All Dolled Up

Yesterday I modeled for photographs taken by a group of undergraduates putting together a psych experiment. I walked with two of them (one of which I have in a T.A. session) south of the Midway to the condo where the third one lives (a super nice place in a super sketchy area) and first, sat for a few “unattractive” photos.

To back up a bit, let me explain how this project was pitched to me. The girls are doing a study to see if the looks of an anonymous academician influence people’s decision to attend a lecture given by said person. They claimed that they would make up two posters (featuring me as the anonymous academician): one in which I was my “usual attractive self” (no kidding, that’s a quote from an email I got) and one in which they “messed up my hair a bit” to make me look unattractive.

So needless to say, I realized that the situation was a little backward when I walked in, they saw me, they plunked me down on the couch, told me to put up my hair and pronounced those the “unattractive” shots.

By the time one of them was done taking the first few pictures, another had broken out her full supply of Mary Kay cosmetics and announced that I’d look great “all dolled up.” (She’s a… salesperson? a Mary Kay girl? a dealer?) Before I knew it, my face was caked with “sheer” foundation and layers of eye shadow and rouge. I felt like a clown.

But then again, I always feel like a clown with more than mascara and lip gloss on. And I suppose the “attractive” (i.e. made up) pictures did make my lips and eyes stand out more than they did in the first few shots. They did not, however, make me like look “my usual attractive self.” Maybe I should seriously consider investing in some Mary Kay if it turns out that the lecture given by the dolled-up me is much more popular. It might be a crucial career move.