Michelle Kearney's posterous

Beauty is a matter of Maths

At the ASAPS Non-surgical Symposium at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney last weekend I learnt a lot about maths. Beauty and maths. You'd think they were unrelated but, apparently, beauty is all a matter of maths. And I don't know yet if that's good or bad news for my face, but I intend to take a photo of myself and get the ruler out. I'll tell you all about my result next post!

So, at the symposium, I had the pleasure to hear visiting plastic surgeon Dr Arthur Swift, from Montreal, Canada, talk all about Beauty. What is Beauty? Is there a global ideal of Beauty? Well, if you believe the maths, and him, there most certainly is. He has come up with the term 'beautiphication', to describe his global approach to facial beauty. It all rests on phi and the Golden Section, known for thousands of year in art, music and architecture ..in fact, in all things pleasing to the eye. From a Stradivarius violin to the Venus de Milo, from the Parthenon to Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, they all have one thing in common - the Golden Section. And in nature, the repetition of this ratio is called the Fibonacci Sequence. It occurs in the arrangement of leaves on a stem, an uncurling fern, the spirals of a seashell, even in the reproduction of honeybees.

But back to beauty. In a nutshell, regardless of nationality, age, or ethnic background, for the most part people universally share a sense of what an attractive and beautiful face is. And it all rests on phi and the division of the face into the ratio of 1.6:1:1.6

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In the February issue of Cosmetic Surgery and Beauty Magazine we will be running a long feature on Dr Swift's Beautiphication: the Global Approach to Facial Beauty. It makes fascinating reading, that's for sure.

But how can this all be applied to making ourselves more beautiful? Well, from cosmetic enhancement with dermal fillers, to skilled application of makeup, it's all about balance. So in the same issue, we are also interviewing renowned make-up artist Rae Morris on her tricks to recreate the Golden Section by applying the best make-up for our individual face shapes. Plus, we will have a special feature on non-surgical facial rejuvenation. So no matter your preference, medical or make-up, you can learn how to apply the global ideal to your own face.

Posted November 26, 2011

Magazines are alive and kicking

As a magazine editor I'm constantly asked whether the internet has eroded the power of print. To me, it has added to it!

What a great time to be in publishing when the insatiable global thirst for information means content is paramount.

Recently, the leaders of five major magazine companies — Charles H Townsend, Condé Nast; Cathie Black, Hearst Magazines; Jack Griffin, Meredith Corporation; Ann Moore, Time Inc; and Jann Wenner, Wenner Media – launched an ad campaign touting ‘the power of print’, based on independent research they commissioned. Here are the main findings:

11 Facts About Magazines

Magazine readership has grown over the past five years. (Source: MRI)
Average paid subscriptions reached nearly 300 million in 2009. (Source: MPA estimates based on ABC first and second half 2009 data)
Four out of 5 adults read magazines. (Source: MRI)
Magazines deliver more ad impressions than TV or web in a half-hour period. (Source: McPheters & Company)
Magazine readership in the 18 to 34 segment is growing. (Source: MRI)
Since Facebook was founded, magazines gained more than one million young adult readers. (Source: MRI)
The average reader spends 43 minutes reading each issue. (Source: MRI)
Magazines are the number-one medium of engagement — across all dimensions measured. Simmons’ Multi- Media Engagement Study found magazines continue to score significantly higher than TV or the internet in ad receptivity and all of the other engagement dimensions, including ‘trustworthy’ and ‘inspirational’. (Source: Simmons Multi-Media Engagement Study)
Magazines and magazine ads garner the most attention. BIGresearch studies show that when consumers read magazines they are much less likely to engage with other media or to take part in non-media activities compared to the users of TV, radio or the internet. (Source: BIGresearch Simultaneous Media Usage Study)
Magazines outperform other media in driving positive shifts in purchase consideration/intent. (Source: Dynamic Logic)
Magazines rank number one at influencing consumers to start a search online – higher than newer media options. (Source: BIGresearch Simultaneous Media Usage Study)

Check out their website:

http://powerofmagazines.com/index.html

Posted July 26, 2011

Faking it and cosmetic surgery

Miranda Luby has written an interesting article in the Geelong Advertiser about a 24-year-old Geelong woman who had breast augmentation and is proud to discuss it. I agree with the patient's statement 'You have to know why you want it done and do the proper research'. Geelong plastic surgeon Peter Callan and I were both interviewed for this article and are in agreement about how cosmetic surgery has changed over the years and how much more acceptable it is today.

