“The psychology of the Golden Globes dress” plus 2 more |
- The psychology of the Golden Globes dress
- UB Psychology Clinic open to community
- David Brooks on the psychology behind politics
| The psychology of the Golden Globes dress Posted: 14 Jan 2011 02:51 PM PST LOS ANGELES — If an average woman can spend hours ruminating over an outfit, imagine what a star goes through choosing a look for a red carpet like the one at the Golden Globes. Their gown choices are about as spontaneous as deciding who's going to star in $100 million movies. Both convey image and perception, both can triumph or fail. The cost is high in both cases. This year's big-ticket Globes nominees Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams, Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry are expected to turn out an impossible combination of Grace Kelly-meets-Audrey Hepburn-meets-Sophia Loren looks. That in itself is an image-juggling act: Stars use red carpets to shape-shift their public image, their status, their career trajectories and even their love lives. It's hard to believe, but before the late 1990s, stars came casually to the Globes. "They'd wear pantsuits and little glasses to read their speeches," says Carlos Souza, global ambassador for the Valentino brand. "Mr. Valentino would watch, get so angry and say, 'Where's the glamour of Old Hollywood?"'
The tables turned in 2000, when Berry, nominated for "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge," turned up in a sophisticated white Valentino stunner to the collective reaction of "Wow!" "That dress was the game-changer," says Phillip Bloch, the stylist who dressed Berry in her early iconic looks. "It upped the ante for Globes style and was a career-making dress: the perfect storm of right woman, right dress, right moment. We were going for Natalie Wood, not Raquel Welch. Beautiful, not va-va-voom. Halle was already sexy; we wanted her to look like a real actress. That began the time when a dress could actually make a career." Now it's reached maximum combustion. Story: 'Social Network,' 'King's Speech' duel at Globes"Fashion and image has become a big part of my job," says one Globe nominee's high-powered manager. "You don't want to alienate your audience by going over the top, but you can't overlook that a young female audience is affected by what actresses wear." With all that weight resting on a choice, lots of cooks weigh in: stylists, plus managers, PR and relatives, to name a few. "I had a boyfriend want to change the color of a couture dress the night before because he liked blue better than pink!" Souza laughs. Notes stylist Elizabeth Stewart, who's working with "Winter's Bone" nominee Jennifer Lawrence: "It changes from star to star. Some know exactly what they want, some need a committee." Case in point: Julia Roberts favors stark, simple dresses, even when attending the Globes in 2001, where she won for "Erin Brockovich." But niece Emma Roberts was present when she debated the regal, black-and-white vintage Valentino she wore to the Oscars weeks later. "Wear that one, Aunt Julia!" she said. "That's really glamorous, and make sure to show the back!" It's no accident that when stars play unattractive on screen Kate Winslet in "The Reader," Kidman in "The Hours," Charlize Theron in "Monster" they crank up the femme fatale factor on the red carpet. "Hilary Swank didn't show off her figure in 'Boys Don't Cry,"' says Tanya Gill, her stylist of three years. "But when she went to the Globes, it was in a sheer Versace couture dress. The year of 'Million Dollar Baby,' you saw more of her body. She wasn't going to hide how much she worked for those parts." Then there's the "suddenly single" moment. Reese Witherspoon donned a succession of princess styles before her breakup with Ryan Phillippe. But when she emerged in 2007 in a short, tight, strapless yellow Nina Ricci, the message was: "He's gone, but I'm still sexy! And available!" "Actresses have to walk a tightrope," says Cameron Silver, owner of vintage boutique Decades, from where many Globes gowns hail. "Too avant-garde and you're a 'fashion girl.' Too underdone and you're on the worst-dressed list. You want that middle space occupied by Penelope Cruz or Jennifer Garner: serious actress who happens to be chic."
