Forty-eight year-old Sharon Stone is the new
face for Dior’s
skincare line Capture. |
Have
you ever looked at the models in magazines and asked yourself how anyone
can always look so phenomenal? Take Sharon Stone for example. She is
the new face for Dior’s skincare line, Capture, which is targeted
for mature skin over 40. Sharon Stone is 48 years old, but in the Capture
ads she doesn’t look a day over 20. The ad copy reads,“Look
better in your forties than you did in your twenties.”
Another example is Julianne Moore who is in her mid-40s, and Susan Sarandon
who is almost 60, working T. and print ads for Revlon’s Age Defying
line. They both look incredibly radiant and, well, much younger than their
years.
And it’s not just the mature celebrities and models that seem to
defy all the rules of aging. But, is it real? Can someone even as young
and beautiful as Gisele Buchen and Karolina Kurokova never have dark circles
or the occasional pimple? And, pray tell, how can Kate Moss stay awake
all night snorting coke and drinking volumes of alcohol and still walk
the catwalks worldwide and be photographed for endless hours every day
and always appear as if she sleeps 12 hours each day?
The fashion and beauty industries sell a dream, a hope and the person who
is savvy enough to know that it’s artifice in its purest form is
rare. I’ve done hair, makeup and clothes for magazines, fashion shoots
and TV appearances my entire career, so I know how the impossible is accomplished.
To begin, these people have a plethora of stylists, cosmetic surgeons,
dermatologists, estheticians, dieticians and personal trainers working
them harder than any thoroughbred at the Kentucky Derby.
When it comes time to shoot a magazine spread or appear on TV, these same
celebrities and models have access to makeup artists who wield brushes,
creams, potions and color as well as a skilled surgeon uses a scalpel.
They have wardrobe stylists who dress them to the nines, hairdressers who
turn their overly chemically treated hair into a mass of shiny, flawless
tresses and some of the most talented photographers in the world to capture
their images.
Here are but a few of the tricks: in a photo shoot for a magazine, they
are shot from the front or profile, but their hair is divided down the
center back, pushed forward and clamped with big butterfly jaws. The result:
from the front you see a mane of seemingly thick, luxurious hair. But,
if you were to see it from the back, it would have a part down the center
with clamps holding it forward.
What about sleepless nights, cocaine binges, drunken stupors, poor diets
and lack of sleep that leads to bloodshot eyes, dark circles, breakouts
and sallow or sagging skin? It is airbrushed or retouched out by the photographer.
Lines and wrinkles are erased with a computer program and poof! you have
perfection. Bloodshot, pale blue eyes can suddenly appear pearly white
and as brilliantly blue as sapphires. Or, if someone has less than snow-white
teeth, they too, are airbrushed to appear almost translucently white.
If a model or celeb gains a little weight, that same computer program can
slim their thighs, reduce their love handles or, erase batwing underarm
flab.
And how does Sarah Jessica Parker have a different hair color from black
to red to blond again in magazine or TV ads for Garnier haircolor? Again,
the miracle of Photoshop and airbrushing.
The next time you see an ad that makes you feel as if you’ll never
measure up to the ideal, remember this; they don’t either. The fashion
and beauty industry makes its fortune off knowing that you will buy into
the dream, the hope, the illusion.
Taking care of yourself does pay off, though. It is possible to be 45,
but look 35. Science has made great strides and continues to amaze, but,
DNA, genetics, and sun protection play an even more important role in how
well you age.
The key is to be the best you can be at 20, 30, 40, 50 and beyond. You
can be — but if you attempt to look as young at 50 as you did at
20, you’ll need to see a team of mental health professionals instead
of a team of illusionists!
— Edward Norman is an Image Consultant, Master Designer and Colorist,
and the owner of Edward Norman Image Consulting.
He can be reached at 704-614-0207 or by email at qstyle1@yahoo.com. |
