Glamour, unknown phenomenon for USSR, conquers present-day Russia

There was no glamour in the USSR. There was no sex there either

Well, sex existed but it was not worshipped as some kind of a cult as in present-day world. It was not given a name and therefore its sacral status remained intact. The Soviet idea of glamour looks a bit strange today but who the hell cares when you are twenty and a student in a medical school, well some day you got the address of that much-in-demand tailor and you finally had a blouse of crepe de chine sewn, it cost you three monthly scholarships, but who the hell cares when you see your female friends faint from envy and admiration on a Saturday night in a military school.

The era of glossy superbabes and superstuds on the cover of guidebooks to male and female heads/bodies/hearts was yet to come. However, women in Soviet times had some books, mostly of scientific origin (grayish paper, small fonts, blurred pictures of academics on the back). The books provided recipes of rejuvenation and conjugal harmony. There were no digests with headlines like “Everything you want to know about love” and articles about miraculous properties of carrots and beets.

Then something happened and IT came into being. It gave rise to thick and expensive instructions books teaching readers how to blend with perfection in the right way and indulge his best and smallest whims.

The photo gallery of modern glamour: Jessica Alba

Like it or not, the word 'glamour' sounds like a seasonal recurrent cold. Calling it a 'good thing' these days seems to be the order of the day again. “I like massage, steam bath, mud baths. I dislike (sic!) depilation but I do realize the importance of it for scoring in the short-distance swimming. Meanwhile, there are a few things I just can not do without living in the megalopolis. Cucumber and celery juice is one of such things. I start my day by taking a few gulps of that invigorating beverage.” The above citation is not a revelation of a model. It is an excerpt from the interview printed by a magazine for men currently published in Russia. The interviewee is a successful and wealthy man. The magazine purports to be a decent publication.

Today glamour seems to be raising the alarm. Several periodicals published articles explaining the phenomenon. The articles also contained descriptions of the “right” things and people, Q&A's by apologists and those who simply support the ideology. It is a worrisome symptom. Can it be that the stealing beauty spoke about itself? Next month glossy magazines may carry obituaries about Dolce Vita on every page unless a triangular Rolex is launched worldwide within the next two weeks. Fears aside, glamour will go on.

Glamour and anti-glamour going out of fashion and coming back again resemble the rise and fall of sea waters. Even the most glamour-oriented periodicals publish stuff in line with the latest hot and famous. For example, asexual nymphets exchanging explicit glances on the pages of most magazines were swept clean by the comeback of clear-cut heterosexuality. Depending on a target readership of the publication, Lolitas are being gradually replaced by veteran models or editions of the sinful Marilyn sporting traditional high heels, a perm and flesh.

Men's magazines run interviews with unshaven Malkoviches and grey-haired Sharifs. Still, you can get useful tips on the latest trend in ties and cufflinks or how to get over a divorce or talk to your mother-in-law.

Some positive changes are filtering through. For example, a piece about 33 ways to seduce a boss and 22 ways to erase traces gives way to a classic report on the all-night taxi ride around Moscow.

The so-called glamour anti-glamour is the funniest thing. The bon tone today is to write without sighing, avoid sobbing, avoid ambiguity, and put it down plainly. You are not part of the intellectual glamour if you fail to meet the requirements. Critics sometimes work hard and hit the bull's eye. Imagine glossy journalism turning into a dangerous occupation again one of these days. It will be men-only business worthy of respect.

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