DECEMBER
6/2008
w w w. k u l t u r a - r u s . d e
GLAMOROUS RUSSIA
Guest Editors: Larissa Rudova (Pomona College, California) and
Birgit Menzel (University of Mainz/Germersheim, Germany)
e d it or ial
Uniting Russia in Glamour
Larissa Rudova (Claremont, CA)
2
a n alysis
Russian Discourse on Glamour
Birgit Menzel (Mainz/Germersheim)
4
Glamour as Russian Television Magic
Ulrich Schmid (St. Gallen, Switzerland)
The Glamorous Heroines of Oksana Robski
Larissa Rudova (Claremont, CA)
I Choose Russia – I Choose Glamour!
Olga Mesropova (Ames, Iowa)
9
gla mou r
& tv
& f ict ion
& p ol it ic s
a n alysis
The Deviant Norm: Glamour in Russian Fashion
Kseniya Gusarova (Moscow)
kultura. Russian cultural review is published by the
Research Centre for East European Studies at Bremen University.
Editorial board: Hartmute Trepper M.A., Judith Janiszewski M.A. (editorial assistance)
Technical editor: Matthias Neumann
The views expressed in the review are merely the opinions of the authors.
The printing or other use of the articles is possible with the permission of the editorial board.
We would like to thank the Gerda Henkel Foundation for their kind support.
ISSN 1867-0628 © 2008 by kultura | www.kultura-rus.de
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Forschungsstelle Osteuropa
10
12
14
DECEMBER
UN I T I NG RUSSI A
e d it or ial
IN
6/2008
G L A M O U R ( L A R I S S A R U D O VA )
Russian glamour culture took shape under Presi-
ble clothing, gourmet foods and foreign trips, pov-
dent Vladimir Putin, and by 2006, it had become
erty did not vanish, especially in the provinces and
one of the hottest topics in the Russian media. The
non-urban areas. However, while Putin’s regime
Russian fascination with glamour was so immense
promoted the ideology of money, success, enter-
that many commentators began to refer to it as the
tainment and conspicuous consumption, it discour-
new ideology that the country had been searching
aged interference in politics.
for after the collapse of the USSR in 1991 – per-
The ideology of glamour became the most osten-
haps even as the answer to the search for a new
tatious and alluring novelties of Putin’s Russia.
national idea under Boris Yeltsin. One of the most
The word ‘glamour’ (glamur) itself has come to
popular panels at the international Ninth Russian
describe the emerging culture of Western-style
Economic Forum in London in 2006 was ‘Lux-
glossy journals, celebrity media, high fashion,
ury as the National Idea’; one participant, Nikolai
the beauty industry, consumption of luxury goods
Uskov, editor of the Russian edition of GQ, went
and the hedonistic lifestyles of Russia’s nouveaux
so far as to claim that glamour had superseded pol-
riches. Despite this latter point, glamour is also
itics. He argued that politics was no longer about
very much about the new consumer culture and
the ‘right’ or the ‘left’; it was about appearances
thus, in essence, democratic and open to everyone.
and the display of material culture that accrues
Glamour projects the seductive vision of a beauti-
to money and power. The idea of glamour, how-
ful life both through consumer practices and vicar-
ever, is not a monopoly of the political and eco-
iously through the media.
nomic elite – that is to say people with money –
People are fascinated by the lifestyles of the New
everybody was invited to partake in it. The present
Russians. Under Putin, their initial image under-
issue of kultura looks at the construction of Rus-
went a transformation from vulgar and vicious
sian glamour, its sources, manifestations and social
criminals in brightly coloured jackets and gold
implications.
necklaces to a hard-working, educated and styl-
The culture of glamour owes its origins to the pol-
ish haute bourgeoisie. Since their affluent habits
itics introduced by Putin to draw Russia out of
and lifestyles are no longer hidden from the public
the political turbulence and economic woes expe-
eye, the media has turned them into objects of mass
rienced under Yeltsin in the 1990s. The result-
entertainment. The public appetite for the excesses
ing political stability and steady improvement in
and eccentricities of the lives of the movie, rock,
the nation’s economic wellbeing made it possible.
media or political stars and other celebrities is insa-
Putin’s regime used the exports of oil and gas to
tiable and has inspired a variety of glamour pro-
stabilise the economy, and within a few years, Rus-
grammes on TV and stimulated the emergence of
sian industry – albeit primarily in the area of raw
the new literary genre of glamour fiction. Some
materials exports – made large gains. The aver-
of the most successful glamour programmes were
age income rose and poverty rates decreased. The
indebted to Western models, such as ‘Star Factory’
middle class was growing and, for the first time
and ‘Dancing with the Stars’.
in history, Russians began to experience relative
Not everybody likes glamour. As it continues to
prosperity. The word ‘relative’ is essential here
dominate Russian popular entertainment, it also
for although the signs of higher standards of liv-
acquires a negative meaning through its associa-
ing were everywhere and many people could now
tion with the money and power of a state that con-
afford Western electronic gadgets, cars, fashiona-
tinues to neglect human rights and turns a blind
2
DECEMBER
e d it or ial
6/2008
eye to the weak and the poor. Many critics of the
and, of course, richer. Ulrich Schmid’s commen-
culture of glamour condemn it for destroying the
tary deals with glamour and celebrity TV in Rus-
humanistic spirit of the Russian cultural heritage.
sia and, finally, Larissa Rudova looks at Oksana
For them, glamour turns people away from real life
Robski's bestselling fiction featuring non-working,
and makes them socially indifferent.
glamorous female heroines.
The present issue of kultura outlines key aspects
of the contemporary culture of glamour in Russia
A BOUT
– its opulence, gloss and seductiveness, but also
Larissa Rudova is Professor of Russian at Pomona
its social and political underpinnings. In her open-
College. She is the author of two books on Boris
ing essay, Birgit Menzel discusses how the dis-
Pasternak (1994; 1997) and co-editor (with Marina
course on glamour has spread into virtually every
Balina) of Russian Children’s Literature and Cul-
sphere of Russian popular culture and caught the
ture (2008). She has published numerous arti-
attention of academic researchers. Kseniya Gusa-
cles on modern Russian literature and culture.
