What is glamour?

‘A girl should be two things – classy and fabulous’
Coco Chanel

It is difficult to depict what glamour truly means in more recent times. Thanks to the ever changing fashion industry, the idea of glamour is slowly starting to lose its meaning. When I recently carried out an anonymous online survey, around 24% believed that glamour consisted of being confident. Whereas 56% believed glamour was all down to style and beauty. However the remaining 20% believed that being glamorous meant living a luxurious lifestyle.

Glamour is all about being noticed for the right reasons; looking classy, sophisticated and confident. During the 1920s, teenagers started to reinvent themselves, no longer following the rules and beliefs of their parents. They branded themselves the ‘Bright Young People’ and instantly became celebrities creating a new, fun identity and culture. This generation had missed out on the war and wanted to move forward, however the strict traditions of their parents meant this new behaviour was bound to shock. It was easy to distinguish who belonged to the Bright Young People simply from their glamorous clothing. In an era with very strict dress codes, The Bright Young People pushed the satirical boundaries to breaking point. This new style of clothing gave these teenagers a new sense of freedom, and with that freedom they wanted to have a good time.

I find this to be very reminiscent of today’s modern ‘celebrity’. It is very common to see celebrities pushing limits in order to be noticed, which often leads to catastrophic consequences. As quoted previous,Coco Chanel gives off a more positive example of glamour – how a woman should feel about oneself and not worry about the views of others. However people’s opinions are constantly changing and are more open to new fashion styles. But does this mean that modern day glamour is more about baring skin than oozing confidence?

We are now living in an age where it is perfectly normal to attach an assemblage of a stranger’s hair to our heads; to wax, pluck and laser away any redundant hairs from our bodies and to permanently ink on our daily make up. They say beauty is pain; however must we put ourselves through this torture in order to feel beautiful? It’s understandable that we feel the need to change ourselves when we’re constantly shown Victoria’s razor cheekbones and Cheryl’s perfect physique. We are continually comparing ourselves to those seen in the celebrity world, almost forgetting what a normal female body looks like.

The ‘glamour girl’ image gives off the complete wrong impression to young girls, emitting a more degrading, cheap representation of a woman. The fact that these girls flaunt themselves to make money gives many teenage girls the aspiration to follow in their footsteps. During 2005, it was reported that 63% of teenage girls would prefer to become a glamour girl over doctors or teachers. Glamour can be broadly defined as sexualised beauty, but it is a type of beauty in which the erotic is enhanced and heightened by the use of artifice. As on the one hand these women could be praised for being confident and comfortable with themselves, but on the other hand can be judged for having to exploit themselves in order to create a career by being objectified by men.

The female figure has been altered to perfection over time and is always changing especially due to the media. Most magazines and websites are successful solely from criticising the way others look. It is no surprise that women feel insecure about their looks when even the most beautiful celebrities can be ridiculed for not looking their best.

Fashion is forever changing resulting in the perception of the ‘ideal’ woman being frequently altered. This change in body image is a key influence towards the fashion industry as women are their prime target and therefore their main customer profile.

American glamour of the 1920s and 30s changed British fashion forever. Hollywood influenced women to try to imitate their style, diets and lifestyles. Today’s perception of glamour is a complete contrast from that. Women are no longer expected to stay at home with their parents until they marry. Their new found rights give them so much more freedom – why should women have to dress in a glamorous manner?