Makeover Culture...and Paris...

D.I.Y. Makeover Culture

 

I am curious about the development of this makeover culture across the web--- this example is nothing new (more standard). ivillage offers a free virtual makeover, allowing for the viewer/consumer to test out various hairstyle and make-up products. You can upload your own photo; however, the site also offers a selected group of female faces to “play with” in this process. The campaign for this type of makeover falls along the line of being “risk free” (like so many products). http://beauty.ivillage.com/0,,9jlxfdd5,00.html

 

Similarly, Instyle Magazine offers a Hollywood celebrity makeover. The viewer again (assumed female) is allowed access to a catalogue of celebrity “looks” (of course, only what is the most recent and most in-style). The features are highly similar to a number of makeover games (applying eyeliner, lipstick, blush and choosing an appropriate hair style for the model).  The makeover also allows for the viewer/participant to play an active consumer in acquiring this look (“in reality”) with tips from designers and stylists who actually applied this “look” to the represented celebrity image. Whether it is obtaining Deborah Messing’s cheeks, to Drew Barrymore’s lips, the breakdown of this “look” coincides well with the products applied and described. http://www.instyle.com/instyle/makeover/

 

Or, there is also the very upfront “warp Paris Hilton” online game…which stretches a bit out of the DIY culture, but offers (I don’t know if “interesting” is the right word here) a very obvious mixing of an image of Paris Hilton (you can also do this your own personal photo- YES!). I’ve noticed that a lot of folks on facebook have been playing with this setting in profile pictures…It’s not deep by any means…mildly entertaining.

http://www.bubblebox.com/play/girls/1265.htm

 

Bubblebox.com offers another DIY inspired home/shopping network themed redecoration of a girl’s room. The user can change anything from the carpeting, to the window/ color/furniture settings (to my delight- I discovered I could even change the color of my pet bunny to green…now only if IKEA offered this feature, then they’d be onto something.). This game is part of a series of “highly rated” girls games, which makes me wonder about the actual demographics (perhaps the people who actually play this game are people like myself that enjoy the features of changing animal coloring rather than the whole “redecorating” aspect). I am not familiar with this site in the slightest, but I think (from the looks of it) it offers some interesting terrain for looking into this notion of the avatar (especially regarding online female girl corporate branding). http://www.bubblebox.com/play/girls/984.htm