beauty

I'm working on the launch of a beauty line (fragrance, body stuffs) for a major women's fashion brand. They are calling the launch and the division - "beauty." Working with the images - a super model shot by a super photographer - has been interesting to say the least. Last Thursday, the photographer’s "picks" showed up in my office messengered to me by the art director, in the form of actual 11" x 14" prints. Color and black & white. Pretty fucking cool, considering who this guy is and who the shots are of…

While going through the box of 40 or so shots and separating them into four piles - one for each set-up, it began to dawn on me. This company, with these images of this young tsunami-surviving lady (whoops) shot by this hotshot photographer who's last name sounds like "Schmoratzio" (whoops) is going to further confuse and complicate "our" definition, perception and comprehension of the word "beauty."

This is what I'm saying: Beauty is relative, indefinable and sacred. You can’t just start a line of something and call it "beauty," can you? It's like calling something (that's not) "air" and representing it with a shoe - oh shit, wait...

Get my point?

Can you sell something that isn't tangible?

People do it everyday: Religion, Politics, Philosophy and Happiness.

I can tell you what is beautiful to me in a heartbeat. But it's not going to be the same thing that is beautiful to you. Probably not, anyway, and if what I describe as beautiful is beautiful to you too, it's gonna be beautiful to you for an entirely different and personal reason.

In this campaign, there is a lot of talk about "emotions."

At least they got that part right.

ps - this is my idea of beauty.