Morticians and Makeup Artists Share Common Goal : Deception
Posted: Wednesday, July 27, 2011
by Gerry Charbonneau
http://nibblednews.typepad.com
Morticians and professional makeup artists share a common goal: deception. The former attempt to rekindle a momentary but memorable instance of animation and vigor in their charges for grieving family and friends. The latter hope to spruce up and add more life to their client's waning public personna.
The professional makeup artist's overall mission in life might entail the following commitments:
- convert the haggard and puffy-eyed actor into a charming , offscreen hearththrob.
- remold the insecure, drug addicted female rockstar into a beloved diva free of any telltale cosmetic defects.
- transform the ailing politician into a man with a slow and deliberate personal public image.
Broadcast personalities, politicians , models , rock stars and movie idols all willingly submit to the expertise and seemingly magical powders and lotions the makeup artist offers them.
These allegedly fragile personality types hope the makeup artist will infuse something wonderful into their lives and transform them into someone larger than life.
The public demands a fresh, animated and healthy glow from their icons. The makeup artist was therefore invented to generate such a healthful aura for these folks. Thus the use and overuse of the rouges, pancake makeup and eye liner on many of your favorite media personalities.
Terminally ill politicians, burnt out movie stars and drug dependent rock stars all have their selected entourage of P.R. specialists, makeup artists and spin doctors ready to redirect and if necessary quash any and all negative press or rumors inadvertently leaked to a gossip hungry public.
Case in point . A well-known politician recently won a leadership position for himself and an influential opposition role for his parrty after waging a long and fatiguing campaign.
Jack was described as a fighter, a man representing the little guy in the scheme of things. A tireless champion for the people. He campaigned long and hard and kept his platform honest, to the point and factual.
His press kit pictures and televised debates always showed him as a healthy and dynamic individual ready to battle things out for his constituents.
He always smiled appropriately for the cameras and his skin glowed with a special radiance and allure. His efforts and public facade of vigor and energy won him the power he sought. His supporters rallied his election success.
Jack recently announced that his previous bout with prostate cancer , though in remission for the past five years, has created certain health problems for him. He told his supporters and the press he would be temporarily stepping down from political office and that a party associate would be handling his leadership role.
His overly powdered media face now looks sallow and wan. His eyes lugubrious and vacant. To the average television viewer he appears to be a walking cadaver biding his time and smiling in a half hearted manner.
In this instance the truth about his overall health and medical condition should have outweighed the blarney his press cadre was promoting. His actions have caused many of his devoted constituents to seriously question the man's honesty and integrity.
His entourage of public relations personnel and partry gophers should have realized that this type of double dealing would not sit well with a majority of voters.
He could have vastly improved his image by using the truth and being honest with himself and his party. Pancake makeup can only conceal so many human flaws for so long.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)I can't speak to the Hollywood actors, but I do know something about the mortician. Believe me, they are not trying to put the pretence of a spark of life into the deceased, they are just trying to make them look somewhat normal. If you have ever seen a corpse without the makeup, you would understand that the family would be horrified or at least distressed to see them like that. Dead is not pretty; I know, I see it every day.
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