The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, October 11, 2017 — 5
Arts
Rihanna is taking the world
by storm — but not in her usual
manner.
In
early
September,
she
released
her
makeup
line,
Fenty Beauty, and it received
almost-instant praise for the
line’s quality products and
unique colors. It launched as a
makeup line that is dedicated
to
inclusivity,
offering
40
shades of makeup in an effort
to target all skin tones and
shades. Rihanna has put her
incredible career in the music
industry on hold and has
traded that success for a bit of
glory in the business world.
Her interest in starting this
line came from observing her
mother’s love for makeup, and
as time went on, she grew to
love it herself. The world of
bloggers and fashion insiders
have claimed that the Fenty
brand is truly worth the hype,
as many responded to the
launch with great reviews,
believing that Rihanna has
risen
to
the
challenge
of
creating makeup that reaches a
wide range of customers.
What I love about this launch
is how it clearly represents
the flaws in our established
industries.
Rihanna
moved
from a thriving music career
(which I don’t doubt she will
return to), and decided to put a
real and honest idea towards a
range of products. The beauty
industry
has
established
a
norm of releasing makeup lines
with products that only reach
people with certain skin tones,
and it inevitably limits the
choices for what people can
purchase. On the Fenty Beauty
website, the brand states that
the product line was created
after Rihanna continued to
see “a void in the industry for
products that performed across
all skin types and tones.”
She
has
disrupted
an
industry that is stuck in a rigid
system of releasing a limited
amount of products, and then
increasing shade options if
there is a “need.” I’m not
sure why a business wouldn’t
consider the development of
shade ranges for darker skin
tones and lighter skin tones
an urgent need. Instead, for
years, the beauty industry has
remained
limited.
Rihanna
offers something new, and it
is so refreshing to see from
someone who doesn’t claim to
be the leader of the industry.
She
just
entered
with
an
interest, and surpassed the
brands that have already been
there. Her brand emphasizes
that
makeup
should
not
pressure anyone into thinking
they have to look a certain way
— it should just be enjoyable.
Rihanna’s
success
illuminates a larger idea that
I think is worth unpackaging.
We often operate under this
assumption that there is a
“right” way to do things.
The top beauty brands of the
industry, like Estee Lauder
or M.A.C. follow a “system”
of running their businesses.
They establish norms, which
determine what products are
released,
which
consumers
are targeted, and what their
goals are as a brand. Often
the
releases
from
these
established brands only offer a
few shades of foundation, and
model the makeup on the same
skin shades in every launch.
These brands have used a lot
of their resources to uphold
consistency, and produce what
they know will sell. Rihanna
came in with an interest,
thinking under simple terms:
She loves makeup and wanted
to create a line that includes all
types of people, who may look
different, but all love the same
products.
We often rely on the familiar
mantra: “It is what it is,” when
faced with a problem or a
trend that feels too far along to
change. It is not impossible to
make change happen. Rihanna
chose to disrupt the beauty
industry, and alter its obvious
problems. Many of us have a
list of things we wish we could
improve, and sometimes think
it is not worth the effort to try.
If Fenty serves as our example,
we see that it is very much
possible — and often necessary
— to bring new perspectives to
older systems, that are in dire
need of reform.
If there is a business, an
organization, a campaign or
a belief that you feel you can
contribute to, I suggest you go
after it. We place an emphasis
on experience and “learning
the ropes” of the system, which
no doubt holds some merit.
But often, I think those who
truly thrive are the ones who
never let the status quo deter
them from creating change.
The
belief
that
we
need
established precedent, or a
“known” name in entering the
spotlight often loses its value
when someone new steps in,
and prospers, having identified
the very problem all the others
overlooked.
The cause for disrupting
what we label the ‘Norm’
COMMUNITY CULTURE COLUMN
BAILEY
KADIAN
HOLA MEXICO
What I love about
this launch is
how it clearly
represents the
flaws in our
established
industries
We often rely
on the familiar
mantra: “It is
what it is” when
faced with a
problem
Community Culture Columnist Bailey Kadian ponders the
inequties of beauty product culture and challenges the typical
‘Couple’ tells of teen love
“Tales
of
an
Immoral
Couple,” directed by Manolo
Caro (“Elvira I Will Give You
My Life But I’m Using It”), is
a comic tale of love lost and
found.