In the case of certain actresses — think Camilla Belle or Diane Kruger — they're much better known for outfits than for acting. "It's not so bad being famous for style, if you want to be famous," Stewart says. "It's not their fault they look good in clothes." So do Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton, but they work constantly. "When an actress dresses authentic to who she is, she can go as far as she likes," Stewart says. "That demands true talent." But when the scales tip and it's all style over substance, one stylist admits, "you wind up with free clothes and no parts." Adds the major talent manager of one fashionista: "If there's too much emphasis on fashion, you do get taken less seriously as an actress. Courting the balance these days is almost harder than getting a great part statuesque doesn't always lead to a statue." Copyright 2011 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| UB Psychology Clinic open to community Posted: 14 Jan 2011 12:35 PM PST UB Psychology Clinic open to community The moden world has its own challenges that might affect the mental health of people with many seeking help when its already late.Mmegi Correspondent,GASEBALLWE SERETSE interviewed one of the psychology student at the University of Botswana,Tlholego Lekhutlile who revealed the importance of visiting the Psychology Chlinic at the institution. Mmegi: To start with, what is psychology?Lekhutile: Psychology is a broad field of human behavior. It is concerned with studying human behavior scientifically; such knowledge is applied to those who have emerged from difficult life experiences. However, as I said it is a broad discipline, it does not only focus on mental illness as some people assume, it is also useful for day-to-day challenges to bring yourself back on track. The science of psychology helps us to understand choices we make and their implications on ourselves and other people. Mmegi: You are part of the Psychology Clinic at UB, what is the clinic all about? Lekhutlile: The Psychology Clinic is a facility at the University of Botswana under the Department of Psychology. It was established to serve as a community resource that will help the public deal with a variety of issues impacting their lives. Mmegi: Can anyone come to your clinic? Lekhutlile: Although our clinic is a university facility, UB community is not eligible to our services. We only offer psychological services to members of the community particularly those who can't afford private psychological services. The University community utilizes the Counseling Centre. Mmegi: Can someone come to your clinic without being referred to you by a professional or there should be some referral of some sort. Lekhutlile: We accept self referrals as well as referrals from other community organizations and other service providers. Mmegi: Specifically, what services do you provide? Lekhutlile: We offer a variety of services such as; Assessment/Screening and counseling for children, adults and couples. Counseling on issues pertaining to personality and mental health related problems such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders just to mention a few. Crisis intervention Psycho educational services to the community. Work related and other stressors HIV/AIDS, Physical sexual and emotional abuse. Mmegi: What else do you do to reach to the people? Lekhutlile: We carry out outreach psycho education programs in which we target places like schools, among others. We also run seminars and workshops to impart skills and provide public education on psychological matters. Mmegi: You seem to be heavily involved in the project but who is running the Clinic? Lekhutlile: The Clinic is a training facility and as such it is run by psychology students (interns) under intensive on site supervision and mentorship from lecturers who are not only academics but also practitioners in this field. Mmegi: Do you attend to all psychological problems? Lekhutlile: No, we don't attend patients with severe psychopathology because of our limited resources both structural and human capital. We screen our clients and those with sever illnesses are referred to other referral centers like Princess Marina Hospital and S'brana Psychiatric Hospital. Mmegi: At one point you mentioned that you do counseling. Is it the same counseling that is done by other professionals like counselors and social workers? Lekhutlile: Ours is psychological counseling which is multi disciplinary containing different traditions and schools of thought. It spreads across discourse of theory, research and practice. Our interventions are based on empirical evidence. I can only talk about psychological counseling, but others you just mentioned I am not conversant with their training and practice so I might misrepresent them. Mmegi: There is a Counseling Center at the University of Botswana. How does it differ from the Psychology Clinic? Lekhutlile: In principle they are the same except that the Counseling Center is primarily for the University community. Members of the community are also welcome but they are charged a nominal fee. As I mentioned earlier, the Psychology Clinic is only for members of the public at no cost. Mmegi: Where is the Clinic located? Lekhutlile: The Clinic is located at the University of Botswana main campus at Block 225 Room 114.The Clinic operation hours are; Mon-Thurs,0800hrs to 1300hrs then 1400-1600hrs Fri,0800hrs -1300hrs This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| David Brooks on the psychology behind politics Posted: 14 Jan 2011 01:33 PM PST New York Times columnist and political commentator David Brooks speaks at a Commonwealth Club of California forum. He looks at the psychology behind current politics, from the strong personalities and egos to how Americans think differently than they used to about politics. He has a new book coming out in March, "The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement." GuestsMore from MPRResourcesThis entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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