Beauty
The Decoration of Men's Fashion in Eighteenth-Century France at The Met Museum: Embroidery, Buttons, Braids, and Sequins
In the eighteenth century, promenading among the shops along the rue St. Honoré became a fashionable leisure activity for men and women alike. This street was home to Paris's marchands merciers, a class of merchants who dealt in all manner of luxury goods, including textiles for furnishing and clothing. The mercers' exclusive right to finishing work — arranging for the addition of embroidery, buttons, braids, and sequins through a network of specialized workers — allowed their customers to choose the exact colors and patterns they wanted at the point of sale. more »
Bring Along the Sunscreen For That Sun-bathing Weekend: Cancer-associated DNA Changes Exist in 25% of Normal Skin Cells
The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute study revealed that each cell in normal facial skin carries many thousands of mutations, mainly caused by exposure to sunlight. Around 25 per cent of skin cells in samples from people without cancer were found to carry at least one cancer-associated mutation. The mutations observed showed the patterns associated with the most common and treatable form of skin cancer linked to sun exposure, known as cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, rather than melanoma, a rarer and sometimes fatal form of skin cancer. more »
Tricks For Fashioning the Body: An Intimate History of the Silhouette at Bard
The exhibition presents the many devices and materials that women and men have used to shape their silhouettes from the seventeenth century to today, including panniers, corsets, crinolines, bustles, stomach belts, girdles, and push-up brassieres. The exhibition will also look at how lacing, hinges, straps, springs, and stretch fabrics have been used to alter natural body forms. In men's fashion, the exhibition explores how padded jackets provoked arched torsos; how calf enhancers, stomach belts, and codpieces were worn; and how variations on these enhancements continued into the nineteenth century and beyond. more »
Regulating Millions of Cosmetic Products Sold: Supporting The Personal Care Products Safety Act Proposal
Senator Dianne Feinstein: "Europe has a robust system, which includes consumer protections like product registration and ingredient reviews. I am pleased to be introducing this bipartisan legislation with Senator Susan Collins that will require FDA to review chemicals used in these products and provide clear guidance on their safety. From shampoo to lotion, the use of personal care products is widespread, however, there are very few protections in place to ensure their safety." more »