The “Lipstick Effect” that occurred during the US Great Depression in the 1930s has now appeared in Taiwan.
According to a study by AVON Cosmetics Taiwan, the local lipstick champion, over 50 percent of female respondents are very unsatisfied or unsatisfied with their personal economic situation. The biggest reason is the imbalance between income and expenditures, and almost 30 percent also say they have been laid off or had to take pay cuts or unpaid leave.
As incomes shrink in the economic downturn, Taiwanese women must tighten their budget for cosmetic products. This has caused the relatively cheaper lipstick to buck the trend with increasing sales. Last year, the domestic sales figure for lipstick was almost NT$1.2 billion (about US$365 million), with 3.29 million lipsticks sold, the highest in a decade.
AFP PHOTO/ MANAN VATSYAYANA
Using Avon’s sales figure as an example, Avon General Manager Karen Wang says the average individual lipstick purchases increased by 55.5 percent last year, and she expects double digit growth this year. The “Lipstick Effect” has reached Taiwan.
Chen Li-chin, the CEO of Perfect Image, an image management company, says that a historic view of the beauty industry shows that the beauty and make up of women has had a significant impact on social atmosphere. By applying lipstick to look good in difficult times, they cheer people up, as did those women who applied lipstick to fight the suffering of World War II with a happy face.
Apart from the “Lipstick Effect,” US economist George Taylor also proposed the famous “Hemline Theory” in 1926, claiming that stock prices move in the same direction as the hemlines of women’s skirts: Lower hemlines means lower stock prices, while a mini skirt fashion means surging stock markets.
PHOTO: AP/CHRISTOPHE ENA
However, Chanel and Louis Vuitton, two leading French brands, made completely opposite predictions in their spring/summer collection shows.
Led by fashion emperor Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel displayed a more conservative and pragmatic style at the Paris Fashion Week. Not only did the long skirts trail on the ground, but they were also black-and-white. This is in line with the theory that claims long skirts will be in fashion in a downturn.
Louis Vuitton, however, fought recession in its collection, where over 70 percent of the dresses were super-miniskirts with bright colors.
Fashion critics say the two extremes are not necessarily the designers’ predictions of the economy. Whether recession-hit consumers want to dress conservatively or boost their morale by wearing miniskirts, all depends on their personal choice.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG)
經濟不景氣,一九三0年代、美國經濟大蕭條時的「口紅效應」也出現在台灣了。
根據國內口紅銷售冠軍品牌「雅芳 AVON」調查,有超過五成以上受訪女性完全不滿意或不滿意個人經濟狀況,其中最大的原因是自認「收入與付出不成比例」,也有近三成原因是遭公司減薪、裁員或休無薪假。
不景氣、收入減,台灣女性只好緊縮化妝品預算,反而造成單價較低的口紅銷售逆勢成長,去年台灣口紅銷售額近十二億元、賣出三百二十九萬支,是近十年來最高。
雅芳總經理王子云說,以雅芳銷售額為例,去年平均每人口紅購買金額逆勢成長五十五.五%,今年預估還會有兩位數成長,「口紅效應」已出現在台灣。
Perfect Image形象管理學院總監陳麗卿指出,從美容歷史經驗來看,女性裝扮美麗對整體社會氣氛的影響非常巨大,不景氣時期使用口紅裝扮,能振奮人心,正如同二次大戰時期,女性搽上口紅裝扮快樂的面容用以對抗戰爭的痛苦。
其實除了口紅理論,一九二六年美國經濟學家喬治.泰勒也有個知名的「裙襬理論」,裙子越長股市越低迷,而迷你裙盛行,往往正是股市一飛沖天的時刻。
但是對於這個知名的「裙襬理論」,法國兩個代表性品牌香奈兒和路易威登(LV)在春夏大秀裡,則做了截然不同的預測。
由時尚大帝卡爾拉格斐領軍的香奈兒,在巴黎時尚週中,展現保守實穿的風格,裙襬拖長及地,顏色更是以黑白為主調,完全符合裙襬理論中,經濟不景氣長裙將大行其道的說法。
不過LV春夏大秀,則力戰經濟不景氣,有超過七成的服裝以超迷你裙為輪廓,顏色也十分鮮豔。
時尚評論者說,兩種極端的創意,不見得是設計師對景氣的預測。不過消費者在景氣蕭條時刻,到底是要穿得保守低調,還是要以迷你裙提振士氣,就得看消費者自己的選擇。(自由時報記者高嘉和、方惠宗)
A: Yet another shopping mall has just opened in Taipei. B: Do you mean the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang? A: Yeah, the shopping mall run by Japanese Mitsui & Co. opened last week. B: I hear the mall features about 300 stores, Vieshow Cinemas and Japanese Lopia supermarket. A: With the opening, a war is breaking out between Taipei’s department stores. A: 台北又有新的購物商場可逛啦。 B: 你是說Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport 南港? A: 對啊這家日本三井集團旗下的商場上週開幕。 B: 聽說商場有威秀影城、樂比亞日系超市,還有多達300家專櫃。 A: 新商場一開幕,看來又要掀起一場百貨大戰啦! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)
A: Hey, didn’t you go to the opening of the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang last week? B: Yeah, there are about 300 shops, including the first overseas branch of Japan’s Mahou Dokoro — a famous Harry Potter-themed store. A: Wow, I’ve always wanted to get a magic wand. B: There are also a bunch of great restaurants, such as Smart Fish hotpot restaurant. A: I wish I had Harry Potter’s “apparition” and “disapparition” magic, so I could teleport to the mall right now. A: 你上週不是有去LaLaport南港的盛大開幕嗎?有什麼特別的? B: 那裡有多達300家專櫃,包括魔法之地的海外首店——它可是日本知名的《哈利波特》專賣店。 A: 哇我一直想買根魔杖。 B: 另外還有各式各樣的美食,像是林聰明沙鍋魚頭。 A: 真希望我也有哈利波特的「現影術/消影術」魔法,能瞬間移動到商場去! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)
When it comes to movies, some people delight in watching spine-chilling horror films. Surprisingly, apart from containing a few scares, horror movies may also offer an unexpected __1__. According to a study, watching 90 minutes of a scary movie can burn an average of 113 calories, which is roughly __2__ to taking a 30-minute walk. Researchers from the University of Westminster carried out an experiment in which they __3__ participants’ oxygen intake, carbon dioxide output, and heart rates while they were watching horror movies without any distractions. The results revealed that physiological responses to fear play a crucial role
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看,這句話英語該怎麼說? 1. 你覺得這部電影怎樣? ˇ What do you think of the movie? χ How do you like the movie? χ How do you think of the movie? 註︰What do you think of = What is your opinion of。 think 的受詞是 what,不能用 how。 2. 你認為哪一個歌星唱得最好? ˇ Which singer do you think is the best? χ Do you think which singer is the best? 註︰英語中 which singer 似乎是 do you think 的受詞,實則 do you think 是插入語,其他例子如下: 你以為他喜歡誰? Who do you think he likes? 你以為我住在哪裏? Where do you think I live? 你想我昨天在公園裏碰到了誰? Whom/Who do you think I met in the park yesterday? 3. 他不論到什麼地方,總是帶著一把雨傘。 ˇ No matter where he goes, he