’Lipstick’ language
IF you’ve been following the news recently, you have probably heard of the phrase “l(fā)ipstick effect” (口紅效應(yīng)). It refers to the tendency for consumers to purchase small, comforting items, such as lipstick, rather than large luxury items during a recession (經(jīng)濟衰退).
When women have to cut back on their spending, they often turn to lipstick as a reasonable, cheap indulgence. Media have been using the phrase often in recent days. For example, the Canadian newspaper Toronto Star reports:
In the face of uncertain income, the logic goes, we still need indulgences, however modest. And the lipstick effect was one of the more popular ways to express that.
There are some other words related to lipstick in English.
lipstick index/indicator 口紅指數(shù)
This phrase refers to the economic index or indicator that says cosmetics sales rise in direct relation to free-falling finances. For example, some reports say that during the last recession in 2001, makeup sales jumped 23 percent. During the recession of 1990, sales climbed 10 percent.
lipstick on a pig豬涂口紅
This phrase is used to convey the message that making a superficial or cosmetic change will not disguise someone’s true nature. For example, a report about a football star reads:
Javarris James ran hard on Wednesday. He looked smooth. He looked strong. He looked ready. But James isn’t the type to put lipstick on a pig. He’s in pain. His left ankle was sprained (扭傷) and still hurts.
Here, James looks strong but, in fact, his ankle hurts.
IF you’ve been following the news recently, you have probably heard of the phrase “l(fā)ipstick effect” (口紅效應(yīng)). It refers to the tendency for consumers to purchase small, comforting items, such as lipstick, rather than large luxury items during a recession (經(jīng)濟衰退).
When women have to cut back on their spending, they often turn to lipstick as a reasonable, cheap indulgence. Media have been using the phrase often in recent days. For example, the Canadian newspaper Toronto Star reports:
In the face of uncertain income, the logic goes, we still need indulgences, however modest. And the lipstick effect was one of the more popular ways to express that.
There are some other words related to lipstick in English.
lipstick index/indicator 口紅指數(shù)
This phrase refers to the economic index or indicator that says cosmetics sales rise in direct relation to free-falling finances. For example, some reports say that during the last recession in 2001, makeup sales jumped 23 percent. During the recession of 1990, sales climbed 10 percent.
lipstick on a pig豬涂口紅
This phrase is used to convey the message that making a superficial or cosmetic change will not disguise someone’s true nature. For example, a report about a football star reads:
Javarris James ran hard on Wednesday. He looked smooth. He looked strong. He looked ready. But James isn’t the type to put lipstick on a pig. He’s in pain. His left ankle was sprained (扭傷) and still hurts.
Here, James looks strong but, in fact, his ankle hurts.