THE
GUEST EDITORS:
rova explores the relationship between fashion and
glamour and focuses on new attitudes towards the
Birgit Menzel is Professor of Russian Literature
body. In the West, politicians are not usually per-
and Culture at the University of Mainz, Germers-
ceived as glamorous personalities, but in Rus-
heim. Her publications include V.V. Majakovskij
sia their representation in the media has recently
und seine Rezeption in der Sowjetunion 1930–1954
acquired the attributes of glamour. Olga Mesrop-
(1992), Bürgerkrieg um Worte. Die russische Lite-
ova reflects on how the media construct the glam-
raturkritik der Perestrojka (2003). She has co-
ourised images of Russian politicians as more
edited two volumes of scholarly articles on contem-
youthful, more physically attractive, more polished
porary Russian and East European cultures.
Moscow, Pushkin Square: The ‘Magic Staff’ – Tibetan Medicine ‘ for all those who enjoy sex’;
photograph: B. Menzel
3
DECEMBER
RUSSI A N DISCOU R SE
ON
6/2008
GLA MOU R
Birgit Menzel
a n alysis
This article offers a brief analysis of the Russian discourse on glamour as it has been cultivated in the
media and in popular literature in recent years. First, seven essential features are presented; this is followed and exemplified by a survey of the market of glossy magazines, where global brands compete with
domestic ones, and a glance at Andrei Konchalovsky’s film Glyanets (Gloss – Russia, 2007), which is the
first cinematic portrait of the Russian glamour phenomenon. The article concludes with a review of the
first Russian academic analysis of glamour, Dmitri V. Ivanov’s Glem-kapitalizm (St. Petersburg, 2008).
Ivanov, a young sociologist from St. Petersburg, argues that Russian glamour is a global phenomenon.
However, his study is based exclusively on Western material.
THE ESSENTIALS
OF THE
DISCOURSE
ON
RUSSIAN
nected with what are considered to be basic val-
GLAMOUR
ues – happiness, beauty, youth, health and love –
Russian glamour has become the cultural equiv-
spiced up with the intensifying ingredients of pas-
alent of unchallenged globalised capitalism. It is
sion and adventure;
closely linked to global economic and political
- the utmost refinement of packaging and presen-
developments, especially the media and commu-
tation combined with the maximum simplification
nications technology that appeared during the last
of content; at the same time, a competition to make
decade. It is a mixture of the new elite’s ostenta-
products as expensive, exotic and complex as pos-
tious self-representation and a universal cult of lux-
sible, as in, for example, commercials for ‘Tibetan
ury, fashion and an exotic and erotic lifestyle pro-
medicine’ as a domestic equivalent to ‘Viagra’ and
moted by the mass-media. In Russia, it has been
‘Apis (bee-poison) therapy’ in Siberia;
nurtured by the desire for prosperity and an indi-
- a paradoxical mixture of exclusiveness and acces-
vidual lifestyle in the here and now, that emerged
sibility, aloofness and commonality, cynicism and
after the chaos of the 1990s, as well as a post-trau-
compassion, artificial simulation and authentic
matic nostalgia for the grandeur of the imperial
emotion; examples include the ‘Pop aristocracy’,
Russian past. Glamour has also become the offi-
the ‘golden generation’ of the New Russians’ off-
cial ideology, and not just a tactic, of ‘bread and
spring and the celebrity socialite and TV-producer
circuses’ which plays a decisive role in job compe-
Ksenia Sobchak;
tition and is promoted by the political elite, espe-
- a mixture of the patriotic cult of Russia’s past,
cially the Putin-administration. Economic success,
the glorification of the current post-imperial ren-
entertainment and the face-lifted image of Russia
aissance, in which even the Orthodox Church par-
in the world go together, while Slavic facial fea-
ticipates in glamorous media performances, and
tures and Slavic fashion have sold well on the West-
the global Western cult of the celebrity;
ern beauty market since the fall of communism.
- the glamour images attempt to display the ideal
Glamour has become a matter of national pride.
of ‘wholeness, harmony and radiance’ (J. Joyce),
Managers have become the designers of the New
but are too vague and rarely understood as a trin-
Russian Patriotism. The main features of the new
ity to be aimed at; as a model of communication,
ideology of Russian glamour promoted in glossy
however, they are promoted only for the small in-
magazines, TV talk shows and popular literature,
group (tusovka), while everything outside of the
are:
circle (the losers, the difficult, the non-conformists,
- the commercialised promotion of images con-
the problematic etc.) is aggressively excluded;
4
DECEMBER
a n alysis
6/2008
- the demonstration of materialism and outer
GLAMOUR M AGAZINES
appearance as a value; the simulation of risky gam-
The recent changes from a society of distributors
bling as a successful model of behaviour and an
to one of consumers, from a text-oriented culture
attitude towards life (epitomised by the ‘hedge-
to an image-oriented culture, from ideological to
funds’ generation and the use of designer drugs),
commercial slogans, may be nowhere more radi-
which implies simple solutions to problems that do
cal and obvious than on the market of periodicals.
not require work and responsibility and an almost
With an annual growth of 13%, it is one of the
religious faith in recovery after loss;
most dynamic segments of the new Russian econ-
- aggressiveness is promoted as a value for both
omy; 37.5 billion R. (1.4 billion US $) was spent
sexes, while role-models include owning success-
on it in 2006 alone.2 Back in 1990, Perestroika
ful business, a publicly visible sex life (exemplified
blessed the intelligentsia with the opportunity to
by ‘sexssoire’ – celebri-
subscribe to a plethora of
ties nude on the internet),
VIKTOR P ELEVIN. EMPIRE V. MOSCOW:
dignified old, grey ‘thick
a ‘James Bond lifestyle’
EKSMO, 2006 (PAGE 91).
journals’. Now, how-
as opposed to the Western
‘Glamour aims to make people live their lives
ever, kiosks and book-
‘metrosexual’ image of
in a cloud of shame and self-contempt. This
tables litter the big cities,
the gay-fashion maleness
state, known as “original sin”, is the direct
piled high with colourful
of, for example, David
result of the consumption of the facade of
glossy magazines. Even
Beckham and the a war-
beauty, success and intellectual brilliance.
the nation’s oldest illus-
rior cult of the Russian
Glamour and discourse plunge their con-
trated magazine Ogonek
muzhik (macho man).
sumers into squalor, idiotism and destitu-
is now engaged in a less
As for social functions,
tion. These qualities are, of course, relative.
than glamorous struggle
glamour, as a cult of con-
Nevertheless, they inflict real suffering. All
for survival against the
sumption,
of human life is marked by this experience
brand new competitors
freedom and is an ambiv-
of shame and squalor’.