When
former
high
school lovers Martina (Cecilia
Suárez, “Elvira I Will Give You
My Life But I’m Using It”) and
Lucio (Manuel García-Rulfo,
“The Magnificent Seven”) run
into each other 25 years later,
they both pull out the classic
trick to fool one another
into thinking they’ve moved
on: faking a relationship. A
nostalgic dual narrative takes
us back to the halls of a strict
Catholic high school, with
Ximena Romo (“The Color
of Passion”) and Sebastián
Aguirre (“A Monster With a
Thousand
Heads”)
playing
teenage Martina and Lucio,
respectively. As Martina and
Lucio inch closer together in
the present day, the flashback
reveals the teenage couple’s
passionate puppy love and
the reason it ended. “Tales of
an Immoral Couple” offers
the best of both worlds, a
sweet blend of heart-pinching
coming of age and situational
comedy.
“Tales of
an Immoral
Couple”
Hola Mexico
Distribution
Michigan
Theater
FLASH FILM REVIEW
VANESSA WONG
Daily Arts Writer
IF YOU READ MANREPELLER,
HAVE STRONG OPINIONS ON THE
OVERSIZED POLO AS A FASHION
STATEMENT AND INVEST TOO
MUCH MONEY IN SKIN CARE, STYLE
WANTS YOU
E-mail arts@michigandaily.com for
information on applying.
TV REVIEW
HBO
Larry David returns to HBO. Just look at that return. Wow.
Nothing (and everything)
changed in ‘Curb’’s ninth
The return has a bumpy start but shows potential for the future
Larry David’s (“Seinfeld”)
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” is
a lot of things: Cringe-TV, a
haven for celebrity cameos
and, above all, a commentary
on social customs. That last
piece has become the defining
feature of the series as it enters
its ninth season. A ruthless
“social assassin,” Larry uses
“Curb” to call bullshit on all
the social conventions we hold
dear, holding nothing back.
While
a
longtime
fan
of “Curb,” I feel I’ve only
recently
began
to
truly
appreciate Larry’s perpetual
offensiveness
in
our
hypersensitive climate. I think
it’s valuable to have such an
unabashedly rude and childish
character — one who revels in
having others detest him — on
such a prominent show today.
It’s almost cathartic to watch.
As
HBO’s
marketing
machine went into full swing
this past summer, I started
to become anxious as my
Facebook feed flooded with
“Curb” ads adorned with the
tagline, “Nothing has changed”
alongside a photo of Larry.
While I had no doubt that
Larry would return to being
a complete ass, I worried the
show would change too much
after
being
off-the-air
for
over seven years. Now having
re-watched
“Curb”’s
latest
episode “Foisted!” a few times,
I must say that my fears have
been realized, at least in part.
The episode opens with
Larry singing in the shower as
he struggles to open a bottle of
shampoo. Smacking the bottle
against various surfaces to no
avail, Larry finally lashes out
and hurls the bottle against
the ground, breaking its plastic
protector. The gag itself is sort-
of funny, but I couldn’t help but
be reminded of nearly the exact
same scene — except with
different packaging — during
season
seven’s
“Vehicular
Fellatio.” While I’m all for
shows sticking to their proven
scripts, this scene felt utterly
copied-and-pasted.
Fortunately, “Curb” doesn’t
spend long on this scene,
quickly moving toward one of
the main jokes of the episode,
as Larry declines to hold the
door for Betty (Julie Goldman,
“The People’s Couch”), who
he later learns is Jeff’s (Jeff
Garlin,
“The
Goldbergs”)
barber.