Read the whole article below:

http://mirandaluby.writersresidence.com/samples/why-faking-it-is-real-for-20-somethings

Posted July 8, 2011

Young at heart and in the mirror too

The article in the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend on older Bay people undergoing the surgeon's knife to make themselves younger would be surprising to many people.

http://www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/have-your-say/news/young-at-heart-and-in-the-mirror-too/3946899/

The editorial that accompanied it was such a refreshing piece of writing, especially after the disappointing article I commented on in my last post, my faith in intelligent and balanced opinion has been restored.

“There is a powerful argument that it's on the inside that what counts and inner beauty is more important than looks. There is merit in this viewpoint. Inner beauty is important and critical to self-esteem.

‘In an ideal world, people should be judged on this, not on the way they look. But we don't live in a perfect world. The way people look usually has a huge bearing on how they see themselves and how others see them. It can make the difference between having an outgoing, bubbly personality, or being withdrawn. It is critical we teach our children about inner beauty, but we need to be realistic.

The editorial concluded:

If adults want to have cosmetic surgery to look better, then that's their choice - no matter what their age or reason.

http://www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/opinion/news/editorial-quest-for-beauty-is-not-just-the-preserv/3946897/

Posted April 8, 2011

Billions wasted on cosmetic surgery - her opinion, not mine.

I just read an article “Billions wasted on cosmetic surgery every year” by Kelly Deligiannis and it really disturbed me.

Deligiannis is certainly entitled to her opinion on cosmetic surgery and makes a valid point about the media often glamorising procedures. Surgery is serious business and patients should do their research and make sure they are informed about the risks and possible complications.

However, I find her final sweeping statements judgemental and anti-feminist. She says: "It is unfortunate that such a substantial amount of money is wasted every year on cosmetic surgery.

For this destructive cycle to end, women must be critical of the materialistic and shallow lies promoted by mainstream media, and awaken to what is truly meaningful and valuable."

She not only belittles other women's choices but also promotes her own point of view as fact. She has a responsibility as a journalist to report on the facts, or to make sure she clearly states it is her opinion only.

I am disappointed an obviously intelligent woman is perpetrating the old chestnut that women are vulnerable and must be protected from the big bad media, as obviously we aren’t capable of thinking for ourselves. Plus, if I don’t agree with her I am not awake to what is truly meaningful and valuable.

So, tell me again why I can’t decide I want to have a cosmetic surgery procedure and still be aware of what is meaningful and valuable?? Since when did they become mutually exclusive?

Read her article and make up your own mind.

http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/47214

Posted April 5, 2011

Plastic fantastic - Myth of American Dream

Buzzy Jackson’s article in The Boston Globe about the new book AMERICAN PLASTIC: Boob Jobs, Credit Cards, and Our Quest for Perfection by Laurie Essig is a great review.

Jackson notes Essig coins a term that’s stayed with her since she finished the book: “ordinary ugliness.” This is the state of being, well, normal: “stretch marks, cellulite, wrinkles, the downward pull of gravity, the realization that our bodies are not and can never be perfect.” Ordinary ugliness has always been with us; it’s just plastic surgery that’s new. Essig notes that when her mother reached late middle age, she “believed it was acceptable to ‘let herself go.’ ” — to stop dyeing her hair, pulling on a girdle, and wearing uncomfortable shoes. “I don’t know at what age I can stop dyeing my hair or working out,” writes Essig, who is in her 40s, “but it’s definitely not anytime soon, if ever.”