on the market. There are
alent phenomenon. With
(quotation translated from the Russian by
Russian editions of all
its massive popularity,
Christopher Gilley)
the well-known Western
epitomises
especially among women,
glossies such as Cosmo-
it has the positive socio-therapeutic functions of
politan (appearing since 1994; each issue has a
individual self-improvement, promoting a civilised
print run of 1.05 million copies and 3.8 million
lifestyle and liberating sensuality, especially in a
readers), L’etoile, Celebrity and Marie Claire; other
less normative and upwardly mobile society.
publications are more like fashion catalogues, for
Glossy magazines belong, alongside TV series,
example the 430-page monthly Russian edition
fashion and celebrity talk shows, and popular lit-
of Glamour. Weeklies, such as Hello (Spanish-
erature, to the most notable means of cultivating
owned; in publication since 2001; a print run of
glamour as the ‘dominant aesthetic mode’ (Olga
300.000) and OK (owned by the German pub-
1
Mesropova). Recent developments on the period-
lisher Axel-Springer; on the market since 2006;
ical market illustrate some essentials of the glam-
a print run of 150.000, each copy costing only 25
our discourse.
R.) occupy the lower end of the market. The cheap
1 www.kinokultura.com/2008/20r-gloss-om.shtml (review of
Kontchalovskii: Glyanets, 2007)
2 The figures in this article, supplied by ROSBIZNES Konsalting and TNS Gallup Media, I owe to D.V. Ivanov.
5
DECEMBER
a n alysis
6/2008
magazines have advertisements for less glamorous
itage, family values and the nostalgic aesthetics of
British stores such as Marks & Spencer rather than
prerevolutionary popular magazines. Most glossy
for Prada or Dolce & Gabbana. Analysts expect
magazines address a female audience: they are
a rise of 60% in the magazine business by 2010.
read by 19.2% of the female population, whereas
These magazines, 90% of which are just adverts,
only 3.8% of the young urban male population
make money not by the price paid by the readers,
buys or reads them. However, new magazines for
but primarily by presenting a platform for fashion
male readers have become a growing sector of the
companies to distribute their advertising. In spite
market, introducing new patterns of maleness, in
of this, Russian glossies, compared to their West-
particular the Western image of the metrosexual.
ern formats, still contain about 20% more text,
The market leader is the Russian MAXIM (a print
which includes articles on health and travelogues
run of 819,000), followed by Playboy (a print run
of foreign countries.
of 620,000); behind them are other global brands,
The Russian edition of Glamour, released in 2004,
such as FHM, XXL, GQ (the Internet version of
appeals to its female readers, who make up 80% of
which latter has 9,000 subscribers, most of whom
its readership and are aged between 16 and 34, with
are top managers) and Esquire.
a mixture of Western and Russian celebrity-cult
A characteristic of this globalisation of print media
gossip (glam-diva), fashion, beauty and lifestyle
is the explosion in the number of new book and
advice, tips on reinventing your life and self and
magazine titles. The accelerated pace of releases
guidance on achieving a glam-body and glam-psy-
corresponds to the recent development which
cho. The selling point of its ‘philosophy’ may be its
Ivanov describes as the ‘trend towards acceler-
revealing selectivity – ‘cool glamour’, ‘intelligent
ated innovation’. A large number of almost iden-
irony without banality’, ‘provocative topics which
tical glossy magazines corresponds with an infla-
don’t cross over into sensationalism’, ‘sex, love and
tional amount of paperback series of ‘glamour nov-
3
relationships without moral preaching’. Despite
els’, released with an inflating number of titles by
a price which would make the average Russian
the monopolistic publishing houses EKSMO and
consumer’s head spin (120–150R/3–4€), Glamour
AST in 2006–2008. In the metropolitan bookshops,
sells 700,000–1.5 million copies per month; each
series, such as Rublyovka, Cinderella’s Revenge,
issue is read by 1.9–2.8 million readers.
or Glyanets,4 are displayed on special shelves and
Glamour magazines are, however, not confined
recommended as ‘Glamorous Paperbacks’ (gla-
to foreign imports. Domestic glossies, such as
murnoe chtivo).
Domashnyi ochag (‘Family Hearth’; appearing
One successful marketing strategy is the combi-
since 1995), Domovoi (‘Brownie’; on the market
nation of contradictory images and strong meta-
since 1993), Karavan istorii (‘Caravan of Tales’
phors – a mixture of elements, such as manage-
available since 1998; a print run of 310,000) and the
ment and music, sex and religion or business and
St. Petersburg Sobaka (since 2000), have, together
revolution, which had been mutually excluded in
with home-grown celebrities, entered the market
normative Soviet society. The deliberate uglify-
successfully. The Russian magazines generally
ing of faces on commercial pictures, for instance,
contain slightly more substantial articles, such as
sells as a scandalous provocation of the classical
health information or portraits of Western coun-
ideal of beauty. Another example for this may be
tries. They display a leaning towards cultural her3 http://www.glamour.ru/glamour/about/
4 Rublyovka is the Moscow suburb favoured by the nouveaux
riches; glyanets is Russian for gloss.
6
DECEMBER
a n alysis
6/2008
the recent posing of Chechen President Ramzan
gies: the front page photographs move from fash-
Kadyrov, for Louis Vuitton and Armani in the net-
ion towards sexy Playboy montages, and eccen-
journal Icons (see window).
tric fashion shows turn into a version of the Rocky
Glamour magazines pick up and exploit people’s
Horror Picture Show accompanied by the vulgar
desires for colour, beauty and orientation. For
language of Russian rap; provocation at any price
some, radical change really does materialise; the
sells more than professionalism. Once the line is
Cinderella effect can work in contemporary Rus-
crossed and millions are at stake, fashion shows
5
become an alibi for the slave trade of models, who
describes how Tanya, her old neighbour during
are sold as prostitutes and/or wives to Russian and
the gloomy Soviet years of stagnation, reinvented
foreign oligarchs.
sia’s upwardly mobile society: Anna Politkovskaya
herself as a success-
The story centres
ful business woman.
