic landmark 90 minutes outside of the City. The Mohonk ,whose hallways seemed wider than the West Side Highway, felt like the bricks and mortar love child of the Overlook Hotel in The Shining and Kellerman’s in Dirty Dancing (in a good way). I reveled in the shabby chic sprawling rooms, breathtaking views, and gracious hospitality that wouldn’t seem out of place in the deepest South. (I remain plagued however, with the fear that despite healthy menus bursting with local produce, my food intake for each day likely surpassed the collective caloric consumption of every frail fashionista within a 500 mile radius).

So what did I learn during my stay?

I can live without television: I was told that the Mohonk’s Quaker ancestry eschews the boob tube. I prefer to imagine that a few days without the small screen is meant to encourage people to actually talk to each other and enjoy the astonishing beauty of the local environment.
One is not the loneliest Number: In the City, I’m but one in a crowd of millions of sociable singletons - Upstate however, couples ruled. Whether seated together at breakfast, hiking the trails or shopping, the oddly devoid of conversation doubles seemed to trump single. Without the pressure of awkward silence however, my one was able to absorb the startling sunsets and picture perfect vistas, without for a single nanosecond worrying about delighting a tablemate with my charm and wit.
I can live without obsessively checking my email, voice mail and text messages: Cell phone reception in the mountains was spotty at best, so staying in touch wasn’t necessarily on the agenda. That said, it was surprisingly painless to rid myself of my Treo twitch (not to be confused with the Blackberry blink) and found it vaguely disturbing, if not intrusive to unexpectedly feel my phone vibrate to life while I was in the midst of communing with nature.
Manhattan is not New York, and the fashion world is not the real world: For the most part, I’m an unrepentant city-centric New Yorker. On the flipside, as a Brooklynite from birth, I’ve also lived through the bridge and tunnelism of the ‘80s, and more recently the hubris of transplanted British Ex-pats and Midwesterners, discovering the quaint charm of and subsequently annexing the outer boroughs, thereby ridding them of said quaint charm. However any of us got to this place, it is in fact only one place in the grand scheme of things. Vibrant, exciting and over the top works for some, but can apparently be hell on earth for others.

I can live well without being obsessively accessorized: I packed two pairs of earrings, three pairs of shoes and only one purse for my mid-week trip upstate. If you know me, there’d have likely been a sharp intake of air on your part at that last statement. While I grew up in the fashion industry and live for great style, I hate being pressured. I love trends, but refuse to alter every aspect of my life to embrace them. I relish the thrill of a fabulously accessorized outfit, but have decided to step off the fashion treadmill that one season deems a steamer trunk sized handbag to be de rigueur, while the next breathlessly whispers the return of the postage stamp sized clutch.

I will also take this opportunity to say that while my most recent book is entitled Career and Corporate Cool ™ How to Look, Dress and Act the Part at Every Stage of Your Career, my mission has always been to find cool within yourself and not based on a price tag or label. After years of seeking the pinnacle of sartorial perfection, I hope to finally absolve myself of the notion that if I’m not precariously perched atop a pair of pricy designer pumps, or on the waiting list for a $4,000.00 handbag, my personal real estate suffers. Clothes are meant to make you happy, and as long as you feel great- half your battle is won. Fashion is fun, but it isn’t the ultimate measure of your worth. Finding what makes you feel great both inside and out is in fact the ultimate definer of great personal style.

Perhaps to some this is a shallow result of my commune with nature, but it’s the only way that I know how to allow my fashion based insecurities to evolve or ultimately dissolve. To breathe deeply of the pine scented air (I think it was pine, my smog clogged nostrils were previously unfamiliar with that particular scent), to forgive myself my natural and non airbrushed looks, un-professionally enhanced features or surgically sculpted shape.

More than anything, I learned to look to the external beauty of nature to nurture my soul, instead of fretting that my laugh lines or other signs that I’ve enjoyed my life thus far, brand me hopelessly out of fashion.