Tell me about it!

http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2010/12/26/consumerism_and_individualism_give_rise_to_synthetic_solutions/

Posted December 27, 2010

What age are women most beautiful?

Well, I just found this interesting article about a UK survey. It relates to my previous blog that beauty can’t buy happiness, but confidence can sure make women feel beautiful.

According to this survey, women are at their most beautiful at age 31. Hmm...I’m not too happy with that part of the survey, but other statistics are interesting. Over 2000 men and women took part in the survey that found that when it comes to defining beauty, confidence (70%) beats looks (67%) and style (47%), and 31 is the age when women peak at not only their best looking, but also at their most confident and stylish.

The statistics

55% women feel that they know the best make-up to wear to make them look their best

74% women feel that they always make an effort to look good

51% women reveal that as they have got older they have let go of insecurities and feel more beautiful

63% women agree with the statement 'with age, comes beauty'

63% women agree that as they get older they care less about what other people think of the way they look

So, although it’s apparently too late for me to be at my ‘most beautiful’, it’s not too late for me to be stylish, make an extra effort to look good and to believe, with age, my beauty will come...back!!

Personality, rather than Beauty, determines Happiness

Lately there has been quite a bit of press on the trait of beauty and how it relates to ‘happiness’. The message is that beauty alone is no guarantee of happiness. There are as many unhappy beauties as there are unhappy “unbeautiful” (ok, ‘ugly’) people. Both groups have to make similar efforts to make themselves happy. Beauty is no guarantee for happiness, but happiness appears to be a guarantee for beauty.

It is not that being attractive makes you happy, but being happy means you make yourself more attractive.

Leslie Zebrowith, professor of Psychology at the Brandies University, conducted a personality test on a number of men and women and found that beautiful people with ugly personality traits looked less and less attractive with the passage of time. Through her prolonged research, she found women who were gregarious and vivacious in their teens, looked more beautiful to men even in their 50s - more than their aloof, unfriendly peers, who were physically more beautiful.

This can be interpreted a number of ways. Rekha Acharya, writing for ‘The Himalayan’, says:

Focusing on your personality may be a healthier and more lasting way to increasing your attractiveness The psychical beauty of a woman is only a little portion of her overall beauty. The former can attract or charm men for a while, but it can overcome their hearts for long. Internal beauty forms the key part of an entire beauty and it includes her manners, behaviour, intelligence, sense of humour, compassion and family or personal values. These characters make an eternal impact on others including the opposite sex. They also primarily decide her personal, marital, family and social life.

Cosmetic Surgery Magazine and Bella Beauty Magazine on Zinio

We are so excited to have all our publications available on Zinio now.

Zinio makes the simple act of reading a magazine a full multimedia experience, with integrated live links allowing readers to click straight through to associated websites, watch videos or interact within social media communities. We’re excited to be putting our publications onto this international platform – it's a natural extension to our growing online presence on Facebook, Twitter and our online beauty portal www.cosmeticbeautydirectory.com.au. Readers all over the world can now click through to videos, blogs, photo streams and profile pages as they thumb through the latest beauty and cosmetic news on whatever device they prefer.

Beauty can't buy happiness

Pauline Wallin, a psychologist and life coach in the US, has written an interesting article for pennlive.com on body image and happiness.

She raises some interesting points and I particularly like her statement there's nothing wrong with trying to look your best. In fact, she says, research shows that good-looking people enjoy several advantages. They have an easier time getting dates and job promotions. On average, they make more money. And if they happen to get arrested and convicted, they often end up with lighter sentences.
However -- and this is very important - there is no evidence that beautiful people are happier. What we do know is that feeling attractive can make you happier and more confident, no matter what your dimensions.

In other words, perception is important in attractiveness - not how other people perceive you, but how you perceive yourself.

She gives a number of relevant and useful tips on how to achieve a better body image. I love her conclusion: Your worth as a person and your importance to others cannot be summed up in the size or shape of your body parts.

Read the whole article at:

http://www.pennlive.com/bodyandmind/index.ssf/2010/09/on_your_mind_happiness_...

Posted September 8, 2010