around the young
Glossy
periodicals
provincial seamstress
and novels offer the
Galia, possessed by
means of instant self-
the desire to make a
improvement in the
career. She leaves her
form of transforming
wretched alcoholic
one’s outer appear-
and violent parents,
ance or participat-
moves to Moscow and,
ing vicariously in the
by being the right per-
world of the rich and
son in the right place
exceptional, where
at the right time, ulti-
exclusivity is granted
mately becomes a
to everyone; as the
supermodel; for this,
journalist
however, she must pay
Dmitri
Gubin suggests, this
a price.
is ‘hyper-compensa-
Konchalovsky’s film
tion for the hungry
Soviet childhood’.
is a sarcastic portrait
Movie poster of the film Glyanets (Gloss).
of the excesses of
the Russian glamour
A. KONCHALOVSKY’S FILM GLYANETS (GLOSS)
industry and its obsession with money and suc-
Glyanets (Gloss) is a perfect illustration of this
cess. It critically exposes the endemic cynicism
‘hyper-compensation’: a Cinderella tale about the
mentioned above (as one female editor comments,
Russian glamour world that concentrates on the
‘intelligent people don’t read glossy publications:
gritty realism of its darker side. Set in Moscow’s
they publish them’), as well as the paradoxes of
fashion business, the ‘second generation’ of design-
the scandal-provoking ugliness of the new fash-
ers and managers of fashion magazines are pre-
ion show called ‘100% Shit’.
sented as today’s ‘little devils’ of decadence, stir-
The film can be seen as a sanitised Russian equiv-
ring up hype with ever more aggressive strate-
alent of the American dream/ nightmare shown in
Paul Verhoeven’s film Showgirls (1995), set in Las
5 Anna Politkovskaya: Putin’s Russia. Living in a Failing
Democracy, transl. by Arch Tait, Owl Books, 2006.
Vegas. There are many parallels, from the runaway
7
DECEMBER
a n alysis
6/2008
heroine who wins our sympathy on account of her
the virtualisation, i.e. simulation of reality using
tough childhood and vulnerable commonsense to
images, enabled by communications technology.
the depiction of triumphant heroines as classical
The key values for success and going up in the
beauties. The insatiable yearning for glamour as
world have become criteria such as luxury, exot-
hyper-compensation for a ‘hungry [and not nec-
icism, eroticism, naïve optimism and, quintes-
essarily] Soviet childhood’ is not only evident in
sentially, ‘blondification’. Ivanov applies this hot
Russian films.
five to politics, economics and social sciences and
then explains how even countercultural movements
D MITRII V. IVANOV’S BOOK GLEM -K APITALIZM
have been swallowed up by the glam-capitalist
The first scholarly analysis in Russian on the dis-
system. ‘From the glossy painted mouth of the
course of glamour appeared recently. The young
blondes today is proclaimed Truth’. The stylised
Petersburg sociologist Dmitrii Ivanov offers an
simplification and the (self-)mocking position are
original theory of ‘glamour capitalism’, which he
obviously part of the concept of this little paper-
sees as a global system that has spread unchecked
back. The author understands himself as a transla-
since the 1990s: ‘both a universally applicable form
tor between the limited but authentic world of the
and an ideology without ideas and total ethical
blondes and the rarefied ivory tower of the Rus-
indifference. The characteristics of glam-capital-
sian intelligentsia. The author describes a suppos-
ism are ostentatious lightness, uncompromising
edly global phenomenon by offering an impres-
optimism and rarefied coarseness’; its strategies are
sive number of facts and figures. However, he only
rankings lists and the utmost refinement in packag-
does this with material on Western societies. This
ing combined with the maximum simplification of
is motivated by the author’s intention ‘to explain
content and accessibility. These properties shape
to his countrymen that glamour is not an exclu-
not only the audiovisual media, but also success
sively Russian phenomenon’ as the discourse in
in economy, politics (glam-democracy) and the
the Russian media, with 428 articles in the Cen-
social sciences, where impression and appearance
tral Russian Press from 2007 alone and 1383 arti-
are more important than knowledge.
cles in the internet, might seem to imply.
The glamour industry could not exist without
P REVIEW:
kultura 1-2009 will appear in late February 2009 and will
deal with Russian literature on the Internet.
Henrike Schmidt (Berlin) and Ellen Rutten (Cambridge)
from http://russian-cyberspace.org will be guest editors.
8
DECEMBER
GLA MOU R
AS
6/2008
R U S S I A N T E L E V I S I O N M AG I C
Ulrich Schmid
gla mou r &
tv
‘Bolshe, bolshe glamura! I makiyazha, i manikyura!
1
live!: by means of this morbid amplification, the
Litso super i super figura!’ warbles the Russian
audience’s own addiction to glamour is flung back
girl group Shpilki (High Heels) in their newest
at them in the form of a perverse crime. In the
2
video ‘Glamur’. Singing and dancing alongside
end, the murderer is nothing other than a victim
them is the superstar hairdresser Sergei Zveryev,
of glamour’s enchantment, which she seeks to per-
known in Russian show business for his mastery
petuate through the lustrous beauty of the female
of androgynous theatrics. Beneath the song’s inane
corpses.
lyrics one can see the elusive essence of Russian
The theme of revenge was not only evident in
glamour, which seeks to create the maximum
the interaction of the characters, but also in the
impact through an exaggerated emphasis on exter-
media of communication employed in the pro-
nal allure. This has nothing to do with a dramatic
duction of Rublyovka live!. Every episode began
catharsis, but rather the short-term enchantment
with a scripted starting point. The protagonists
of the audience. Glamour is, therefore, essentially
then had to find a solution to the dilemma created
an illusion which admittedly arouses, but does not
by the scriptwriters. At important junctures, the
lead to an aesthetic experience. This definition is
audience could influence the progress of the plot
supported by the word’s etymology: according to
via the internet or text messages. The programme
the Oxford English Dictionary, glamour is a cor-
appeared under the telling catchphrase ‘This is not
ruption of the word ‘grammar’, used in Scotland
a fairy story; it is life, reality style’. Through this
in the sense of spell or bewitchment (‘to cast the
concept, the makers of Rublyovka live! were able
glamour over someone’).
to satisfy several of their viewers’ desires. The
The phenomenon of glamour is rife with the poten-
audience received permission to be voyeurs; at the
tial for addiction. The spell is only effective while
same time, they found themselves in the pleasant
the glittering surface remains intact. For this rea-
position of being able to direct the glamorous lives
son, glamour always demands more glitter, furs and
of the B-list celebrities with their mobile phones.
