The Anatomy of Glamour, and Anti-Glamour
Who heard anything about glamour, let’s say, ten years ago? “Potentially glamorous” figures undoubtedly existed even then. However, there weren’t yet magazines with glossy pages, or super fashionable TV shows, or the so-called “tusovkas” where “glamorous” people could easily get inside a photo-frame. All possible venues for reflecting the way of life of the rich and the famous had not yet come into being… The situation has changed drastically of late.
In fact, there is glamour and…glamour! Levels of glamour can be viewed as a kind of a multi-storied building (perhaps, even, a sky-scraper…). One is Hollywood type of glamour, with its Beverley-Hillish splendor, another is Moscow-type glamour with… (nomina sunt odiosa)… At times Moscow glamour is even more expensive, but you see – we started slightly later and therefore are still lagging behind. “The Real Thing” does not often depend on the cost alone. After all, there should be something genuinely…glamorous!
You might think (if even for a moment!) that we are neglecting provincial glamour… Not at all! It does exist, and it may be totally, entirely, completely, whole-heartedly genuine… Only on a different level, on its own level of our “glamorous sky-scraper”…
And yet, apart from glamour proper, there are so many glittering social butterflies (and moths!) around, those bright-looking creatures who pretend to be glamorous and easy-going. For hours on end they sit in expensive restaurants and bars, they frequent all presentations of trend-setting boutiques… They talk very loudly over their phones in dazzlingly expensive beauty salons and spas creating the sweet illusion of over-engagement, being waited for in some very special places and an absolute, absolute lack of time…
Poor, poor creatures! Somewhere on the outskirts of their consciousness they do realize that they are not authentic, that they are secondary and that they will never-ever be the first… You can be a well-groomed mother of two just fresh from World-class. But why should you be so rude to your driver? And even your grandchildren? (“Dryan’ takaya!” doesn’t sound very glamorous…) Your figure may be impeccable, but isn’t your suntan somewhat artificial, solarium-made, planned specifically for your first appearance on the beach this season? You are almost Vanderbilt like; but aren’t your heels unusually high for the occasion? After all, it’s just a barbeque party… Automatically you turn into Ellochka…or Fimka Sobak… (Strange as it may seem, there are too many “doggy” associations in the pseudo-glamorous world…)
Genuine glamour only appears at the moment of social recognition. What is the price to be paid for this? It’s entirely up to you. Real stars of glamour found themselves on such a high floor while they were in the process (sometimes quite a long one, at times – very brief) of realising their own life programme. No more, no less… They never planned to become glamorous. The attitude towards your own glamour (provided it’s real!) is, perhaps, the key to it all. If it’s serious, you are lost for glamour forever and ever afterwards. If you take it with a grain of salt, a bit of humour and vast self-irony – all’s fine with you. And – with glamour! For glamour is just a by-product, or “a salad on the side”. The main course should not depend on anything concomitant!
