閒情逸致

The notorious post-modernist Baudrillard discussed the female trivialism-- make-up in his book-Seduction.  He was a Marxist, by his standpoint of anti-Capitalism, he once criticized make-up as a false commondity in commercial activity. But he praised make-up in this book, for make-up is an excellent example to interpret post-modernity. Post-modernity is a hot issue recently. It stresses its void which means there is nothing true existed, neither eternal time. In post modernity, world devolops horizontally instead of vertiacally that emphasizes "fregment ".

Make-up is a complicated process of erasing and reappearig. Firstly, you have to wipe out your original face, then you use some cosmetics to cover your face. Between erasure and reappreance, the subject eliminates, therefore, nothing left but appearence which is unreal and meaningless. For example, idols on ther screen are produced by fashonable style and media. They are only fallted images, uncorporeal existence, on TV, T-shirs even cups. Their internalities are absorbed in accelrating constructive process. But, ironocally, the emptiness will seduce us.

In Baudrillard's idea, there are two kinds of seduction--one is Terrorism belonged to black seduction; the other is Fashon belonged to white seduction. The two things have common part that they are both flickering. According to it, there are void inside.Besides, Baudrillard criticized media as "obscenity". Media provide many informations to feed us. Seemingly, we can see real conditions, such as SNG or live shows, but the truth is that we can see anything at all. There is nothing real in our post modern society, as false as make-up. In Baudrillard's negative suggestion--since there is nothing meaningful and real, we can choose a falser than false way to overcome.

Zhang Xiao Hong published her new book talked about feminism and make-up. We are accustomed to use "skin deep" to describe something shallow, but actually, it is a much deeper metaphor.