jewels. The NTV series Rublyovka live! depicted
The TV-viewer took on, as it were, the role of fate
this aspect of glamour in a season entitled Gla-
via remote control and could avenge himself upon
murnyi manyak (2006) in the form of a thriller: a
the rich for his own lack of privilege.
killer is at large in Rublyovka, the Moscow district
The starlet Anfisa Chekhova (born 1977) also
inhabited by the nouveaux riches; the murderer
emits glamour in carefully measured doses. The
kills women, dresses their corpses up as Marilyn
buxom presenter of the midnight TNT programme
Monroe, Cleopatra or Ophelia and covers them in
Sex with Anfisa Chekhova plays a cunning game
flowers. At the end of the season, it turns out that
with appearance and reality. She claims that her
the killer is a woman who had experienced rejec-
onscreen persona is a genuine reflection of her
tion in her love life and decorated her victims to
character, and she goes so far as to suggest that she
reflect herself.
has a moral mission to fulfil. In one interview she
This plot device demonstrates the central moment of
saucily asserted, ‘I am flirtatious; I am capricious;
self-reflection at the centre of the series Rublyovka
I am stubborn. However, I am also an independent,
strong woman. It is good to have an image, but I am
1 ‘More, more glamour! And makeup, and manicures! A super
face and a super figure!’.
2 http://www.russian-imperial.de/video_6896.html
also worth something without an image. I have my
own view of things, and I accept myself as I am. I
9
DECEMBER
tv
6/2008
love life, friends, travelling, sex. If I have experi-
Thus Malinovskaya broke one of the basic rules
ence of all that, why shouldn’t I pass it on? Maybe
of glamour: the difference between the beaming
I will help someone to develop a relationship’.3
starlet and the tired mundanity of her everyday
Here, the claim to authenticity is, in fact, an affec-
life must not be mentioned; otherwise, the magical
tation – part of the stylised mask that creates the
world of beautiful appearance falls apart. Televi-
glamorous persona.
sion creates a powerful reality in which the female
The same split between reality and fiction is dis-
presenters are in a sense reflections of the audi-
played by Masha Malinovskaya (born 1981), who
ence’s fantasy. Glamorous people seem to present
presented the hit parade 10 Sexy on Mus-TV until
their inner selves for everyone to see. However, the
2005. In 2007, she published a book called ‘Men
glittering appearance of the glamorous star does
as Machines’. In contrast to Anfisa Chekhova, she
not truly reflect what is going on inside them, but
does not make any claims to authenticity in order
rather the lurid desires of the viewers.
to strengthen her glamorous image; instead, in an
interview she made it clear that she transforms her
real self in front of the camera into a fictional persona which has nothing to do with her true iden-
A BOUT
tity. Every week in front of the camera she pre-
Ulrich Schmid holds the chair of Russian Culture
tends to be a ‘worldly-wise, ironic, sometimes
and Society, University of St. Gallen. His research
slightly scandalous person with a sharp tongue’.4
interests include lifestyles, Alltagskultur and media
THE
AUTHOR:
in Russia, Polish and Ukrainian nationalism, liter3 http://rasklad.info/tv/woman/chehova/
4 http://www.maybe.ru/celebs/index.php?id=37
ary theory and aesthetics.
TH E G L A M O R O U S H E R O I N E S
OF
OK SA NA ROBSK I
Larissa Rudova
gla mou r &
f ict ion
‘Glamour is something you can wrap up very beau-
created a desirable fantasy world filled with luxury
tifully and sell as the national dream’ (Oksana
objects, exotic tourism and self-indulgence, and it
Robski)
used wealth and glamour as sources of entertain-
A member of the new Russian elite, Oksana Rob-
ment. After a decade and a half of chernukha, or
ski (b. 1968) was catapulted to fame when her first
bleak literature emphasising social misery and vio-
novel, Casual (2005), became a national bestseller.
lence, the public was ready for entertaining, pleas-
Casual provided the first detailed record of the
urable and accessible reading matter, and Cas-
new elite’s lifestyle and introduced to Russian lit-
ual, as well as Robski’s subsequent books, offered
erature a new character type, chelovek glamurnyi
glamour as a panacea for all of life’s drama.
(homo glamourosus), who expressed the ideology
To date, Robski has published seven glamour nov-
of affluence, conspicuous consumption, narcissism
els, one of which she co-authored with the celebrity
and indifference to social and political problems.
socialite Kseniya Sobchak, a cookbook, a collec-
In capturing the spirit of Putin’s Russia, Casual
tion of short stories and a manual on upscale inte-
accomplished at least three tasks: it responded to
rior decorating. Her fiction has been translated into
the public’s curiosity about the lives of the rich; it
eighteen languages and has a domestic circula-
10
DECEMBER
f ict ion
6/2008
tion of two million copies. Despite Robski’s over-
mothers, usually casting the non-working female
whelming success with the readers, her fiction has
characters in negative roles. In the 1990s, wom-
been a constant target of negative criticism. Most
en’s detective fiction produced a number of mem-
critics attack her work for its lack of moral values,
orable working heroines. The most striking and
low professionalism, and imitation of such Amer-
original of them was Aleksandra Marinina’s Nas-
ican authors as Candace Bushnell, Loren Weis-
tya Kamenskaya, an undomesticated and ‘unfemi-
berger and Jackie Collins.
nine’ police officer who put her professional obli-
Casual has become a manifesto of glamour life and
gations above her family concerns. She did not
the master plot for the glamour genre. Its woman-
wear makeup, and her wardrobe was emphatically
centered plot is uncomplicated and has autobio-
desexualised.
graphical undercurrents. The novel’s first-person narrator is a young, beautiful and rich woman
who lives in a posh mansion in Rublyovka, a reallife elite suburb of Moscow, where tycoons and
celebrities have made their home. Her enviable
life is, however, disrupted when she discovers her
husband’s infidelity. Soon thereafter, while she is
planning revenge, he is brutally murdered, leaving her with their nine-year old daughter. The story
then follows the heroine’s attempt to overcome her
traumatic experience and ends with her encounter
with Prince Charming. Robski animates the novel
through the heroine’s successful and unsuccessful business ventures, high-end shopping sprees,
cocaine parties, fashionable dining, spa visits, lux-
How to Marry a Millionaire:
the two authors Robski and
Sobchak as covergirls
ury tourism, Botox sessions, plastic surgery and
Robski’s super-consuming and luxury-addicted
society gossip. Where Casual succeeds best is in
heroine is the exact opposite of Kamenskaya’s
its message that appearance and visibility are eve-
‘masculinised’ independent women. In the world
rything. This message is emphasised again and
of glamour fiction, women are neither caring moth-
amplified in How to Marry a Millionaire (Eksmo
ers nor good housewives, nor are they interested
2007).
in anything outside their narrow comfort zone.
