electromagnetic pulse

MMeO. a description.

Make Me Over. MMeO.

There is a myth of transformation. A beautiful person is concealed under a confusing appearance - an appearance that doesn't use social codes to communicate. And if we would only translate that person's beauty into the standard language of social norms, their inner beauty would be revealed to all. The awkward person's problems of social ineptitude would be magically solved.

So goes the fairytale. And in the movies, it always works. The girl adapts seamlessly to her new environment of make up, big hair, and high heels. She gets the guy, the job, and all her dreams, present and future.

Today's codes are looser and broader than those we read about, but they remain in place nonetheless. Everyone can tell the difference between a carefully placed disheveled and truly unkempt - between the fashionably coded and the out of style.

I am fascinated by the way in which our appearance communicates us - and whether or not it can change us. Can these movie-style makeovers actually work as smoothly as portrayed?

I am starting a new project, Make Me Over, to examine the question and the process. It will involve the men and women who peddle the put-on self: make-up artists, hair stylists, fashion designers and salespeople. I will try different shops and differnt solutions to try to "make me over", following advice and letting experts decide for me.

I hope to bring other women like me into this process. Women who make themselves pretty and women who don't, women who daily make a conscious effort and women who just grab their clothes and go. It will involve those who watch us make these choices - the men and women, the peers and supervisors, the mentors and protegees.

To be part of the project, send me your story: esthermpalmer [at] gmail.com

Labels: MMeO

posted by e m p @ 5:56 PM