Agree with Mike. The study is flawed in several ways, actually. And like
all those surveys, the choices offered are devised to illicit a specific
response. in this case, one that gets women to believe that because the
economy sucks, most women are sensible enough to spend as much as
possible on their looks, just in case they lose their jobs or mates.
A choice between articles on (typically) boring modern architecture or
the latest scientific breakthroughs in surgery-avoiding cosmetics is
predictable.
Um--Mary Kay's marketing strategies are growing more sophisticated every
year. Her company's strength is in her sales people's drive, as much as
it is in product presentation. Campaigns to motivate this essential
staff should be examined. Her competitors will all have similar strategies.
Next, advertising in general is becoming more persistent and savvy.
They're running many more slick, or in most cases, annoying, stick in
your head ads than ever before, and often presented by top celebrities.
We're seeing 10-12 commercials between program running slots, whereas in
the past century the average was 3-4. Internet ads are also rampant. And
following the horrid design era of the return to Seventies looks, I
think women are soaking up the licence to look more human.
The promise of certain cosmetic products has gotten under our skin with
bogus scientific terminology and bogus testimonials. Some of these have
merit, as long as you don't mind the unethical source for formulation.
Some actually work safely and effectively without compromising
ethics--and given the chance for a mere sum of thirty-sixty dollars,
what woman wouldn't want to look younger?
Let's not forget that women hope to look good for self, the one they
face in the mirror, and for other women as much as for men. This is
another coping method for self-esteem through difficult times.
Pan-dimensional billionaires I've known or observed have never been the
best dressers. They have a rather ordinary sense of fashion, though they
spend more for a label. But their car keys are usually a give away, and
dining/hotel habits another. With few exceptions, they all have amazing
cars and only eat and stay at the very best places, thereby precluding
any need to advertise. Those who do are usually social climbers.
*Natalia*
On 11/07/2012 12:07 PM, Mike Spencer wrote:
When the economy goes sour, women stock up on products that can
enhance their looks, a new study shows.
The reason is that women, consciously or not, are seeking to make
themselves more attractive to the dwindling supply of men with
good jobs, researchers say.
[...]
...Hill and her colleagues examined 20 years of data...
That's not long enough to go back before women moved into the
workforce in great numbers. So the attribution of motive is
gratuitous. Working women may want to make themselves more attractive
to present or potential employers in a period of scarce jobs and
frequent lay-offs. Depends on the internal frame of reference of the
woman.
So drawing the conclusions they did requires a study that controls for
whether or not a subject woman was clearly not active in the workforce
or was clearly committed to career or to suport of self, child or
family.
Ray remarked:
Oh Keith, you're such an academic. What do you do for fun?:>))
Oy. I suppose that goes for me, too, then? Well, just now fun is
nurturing our largish (over-ambitious?) vegetable garden or tinkering
with the new and improved forge I'm building in the shop.
- Mike
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