Robski’s heroines are highly successful in soci-
They cannot stand on their own either. In those
ety and, as a rule, their ascent on the social ladder
cases when they do, their wealth inevitably comes
does not depend on good education or professional
from men. The social configuration of gender rela-
ambition but rather on their physical beauty, sex
tionships in Robski’s fiction thus supports the all-
appeal and ability to manipulate wealthy and pow-
pervasive mysogyny in Russian society. Her con-
erful men. They are a new breed in Russian fic-
struction of womanhood flies in the face of such
tion and, for the most part, literary critics dislike
women authors as Viktoriya Tokareva, Ludmila
them. Pampered and non-working, these heroines
Petrushevskaya, Ludmila Ulitskaya, and others
go against the grain of the Russian literary tradition
who explore the complexity of women’s domestic
that elevates socially engaged, working women or
and professional lives in Russia.
11
DECEMBER
f ict ion
6/2008
The success of Robski’s fiction among a broad
in light of this social disengagement that Robski’s
spectrum of readers reminds us how Russian soci-
glamour fiction appears as a dangerous ideology
ety has changed under Putin. As in Brezhnev’s
to many Russian critics.
time, the socially apathetic but politically mobilised population of today finds an outlet in glam-
R ECOMMENDED R EADING:
our culture and materialism, while leaving the pol-
Robski, Oksana. Casual. Trans. Antonina W.
itics to the powerful tycoons and politicians. It is
Bouis. New York: Regan, 2006.
I C HO OSE RUSSI A – I C HO OSE GL A MOU R!
Olga Mesropova
gla mou r &
p ol it ics
On the evening of March 2, 2008, while Russia was
become dazzling personifications of style, wealth,
still voting in the presidential elections, a concert
social status, power, youthfulness and conspicuous
entitled Ya vybirayu Rossiyu! (‘I choose Russia!’)
consumption. Whereas Putin himself might pro-
was taking place beneath the Kremlin’s walls. The
claim that he is the richest man in the world merely
show, organised by the Russian youth organiza-
because he ‘collects the emotions of the nation that
tion Rossiia molodaia (‘Young Russia’), featured
twice entrusted him to rule the country,’ the Rus-
prominent pop singers, rock groups and celebri-
sian media do not hesitate to discuss the ex-pres-
ties, such as Leonid Agutin, Stas Pekha, Mashina
ident’s luxurious Brioni suits, his exclusive Patek
Vremeni, Kuba, as well as the rock band Lyube
Phillipe watches and his lavish private jet replete
– reportedly Vladimir Putin’s personal favour-
with marble floors.
ite. At around 11:00 pm, President Putin and the
Clearly and consciously projecting a drastically
clear winner of the elections, Dmitrii Medvedev,
different persona from those of the aging and ‘fash-
briefly took the stage in front of the cheering crowd
ion-challenged’ Soviet- and Yeltsin-era leaders,
of over 20,000 young fans. Dressed in blue jeans
Putin – at 56 – purportedly serves as an embodi-
and a leather jacket, Medvedev assured the young-
ment of youthful physical strength and power as
sters that he planned to continue along his prede-
recently confirmed by the mass release of his DVD
cessor’s path, while Putin made an appeal to the
‘Let’s Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin.’ Russia’s
audience to ‘unite in the work for the good of all
current prime minister has also managed to appear
citizens of our great Motherland.’ Both politicians
shirtless in several photos published in the Rus-
left the stage with the crowd waving Russian flags
sian press, (accompanied by an exercise guide for
and chanting ‘Putin! Putin!’ with no less enthusi-
anyone wanting to acquire Putin’s physique1) and
asm than they had expressed for their favourite
has also figured prominently in the pages of the
pop stars just a few minutes before.
celebrity gossip glossy Tainy zvezd (‘The Secrets
These patriotic appeals by Russia’s two top pol-
of the Stars’).
iticians within the setting of a rock concert are
While Russia’s top politicians present their polit-
highly representative of a recent Russian tendency
ical personas within the frameworks of spectacle
to link politics with elements of popular spectacle
and glamour, glamorous celebrities and socialites
and stardom. In their country’s popular imagina-
themselves have become an inseparable component
tion, major politicians and celebrities alike have
1 For more on this, see kultura 3 (October), 2007.
12
DECEMBER
p ol it ics
6/2008
of the country’s political scene. In a peculiar mix
itarianism.’ The presentation of ideology, politics
of luxury and politics, Valentin Yudashkin, one
and power as a glamorous spectacle not only facil-
of Russia’s most prominent couturiers, has started
itates an overtly positive image of today’s Rus-
designing uniforms for the Russian military. Simi-
sian politicians and oligarchs, it also marginal-
larly, while generally focusing on fashion and style
ises public consideration of controversial or prob-
for men, the Russian version of Gentlemen’s Quar-
lematic issues.
terly simultaneously provides intellectual con-
As the prominent Russian writer, poet and cul-
tent: it commodifies the dissident writer Eduard
tural critic Lev Rubinshtein has recently argued,
glamur has become a convenient formula that
allows today’s regime in Russia to foster its citizens’ ‘non-participation,’ to promote individual
inertia and – to use Guy Debord’s terms2 – to instil
an apolitical submission to the ‘spectacle of consumption.’ Speaking in a 2006 instalment of Tatyana Tolstaya’s and Dunia Smirnova’s talk-show
Shkola zlosloviya (‘School of Scandal’), Rubinsh-
March 2, 2008; source: www.kremlin.ru/
eng/photoalbum201116.shtml
tein commented that ‘the current Russian government seems to be saying: “We have politicians to
Limonov and the non-conformist television jour-
take care of the thinking and decision-making. In
nalist Evgenii Kiselev by publishing their columns
the meantime you can – if you have the money –
amidst the glossy surroundings of chic advertise-
go on vacation in the Canary Islands, and if you
ments and advice columns for self-improvement.
don’t have the money you can read about other peo-
In another example of the peaceful co-existence
ple going to the Canary Islands.”’
of politics and the glamorous world of celebrity,
It is a given that politics has always involved some
Kseniya Sobchak, the scandalous socialite and
sort of spectacle. Whereas the Soviet regime was
daughter of the former mayor of St. Petersburg,
has added a layer of patina to her notoriety by
launching a Russian youth movement called ‘Everyone is free’ (Vse svobodny). In addition to the
proclaimed goal of creating ‘equal rights of selfrealisation’ for young Russian men and women,
membership in this organisation also affords free
entry to a number of swanky night clubs, as well
as discounts in high-end department stores and
February 21, 2008, Kazan; source: www.
kremlin.ru/eng/photoalbum 201116.shtml
travel agencies.
