What do we think the odds are that these "pocket" products account for being warmed by body heat all day, and don't turn into a pile of goo inside said pocket?
okay, 1) I am a copywriter and there is NOTHING more fun to write than really-fucking-out-there fragrance copy. I absolutely loved all of these! Even the melting Barbie doll (reminded me of the Black Hole Sun video) I write for a candle company and I almost always look at perfume copy for inspiration. and 2) "Chicken soup is already chicken soup for the skin" <laughing/crying emoji>
Paris Hilton is a lot like (enemy of the RoB?) Kim Kardashian in that she's undoubtedly been on the receiving end of a lot of horrible treatment / misogyny but also… she's very successful and kind of terrible. All that "underestimated" means is that people don't respect her but like… why should they lol.
After years of not really being into it I finally found a perfume I like and when somebody was asking me to describe what it smells like I was like I have no idea… a cashmere sweater over a silk slip… and then I was like ah. This is how that copy happens isn't it.
Yes 100%. Sometimes I feel like these specific types of successful, beautiful women (and the press that covers them) believe they’re disrespected because of their beauty (like beauty = superficial = must be stupid = underestimated) but it’s also like… average, ugly women deal with daily disrespect and misogyny too lol. This is not a beautiful woman’s unique problem! (Btw that perfume sounds so good)
yeah and the eyebrow raise of skepticism that accompanies "paris hilton launches business venture" also means people will check it out bc they're curious… like in the specific world in which she operates notoriety is a useful tool even if on a personal level it might be hard to deal with.
I'm writing a substack about this but basically, whenever I did try perfume I tended to go for scent profiles that resembled things I knew I liked smelling and avoid sort of sweetier / girlier scent profiles. but sort of on a whim i tried a perfume sample from an independent operation (cocoapink, cinderella's carriage) that was very sweet… and it turns out that stuff i like smelling is not actually what i like smelling _on me_ which was a bit of a surprise.
Jessica, bless you for being able to write clearly and astutely about aspects of beauty culture that make me want to fling myself into the sun three seconds after learning of their existence.
I honestly thought the quiz was a trick and all of the descriptions were real. LOL. As for product design/packaging, beauty products as status symbol has an incredibly long history...very interesting to see how it's manifesting these days!
Hello! Do you have any readings on blonde balayage as class performance? I’ve been growing out my hair to get one done in blue because it looks like a fun way to dye hair without having to fry my pitch-black roots with bleach, but I have admittedly only ever seen blonde ones out and about.
Can someone please explain the "AI beauty pageant" to me? That article was beyond parody. I kept thinking it was some kind of elaborate joke. The dystopia truly has arrived.
Poor Vera Wang looks so miserable... How is this ,,aging backwards"...? I am not talking bodysize here - her whole aura seems to have changed. Where is the joy?
God I love unhinged perfume copy. There's a Byredo one about "the clacking oars of the Phoenicians" that I still think about all the time.
I actually wrote about bonkers perfume copy here, the best is "collusion with the buffalo": https://affluentdetritus.com/the-anthropologie-candle-racket/
lol incredible!!
What do we think the odds are that these "pocket" products account for being warmed by body heat all day, and don't turn into a pile of goo inside said pocket?
lol true! although i don't think people will be actually put these in their pockets all day. snap a photo and done :)
okay, 1) I am a copywriter and there is NOTHING more fun to write than really-fucking-out-there fragrance copy. I absolutely loved all of these! Even the melting Barbie doll (reminded me of the Black Hole Sun video) I write for a candle company and I almost always look at perfume copy for inspiration. and 2) "Chicken soup is already chicken soup for the skin" <laughing/crying emoji>
not the sunburn look…. I’m so tired
Loved taking that quiz because I was six for six
Same! 100%
Me too! Although for some reason I can't vote, even though I'm a subscriber!
Does your name mean you've read A Dead Man In Deptford?
I have indeed read it, but that's not where the name comes from!
I love that book. I've read it twice. I think it's underrated.
Paris Hilton is a lot like (enemy of the RoB?) Kim Kardashian in that she's undoubtedly been on the receiving end of a lot of horrible treatment / misogyny but also… she's very successful and kind of terrible. All that "underestimated" means is that people don't respect her but like… why should they lol.
After years of not really being into it I finally found a perfume I like and when somebody was asking me to describe what it smells like I was like I have no idea… a cashmere sweater over a silk slip… and then I was like ah. This is how that copy happens isn't it.
Yes 100%. Sometimes I feel like these specific types of successful, beautiful women (and the press that covers them) believe they’re disrespected because of their beauty (like beauty = superficial = must be stupid = underestimated) but it’s also like… average, ugly women deal with daily disrespect and misogyny too lol. This is not a beautiful woman’s unique problem! (Btw that perfume sounds so good)
yeah and the eyebrow raise of skepticism that accompanies "paris hilton launches business venture" also means people will check it out bc they're curious… like in the specific world in which she operates notoriety is a useful tool even if on a personal level it might be hard to deal with.
this is the perfume: https://www.odetteparfumco.com/product-page/pas-de-chat-eau-de-parfum
I'm writing a substack about this but basically, whenever I did try perfume I tended to go for scent profiles that resembled things I knew I liked smelling and avoid sort of sweetier / girlier scent profiles. but sort of on a whim i tried a perfume sample from an independent operation (cocoapink, cinderella's carriage) that was very sweet… and it turns out that stuff i like smelling is not actually what i like smelling _on me_ which was a bit of a surprise.
Jessica, bless you for being able to write clearly and astutely about aspects of beauty culture that make me want to fling myself into the sun three seconds after learning of their existence.
I honestly thought the quiz was a trick and all of the descriptions were real. LOL. As for product design/packaging, beauty products as status symbol has an incredibly long history...very interesting to see how it's manifesting these days!
Oh of course. Long history there for sure, the trend cycle’s gonna cycle
Each Burn item is more f’d up than the last — fantastic roundup of ridiculous behavior, Jess. Thank you.
Sadly too chuffed to get a 100% on this quiz lmao. I’m a copywriter as my profession though, so I guess theres something in that 😅
Chicken Soup for the Skin is not nice imagery. I’ll stick to the books for my soul thank you very much.
PROUD TO SAY I GOT EVERY SINGLE PERFUME DESCRIPTION CORRECT!!!
Hello! Do you have any readings on blonde balayage as class performance? I’ve been growing out my hair to get one done in blue because it looks like a fun way to dye hair without having to fry my pitch-black roots with bleach, but I have admittedly only ever seen blonde ones out and about.
yes was going to suggest tressie mcmillan cottom's work here: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/19/opinion/the-enduring-invisible-power-of-blond.html
her book "thick" is also a must-read
Tressie McMillan Cottom had an excellent NYT piece about blondness, search for it on the site
I love it here.
Thank you!!!
I got all of the questions about perfume copy correct!
Can someone please explain the "AI beauty pageant" to me? That article was beyond parody. I kept thinking it was some kind of elaborate joke. The dystopia truly has arrived.
Poor Vera Wang looks so miserable... How is this ,,aging backwards"...? I am not talking bodysize here - her whole aura seems to have changed. Where is the joy?