Unfree To Buy Undewear

A group of women in Saudi Arabia launched a campaign this week to boycott lingerie stores until they employ women, according to the Associated Press.

But this isn't just about hiring women. In a country in which the genders are very strictly segregated in public, it's also about how uncomfortable it is for women to buy underwear in an all male-staffed shops.

I still get bashful perusing the lingerie sections of departments stores. I can't imagine if Victoria's Secret was staffed by all dudes. And, more than that, the salesmen who are sizing these women up can't see much more than their eyes.

Under Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islamic law, women are required to cover themselves head-to-toe in black robes in public. But in the privacy of their own homes — and bedrooms — they can wear whatever they want, and sexy undergarments are popular.

But buying them is another story. Fitting rooms are banned in the kingdom — the idea of a woman undressing in a public place with men just outside is unthinkable. So a woman is never sure she has chosen the right size until she gets it home.

Sounds like an uncomfortable crap shoot.

With the way things are, the salesmen are embarrassed, the female customers are embarrassed, their (non-mandatory but common) male chaperons are embarrassed. Could you take your brother thong shopping??

Women supporting the boycott campaign want enforcement of a 2006 law which says that all female staff can be employed in women's apparel stores.

The law has never been put into effect, partly due to hard-liners in the religious establishment who oppose employing women in mixed environments like malls, where religious police are always on the lookout to keep men and women from interacting.

Hiring women would also deprive men of jobs in a country where more than 10 percent of men are unemployed.

The campaign [also] calls on women to shop at the country's few women-only lingerie stores. Usually stand-alone boutiques or located in malls that have women-only sections, these shops have no windows to ensure passing men cannot look in — and giving women the freedom to actually try things on.

I'm not surprised that attractive lingerie is popular in a place where women have to hide in public, though -- it seems to me like there'd be a lot of people itching for a little bit of independence, to make themselves feel beautiful and feminine even if it must be hidden. And it certainly makes me think a bit differently about my ability to go into any number of malls and stores and buy whatever underwear I want, largely unnoticed.

Forget Mascara: Grow Your Own Longer Lashes

"Your eyelashes will experience real measurable growth." That's the claim made by Latisse, a new product from the makers of wrinkle-erasing/muscle-paralyzing Botox.

Pharmaceutical company Allergan got FDA approval in late 2008 for Latisse, whose active ingredient, bimatopost, has been used for several years in a product called Lumigan that treats glaucoma.

"The company began studying the potential of using a lower dose of topical bimatoprost to stimulate eyelash growth after Lumigan users developed unusually lush lashes," according to a Scientific American article from Dec. 29, 2008. "It's specifically being marketed as a once-a-day med to treat eyelash hypotrichosis, or lack of hair growth."

Of course, it's also of interest as a beauty-enhancing product. Latisse is expected to be available for prescription in March and cost $120 for a 30-day supply.

So there's real science behind Latisse, but is it worth it for the price?

"David E. I. Pyott, Allergan’s chief executive...suggested that many women would not blink at spending $120 for a one-month, three-milliliter supply of the drug," according to a New York Times article from Jan. 13, 2009. "He compared the cost of longer lashes to a daily cup of coffee.“If you think about it in terms of luxury, it’s four dollars a day,” he said. “We think this is fairly acceptable to a large segment of people even in these times.”"

Keep in mind, the lash-enhancement is not permanent.

"Because the drug works by keeping hairs in their growth phase -- the phase during which hairs become longer, thicker and darker -- lashes return to their normal, genetically determined length within a few months after discontinuing the drug," according to an ABC News article from Dec. 29, 2008.

Reported side effects include itching and red eyes or darkening of the skin by the lash line, where the drug may come in contact with the skin. There's still more extensive testing to be done, though.

On a cool side note...the NYT article linked above quoted a fellow D.C. beauty blogger:

"Jennifer Nobriga, one of a pair of stay-at-home mothers behind the Web site beautyinreallife.blogspot.com, said she intends to stick with plain old mascara rather than splurge on the eyelash drug.

“It would not be at the top of my list,” said Ms. Nobriga of Woodbridge, Va. “I would rather spend the money on a good under-eye cream.”"

So what do I think?
It's an intriguing scientific development that I'm curious to learn more about. I think it has great potential, especially for people who've experienced hair loss or lack eyelashes. But it's not going to be joining my beauty arsenal any time soon.

As a young professional, I definitely don't have the cash to spend on Latisse! (Or a $4-a-day latte habit, though when you think of it that way it seems more reasonable.) Plus, I'm lucky to have naturally long, full lashes to begin with, and the suppleness of youth in my face, so I'm probably not the target audience for this product anyway. (I don't mean to toot my own horn too loudly, it just happens that I consider my eyes one of my stronger features.)

I definitely understand its appeal, though, and would probably try Latisse as long as I was confident in its safety. It's not injecting botulism into your face, so to me, it seems a tad less extreme than Botox.

But yeah, I'm going to keep unnecessary prescription treatments away from my eyes and stick to my Maybelline Full 'N Soft.

I'm curious what you all think!

CVS to Launch Upscale Beauty Stores

As if I needed another reason to go to CVS, right?

The company plans to open "upscale beauty emporiums" featuring luxury products, according to Women's Wear Daily. "CVS executives described the lines as “department store or specialty store brands,” the story says.

These "Beauty 360" stores will be within or adjacent to existing CVS pharmacies but have a more high-end feel. The store concept designs call for "brushed steel accents, white-tiled floors and a wall of sea-foam-colored, [and] hand-cut glass tile..." according to the WWD story. Executives are even thinking about putting in "express services" like a nail salon and hand massages.

Image via WWD.
Beauty 360 will be comparable in size to a Sephora, though not every CVS will get one. There are 100 set to be opened next year, 500 - 1000 planned long-term. This year, however, only be a limited number of concept stores will launch: WWD reports that they will be in Sacramento, Calif. and Washington, D.C. Yes, the nation's Capitol! Which, if you've never been there, has a CVS practically every other block in some places. And which is the city where I just landed my first full-time job! (Okay, actually my job is in suburban Maryland, but I'll be in the District enough to hunt this thing down, lol.)

The story doesn't have details about the products that will be offered, but definitely check it out if you're interested in the business side of things.

Props to Lipschtick for her post alerting me to the news.