Asserting that glamour has clearly become the
replete with its own public displays, such as mili-
‘new national idea’ in contemporary Russia, some
tary parades and the Lenin Mausoleum, in today’s
Russian cultural commentators have discussed the
Russia, political power – fuelled by a torrent of pet-
fusion of political power, financial success and
rodollars – frames itself as a spectacle of glamour
glamorous imagery as ‘Putin’s glamour’ (putin-
and conspicuous consumption. In the meantime,
skii glamur) or, alternatively, ‘glamorous author-
2 Guy Debord, Society of the Spektacle, numerous editions.
13
DECEMBER
p ol it ics
6/2008
anyone can partake of the glossy side of Russian
sian at Iowa State University. Her publications have
politics by purchasing a hot new item on the Rus-
examined post-Soviet cultural discourse in Rus-
sian memorabilia market – portraits of Vladimir
sian film, television, popular literature and per-
Putin and Dmitrii Medvedev laid out entirely in
formance. She is also the author of Kinotalk. Rus-
Swarowski crystals.
sian Cinema for Conversation (Slavica Publishers, 2007) and the co-editor (with Seth Graham)
A BOUT
THE
AUTHOR:
of Uncensored? Re-Inventing Humor and Satire
Olga Mesropova is an Assistant Professor of Rus-
in Post-Soviet Russia (forthcoming).
TH E D E V I A N T N O R M : G L A M O U R
IN
R U S S I A N FA S H I O N
Kseniya Gusarova
a n alysis
Glamorous fashion is both a consequence of globalisation and a symptom of Russia’s internal social
problems. Of the latter, the most important is the tension created by social inequality. The underprivileged majority seek to mask their lack of real prospects by mimicking the outer appearance of the elite,
thus creating the phenomenon of ‘mass glamour’. On the other hand, the glamorous style inspires intense
antipathy among many, who see it as a visible symbol of social injustice. The criticism of glamour has
also become gendered in that the phenomenon is above all associated with women.
‘An assortment of string tops – tops with shoulder
azines and elite nightclubs. In Russia, however,
straps tied around the neck – are an integral ele-
‘glamorous’ fashion is not exclusively associated
ment of a glamorous young lady’s wardrobe. They
with show-biz stars or oligarchs and their inner
expose the shoulders and back – the sexiest parts
circle; it has become a genuinely mass phenome-
of the body, the display of which is not considered
non that has even spread to members of the lower-
vulgar’; this is how an article entitled ‘Glamour: an
middle classes. The use of the word ‘glamorous’ as
instruction manual’ from an online Russian wom-
either a compliment or insult has become extremely
en’s journal commentates upon current trends. The
common in everyday speech to refer to clothing and
issue also specified other elements of a glamorous
accessories, and not only on the pages of fashion
appearance: stiletto shoes, designer bags and sun-
magazines. Mass ‘glamour’ is confronted by the no
glasses, as well as an abundance of loud accesso-
less mass rhetoric directed against it.
ries. No description of this style is complete with-
As a result, one can say that glamour occupies a
out mentioning its favourite colours – pink, white,
central place in contemporary Russian culture; it
gold and various metallic hues – or the indispen-
is a point of reference which a considerable pro-
sable rhinestone decorations and common use of
portion of the country’s population – above all,
hearts and stars as ornamental motifs.
urban youth – use in one way or other to define
Similar apparel can be seen in any part of the world;
themselves. Both the popularity of glamorous fash-
the word ‘glamour’ is also international, drawing
ion and the vicious attacks on the infringement of
on the glamour of Hollywood, the unattainable aura
its rules are rooted in a specific socio-economic
emitted by top models, the world of glossy mag-
context.
14
DECEMBER
a n alysis
‘USED
TO
H AVE
A
LITTLE…’
6/2008
status of the privileged classes and has spurred the
In Russia, the system responsible for the material
wider public to consume in order to transform their
and symbolic ‘manufacture’ of glamour – bou-
external appearance to correspond with the ‘glam-
tiques, beauty parlours, glossy magazines and TV
orous’ model. A similar system exists throughout
programmes – emerged at the end of the 1990s; at
the world; the boundless allure of ‘glamour’ lies
the same time, the word ‘glamour’ entered popu-
in its partial attainability: it is possible to acquire
lar usage. The collapse of the USSR at the begin-
piecemeal the trappings of the elite, such as acces-
ning of the decade paved the way for this phenom-
sories and cosmetics, but not the whole lifestyle.
enon: a considerable proportion of the population
Russia is exceptional in that the middle classes are
was unable to find its feet under the new conditions
also striving to keep abreast of ‘glamorous’ fash-
and dropped into poverty. Meanwhile, successful
ion; many individuals spend the lion’s share of their
entrepreneurs, some of whom had close contacts
income – and not merely what is left over after buy-
to the criminal world, appeared on the scene and
ing necessities – on their external appearance.
came to form a new, wealthy class.
This paradox can be explained by the fact that
The mass media has given extensive coverage to
the dramatic social stratification that took place in
the new elite’s profligacy, presenting it as charming
Russian society at the beginning of the 1990s has
and turning it into a refined show. This confirms the
become even more deeply entrenched. There exist
R AMZAN K ADYROV –
A
LION
IN
A RMANI FURS (BIRGIT MENZEL)
‘Make money – not war’ was the slogan adopted by the nouveau-riche owners of hedge-fund shares at their yearly conference in England. Might it not also be apt for Chechnya’s young president? Ramzan Kadyrov (32) has been on
the political stage since the murder of his father Akhmad,
the former Chechen president; he has been president himself
since 2007. He does not only pride himself on rebuilding the
R.K., dressed in Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen and Ralf Lauren; source:
http://club-rf.ru/r20/news/3705
ruins of Grozny and restoring it to new splendour, not least
with two cinemas bearing the name ‘Hollywood’. He has
also acquired a taste for the luxury life of the new Russian
elite, in particular in the form of fast cars, boxing matches and
wild animals. He shares with the western shareholders a love of
risk. However, he does not seek this thrill by gambling in the
stock-exchange casino. Kadyrov likes to show in his own, private zoo complete with lions and pumas how he, himself a predator, teaches his opponents to ‘wag their tail’. Recently the Caucasian clan leader posed for the magazine Icons as a model for
Armani, Louis Vuitton and other designers. The warlord with
the James Bond look? Paradoxes are one of the most successful
marketing strategies of the glamour industry.