Discovering
that
Betty is engaged to her more-
feminine
partner
Nooma
(Nasim Pedrad, “Despicable
Me 2”), Larry breaks the news
to her that she’s “not a bride”
and should let Nooma be the
groom in their wedding. It’s
kind of funny in and of itself
that Larry, a cranky, old,
by-the-book Jewish guy, is
getting involved with a lesbian
wedding. Beyond
its
satirical
qualities, I like
that
“Curb”
is
confident enough
in itself to address
one of the more
controversial
subjects
in
society
today,
even though the
series has never
shied from offending viewers.
Returning to the office after
his haircut, Larry learns that
his assistant, Mara (Carrie
Brownstein, “Portlandia”) has
missed the past two days of
work since she is constipated.
Mara is already on Larry’s
bad side, so her unnecessary
absences only further incite
Larry’s rage. It wouldn’t be
“Curb” if Larry wasn’t feuding
with his assistant.
In typical Larry fashion,
he brings up his dilemma
with
Leon
(J.B.
Smoove,
“Date Night”) — he can’t fire
Mara because she’s crippled
— and Leon rips Mara for
using
constipation
as
an
excuse, claiming: “I shot a
porno constipated… I was in a
fuckin’ hot-dog eating contest
constipated.” The two then
realize that Jimmy Kimmel
(“Jimmy
Kimmel
Live!”)
“foisted” her on Larry because
he couldn’t fire her either. For
me, this was easily the funniest
scene in the episode due to
Smoove’s confident delivery
of such an absurd line, not
to mention that “foisted” is
another instance of “Curb”’s
brilliant terminology. Between
“foisted”
and
“lampin’”
—
“black slang,” according to
Leon — this episode provides
some quality additions to the
series’ unique lexicon.
Recognizing he now must
“foist” Mara onto someone
else, Larry raves about her to
Susie (Susie Essman, “Bolt”)
when she mentions she needs
an assistant for her growing
business SoapsOn. Along the
way, Larry makes sure to rip
Susie for the company’s name,
“Could you come up with a
worse name than SoapsOn?”
Susie trashes Larry for his
comment, before convincing a
faux-hesitant Larry to let Susie
hire away Mara. Larry plays
up his reluctance to let Mara
leave perfectly in this scene,
almost too well, as he ends
the shot with his trademark
line “pretty, pretty, pretty,
pretty good.” While David’s
reliance on classic Larry gags
and quotes works
well here, “Curb”
could
stand
to
let a scene go by
without
David
overplaying
his
own
persona.
That’s my main
issue with this
episode — David
seems like he is
trying too hard
to live up to the reputation his
character has earned, spending
each scene going over-the-top
in his performance as Larry.
David’s
overacting
aside,
the episode remains strong.
Having successfully “foisted”
Mara onto an unsuspecting
Susie, Larry has Leon fill-in
as his assistant. As expected,
Leon
struggles
to
fulfill
nearly every one of his duties,
especially with helping Larry
prepare for his “Jimmy Kimmel
Live!” appearance. Larry is
booked on the show to market
his newly-penned Broadway
musical
comedy
“Fatwa!”
about Salman Rushdie’s fatwa
(death sentence) issued by
an Iranian Ayatollah. In the
green room backstage, Larry
and Kimmel — in an excellent
cameo — joke about Kimmel’s
“foisting” of Mara onto Larry.
Their chemistry is outstanding,
as Kimmel’s more reserved,
composed persona meshes well
with Larry’s unhinged energy
and love of hearing his own
voice.
Once
Kimmel’s
actual
show starts, Larry quickly
runs
into
problems.
After
Leon neglects to relay Jeff’s
message warning him about
mocking
the
Ayatollah
on
Kimmel’s
program,
Larry
finds himself on the receiving
end of his own “fatwa,” with
his impersonation prompting
Muslim
leaders
to
call
for Larry’s death. I never
envisioned a “Curb” episode
involving
Muslim
death
sentences, but here we are, and
it’s glorious. If only Larry could
tone down his performance,
then “Curb” could truly shine
this season.
CONNOR GRADY
Daily Arts Writer
“Curb Your
Enthusiasm”
Season 9
premiere
HBO
Sundays at 10 PM