The Mystery of the Pout.

So I am at a camera service centre, and while I patiently wait to be called, right opposite my sofa, is Anushka. No, not in person, but on a poster, pouting down at me, apparently trying to tell me that this camera noted at the bottom of the poster is worthy. Of course, I'd believe her. I am using the exact same brand. But wait, did her pout tell me that?

Anushka Sharma in a print ad for Canon.

And then I walk out, get into my car, and I am very shabbily overtaken by an overworked driver in an under-serviced mini-truck, the truck carrying some aerated drinks, profusely jingling as he drives on. The back of this truck has our very own Priyanka Chopra, holding the aerated drink, and doing what? Yes, you guessed it, pouting!

Priyanka Chopra in a print ad for Pepsi.

Now may be the pout in her case is different, it's wide-eyed and has more of a look of surprise, probably trying to tell us that well, its an offer to steal! Do buy! and stuff like that. But hey, she is still pouting.

Which brings me to this echoing question in my head. Why do women pout? I see a lot of that on social profiles too, mostly selfies, gracing a lot of display pictures. Of what I see, girls really enjoy it. I for one, can't stand it. But why do our kinds pout anyways?

Researchers say that the shape of the lips symbolically represents a woman's vagina. So by their surveys, red lips have the maximum potential to attract men, because apparently they represent a swollen , aroused pair of vaginal lips. How much sense does that make? Or is it reading between the lines (or lips in this case) too much? 

They also say that lips represent one of the most sensual aspects of a woman's body and play a critical role in human sexual attraction. That, I'd believe. A women with a bright lip shade on her definitely attracts more attention to the face than someone who puts on a plain lip balm. And that could be one of the reasons why it even matters to us that these women in the posters are pouting and not smiling. The point is, it got them noticed. Works for them, right?

A pout most naturally is seen on a baby. Mostly when they cry, or when they are trying to communicate displeasure. Somehow, it looks really cute on them. It makes you want to give them anything and everything that they desire, for a baby looks vulnerable, helpless and requires one's validation to deal with their needs. There thus is ingrained some human playful behaviour when a person pouts. Someone who wants you to notice, permit and validate what they are trying to communicate. It calls for our attention in a dainty, innocent way. What better way to have pretty women do it then, where it does not look like a marketing pitch, but just a pretty dainty little girl having fun?

A baby pouting is a very common sight.

Does it really work? Of what I see, a smile or a look can be used only so much to sell a product, mostly only if it is a beauty product. A laughter or a pout for that matter probably shows one is pepped up and having some fun. So for all we know, this probably works at some unsuspecting level. Will I be caught in a picture with laughter? May be. With a pout? NEVER. 

The growth of the Garnier Fairness TVCs : Growth really?

Garnier, the famous skin care brand now marketing fairness as a mandatory leash of life is adding a twist to its marketing strategies. When it initially launched into the fairness sector, we saw the not-so-well-known model Nicolette Bird endorsing the products. At the time of the release of this ad, she was a budding model and its only later that she ventured into films as an actress. So what started out as a product to befriend the audience with a pretty face and the quality of the product has clearly demarcated into something else.

Next we saw actress Genelia D'souza encouraging you to compare your skin tone fairness. At the time again, she was seen endorsing every second brand on television and was clearly declared as the next-big-thing. From a 'pretty model face' to 'the promising star' - that's a leap in a short time. If you think Genelia was dusky and not apt for the brand, you have got to check their latest brand ambassador - Priyanka Chopra.

Known for her raw sun-burnt very Indian skin tone, Priyanka has not so convincingly been adorning the billboards regarding its effectiveness as a flawless skin refiner. At this point, no one is really questioning the quality or authenticity of the cream. But such leaps from next-door-models to a current top actress highlights some sort of insecurity that the brand's probably dodging.

Oh I very conveniently have forgotten the actress they signed before Genelia - Esha Deol - why again? No clue. I do not clearly remember this damsel having a big hit or big high during her career but she for sure was in distress. I do not know how much profit it garnered for the brand but I am sure it got her a good deal of shutterbugs and some prospective look as the 'may be Next big thing'. The question still lingers.

No qualms against the brand. But the marketing strategies leave me puzzled. May be the brand has picked up so well with their initial pitches that they wish to showcase that through high money splurges on well-known names. But it never in the first place started out as a brand (like L'oreal) that believed in celebrity endorsement. Signing John Abraham as the face for the male fairness cream is again, well, weird. Of course there was all the chaos about how is it ethically right when his (now ex) girlfriend is a dusky beauty altogether. That's now a personal prerogative so let's not question John's motives. The point is, the fairness cream for males which got released only in recent times coincided with their favoritism for celebs. They hit a home run with John instead.

The fact that its got us debating surely means that the campaigns have got noticed. The good part is the models here don't look painstakingly white-washed (like Kajol in Olay or some forgettable ones), except the latest one with Priyanka which does look like a doe-eyed fairer cousin of hers from Alaska. I only wish they keep this frame consistent now. Though it only makes me wonder more now... Who next?