On Modeling as Modern-Day Physiognomy

By
Just as the face-reading art of physiognomy was a reflection of social and scientific standards instead of an actual science of character, today's “It” girl is as much a reflection of tastemakers’ collective sense as she is an owner of her own talent.
From Physiognomy Illustrated; Or, Nature's Revelations of Character, Joseph Simms, pub. 1889, Crackpot Press   I’ve had my palm read and my astrological chart done, but what I really want to find is a physiognomist. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your purpose, physiognomy — the art of decoding character and temperament through the way our facial features are formed — has been discredited, and except for the occasional parlor game piece, it’s not something we readily find anymore (though if you know of a good physiognomist in the New York City area, holler!). Our faces already communicate so much to the world: We share conscious and unconscious expressions, of course, but our faces also telegraph something to the world just by dint of how they’re formed, even though—sorry, all readers who believe in physiognomy—that telegraph is woefully inaccurate. I have a “friendly face,” meaning strangers always… Read More...

Greetings From the Internet

By
I just wanted to introduce myself to new-to-me readers here at The New Inquiry. Faithful readers of TNI may know me from the recent comparative…
I just wanted to introduce myself to new-to-me readers here at The New Inquiry. Faithful readers of TNI may know me from the recent comparative review I did of Erotic Capital and Pricing Beauty (the latter of which will also make an appearance in my first official TNI post). And the truly faithful may remember an essay published here in June 2011 about my month-long mirror fast. Actually, the mirror fast is a good launching point to share what The Beheld is about. It's not necessarily inaccurate to call The Beheld a beauty blog, but what I'm interested in more than makeup tips is the reasons why we wear it (or don't) in the first place. More specifically, I'm interested in examining how we form our ideas of personal beauty; ways we absorb, reject, or subvert beauty standards; and how each… Read More...