viz.

Image: author's own, photo of December 2013 cover of Vogue

To round out the fall 2013 season of viz, I follow up on Suss’s latest post re: the Hunger Games and the rhetoric of fashion. As Suss makes clear, the new film Catching Fire portrays style in the districts as Depression-drab-chic (to put it generously). Which is all kinds of problematic. In the continuing buzz surrounding the movie's release, however, I've noticed that it's the outrageous outfits of the Capitol dwellers that capture the most media and corporate attention.

Take, for instance, CoverGirl’s Catching Fire makeup line. The twelve “looks” in the Capitol Beauty Studio (no joke) are inspired by the ridiculous costumes every district’s tributes wear to garner the favor of the wealthy Capitol patrons. Internet hounds have been all over this, critiquing the makeup line especially harshly in relation to the book series’ anti-capitalist message; selling makeup like this misses all the irony of the book's portrayal of wealthy Capitol style, in which makeup is used as kind of a big practical joke on poor people. On the lighter side, you can see the line in action on the Hairpin's a-mazing video series "Just the Tips." [If you have some time to kill this time of year, you can also watch them attempt to wear sweatshirts under dresses (spoiler alert: doesn’t work).]

Or take a gander at the latest issue of Vogue, like I did while walking through the airport over Thanksgiving. One of the headlines on the cover reads "Hunger Games: Does Intermittent Fasting Really Work?" I didn't have the stomach to turn to the article and find out what it is they mean by "work." (Make you intermittently hungry, I presume?) Instead, let me provide you with Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence's response to a fan’s question about body image. When asked, “What is your response to people who judge others based on their appearance?” JLaw replies, “Well screw them…What are you going to do, be hungry everyday just to make people happy?” 

If we listen to Vogue, it seems the answer might be a resounding “yes.”

Via http://www.botoxchronicmigraine.com/

And finally, while we’re at it, can we talk about how frequently and inappropriately the Capitol catchphrase “odds [ever] in your favor” has appeared in ads lately? Have you seen this Botox commercial? Are you as freaked out as I am? Botox people, why are you threatening us?! Perhaps they think repeating the refrain of a fictional community that forces kill to other kids for fun is, in fact, the best way to sell migraine medication. But also: since when is Botox a cure for migraines?

There you have it, viz readers. When we put all the facts together, one thing becomes clear. The only truly fabulous style to emerge from The Hunger Games is Jennifer Lawrence's ALH.*

Via Autostraddle, via Jennifer Lawrence’s Facebook

*that's alternative lifestyle haircut, y'all