tforia

I somehow ended up on a site called Park Avenue Peerage. This blog shows the same people over and over again–socialites of nyc. What is interesting about all these photos is that it really makes these people look overly glossy to the point of grotesque.

As a fashion mag flipper (I can’t say I’m a reader, I don’t think anyone reads fashion mags), it’s easy to covet the dresses and accessories that these people have access to, but under the harsh flash, they all look like normal everyday people. Not even close to being as glamorous as the lives described by magazines like nymag. Nor do those accessories look so compelling anymore.

Tori Burch’s dress is wrinkled, Fabiola’s skin looks old and pale and her dress is too tight, Ivanka Trump’s tanline on her breasts look strange, Niki Hilton’s stands out like a giant amongst the crowd…why are they not pretty?

parkavepeerage.com

It’s not that I’m jealous–I was (guiltily) excited to see such content. I was expecting to be gawking at their splendor, I chose to continue looking at these pictures because I was excited to get a glimpse of nyc social life–but it was more like watching a horrible accident happen, a feeling of despair, emptiness at what these people have done to themselves. With each picture, you could tell they look just like anyone you would meet on the street, just that they went through 100 manipulations of their flesh, hair, body…my experience with this site can be closely related to being at the circus/freakshow. It was quite scary.

Perhaps the images created in magazines have been SO manipulated–I know everything is photoshopped–that MY idea of beauty is no longer attainable even by the people who have the most resources to attain it. These people are certainly no where close to the models in the fashion spreads. And their attempt just makes them look silly.

As many times as I’ve seen Sarah Jessica Parker in heels on Sex and the City, she certainly did not look like she was relaxed or natural in the heels she was wearing at a party in the hamptons.

I always though high heels made women look better by making them look taller. But in these photos, where these socialite/celebs are wearing heels that expose the top of their foot, it just looks like they’re trying real hard, holding their breath in tip toeing. Like a ballerina at the ballet.

Why are they defined as glamourous/beautiful? I totally blame the media for feeding me this crap. I am disappointed that they’ve taken non extraordinary people and used them in creating stories or wealth, freedom and adventure. They aren’t even beautiful. Ripped off.

Or maybe it’s time for a new group of people to emerge.