Generous wrinkles?
This has just been published here on Generous website.
They have also interviewed me here
Generous wrinkles?
Do adverts on the telly stop us being ‘generous’? When we suffer yet another commercial break that inconveniently interrupts what we were attempting to enjoy, does it matter? Do we kid ourselves when we say that we just ignore them; that they don’t have any influence over us… that they don’t alter our efforts to shop less, to buy local/fair trade/organic/eco-friendly, etc?
Take the recent hype over the cream that claims to get rid of your wrinkles, by No.7. When the ‘news’ broke recently, that scientists had done a study and found that for once, a beauty product’s claims were accurate, the result was predictable. In the Boots’ outlet at Liverpool Street, London, over 400 bottles were sold within 90 minutes of the store opening.
But those of us who are hard-core Generous Shoppers aren’t so gullible.
No, we’re not.
Are we?
Errrr… yes, just a bit.
When last in Boots (and I’m rarely in there) I passed a huge display of said product. I paused. I have wrinkles. As they say in the States: do the math! Now, please bear in mind I am not one to splash out on beauty products of any sort and don’t even wear make up. The essentials I do buy tend to be of the generous sort. But I paused, picked up a bottle of said product, held it for a few seconds, thought about my skin and the fantasy of turning back time… then realised it was twenty quid and swiftly returned it to its display.
Proof, then, that adverts have power, even over those of us who consider ourselves immune. What if it had cost two quid – would I have bought it? Please don’t ask me that as I’m trying to put the whole sorry episode behind me. But beware – we’re only human, and while we know that wasting money is not helpful to us, or to people and planet at large, sometimes we’re more susceptible to clever advertising than we realise.
And sometimes we just have to learn to re-name our wrinkles ‘laughter lines’, and move on.
June 16th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
I don’t believe you have real wrinkles, Annie. OK, you’re skin doesn’t look like it did when you were 20, but I’m sure they’re not the kind of wrinkles old people have and I bet you have to look really close to see them.
A healthy diet and lifestyle and a good moisturiser, e.g. Weleda, are all you need. Also, some of these creams that reduce wrinkles do so by some kind or irritating effect that makes the skin swell a bit, so I wonder what that might do long-term.
June 17th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
why thank you kind karin!
i sometimes wonder if my not wearing make-up makes more than a difference now than it did a few years ago.
perhaps i should just stop looking in the mirror and get on with my life!!
June 17th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Make up ages your skin as you tend to drag your skin somewhat putting it on and off, but it also makes the skin look drier, and therefore older. The rosy cheeks may look youthful from a distance and with a soft focus, but the powder doesn’t look so good close up. Make up makes a woman look more sophisticated, and perhaps more sexually attractive, if applied correctly, but not more youthful. – IMO, anyway.