R.K. in his private zoo; source:
http://www.informacia.ru/2008/
news698.htm
15
DECEMBER
a n alysis
6/2008
enormous gulfs between the lifestyles enjoyed by
tus. As one might imagine, this is connected with
the elites and the middle classes, between the mid-
the importance of brands for glamorous fashion:
dle classes and the lower classes, and between those
top designers augment the aura of their rich and
in Moscow and those in the provinces. Moreover,
famous clients and act as a form of magical talis-
this gulf is growing, in part due to the taxation
man. However, the demand for certain brands has
system, which taxes all citizens at the same rate
spawned an industry of cheap copycat products,
regardless of the amount they earn. In the light of
available to almost everyone, which for the cas-
this, the mimicry of the upper classes hides the
ual observer are often indistinguishable from the
lack of opportunities for genuine social mobil-
originals. The inability to manufacture signs of
ity. Glamorous clothing denotes success; conse-
belonging to the elite that are not connected to the
quently, it improves one’s career prospects and
possession of expensive things has given rise to a
allows one to network better. Above all, women
constant search for luxury brands not yet known
have the chimerical possibility of vertical mobil-
to the broader public in order to preserve the sys-
ity in the form of a marriage or relationship with
tem of stratification.
a member of the elite. Such hopes are fuelled by
The mass media has repeatedly reacted to chang-
the mass media, which regularly produces lists of
ing tastes among the elite with guides to the sea-
the country’s most eligible bachelors – for exam-
son’s trends and advice on glamour written in the
ple, single bankers, industrial magnates and suc-
style of an ‘instruction manual’ similar to the one
cessful producers.
quoted at the beginning of this article. These texts
The fate of the majority of the Russian upper
are reminiscent of nineteenth-century guides to
class, particularly women, can be summed up in
etiquette, which allowed middle-class parvenus
the words of one icon of world glamour, Jennifer
to adopt the manners and posture of an aristocrat.
Lopez, in her ‘autobiographical’ song Jenny From
In a similar way, glamour is presented as a norm
the Block: ‘Used to have a little, now I have a lot’.
which is tied up with a certain social prestige. In
The singer is alluding to both her status as a self-
contrast to the extremely serious texts of the nine-
made woman and, at the same time, her continuing
teenth century, the model offered today can be
proximity to the ‘common people’ from whom she
the object of irony (‘The defining characteristic of
emerged. However, this formulation of the phrase
glamorous make-up is loads of colour on the lips’).
‘from rags to riches’ can also be understood neg-
Nevertheless, no doubt is cast upon the necessity
atively. The novelty of the Russian elite, alongside
of obeying these rules.
the obscurity with which they acquired their enormous wealth, gives rise to the simplistic conclu-
‘THE YOUNGEST D ESIGNER IN
sion that these people rose to their current position
FASHION’
‘by chance’ – that anyone could have done what
One of the most characteristic features of glam-
they did. Thus, the less fortunate adopt a ‘glam-
orous fashion is the top-down diffusion of mod-
orous’ appearance as a way of claiming that they
els to copy. The tastes of the Russian elite, which
too could belong to the privileged few but for the
draw on the extravagant fashions and wild night-
intervention of a clear social injustice.
life of Milan, determine the preferences of the mid-
The elite regard the lower classes’ infringement on
dle class, which in turn define the mass market. As
their status with disquiet; indeed, this has encour-
one researcher pointed out, ‘even the youth brand
aged new attempts to bolster their ‘chosen’ sta-
Mango mainly sells evening clothes in Moscow
THE
WORLD
OF
16
DECEMBER
a n alysis
6/2008
and is constantly reducing its range of simple cas-
tion. Indeed, Russian glamour shares this heteroge-
ual clothing’.
neity: it runs a broad gamut of styles – from golden
However, members of the upper class do not only
cocktail dresses to tracksuits and business attire.
create norms by selecting trend-setting styles.
The mention of ‘art’ in Plastinina’s definition sug-
As with western stars who place their names on
gests an understanding of fashion as a branch of
clothes, accessories and perfumes, Russian celeb-
artistic self-expression. In this she has the support
rities have sought to make inroads into this area.
of many of her peers, who not only wear her clothes
These brands’ products are more widely available
but also make their own apparel. The street fashion
than the brands preferred by the elites themselves,
competition conducted every season by the website
but ‘star’ names make these goods more attractive
be-in.ru has brought out an astonishing number of
by elevating them above the mass market.
girls aged 14 to 16 who are all trying to look ‘indi-
The case of Kira
vidual’, but nevertheless
Plastinina,
still conform to the aes-
who
was only 14 years
thetic of glamour.1
old
she
The figure of the girl
started working as
designer reflects glam-
a fashion designer,
orous fashion’s fun-
is atypical in that
damental myths about
she was completely
eternal youth. Mid-
unknown before the
dle age, not to men-
release of her first
tion old age, is incom-
collection.
Kira
patible with glamour,
owes her success
which demands a care-
to her father, Ser-
free and active lifestyle.
when
gei Plastinin, one of
the founders of the
company ‘Vimm-
Kira, now 15 years old,
Kira Plastinina, Paris Hilton and 15 year-old Karina
from Moscow in a skirt she made herself; photomontage: K. Gusarova
Bill-Dann’, a man-
sees 25 as the age limit
for her customers. Plastinina herself and the
ufacturer of milk products and soft drinks account-
models showing off her collection embody the fig-
ing for more than a third of the dairy products on
ure of the child-woman. Infantilism and overt sex-
the Russian market. He bankrolled the creation
uality are the defining characteristics of glamorous
of the ‘Kira Plastinina Style Studio’, set up the
style. Thus, extremely short skirts can either be a
business organisation and directed the marketing
reference to children’s clothing or the wardrobe of a
campaign. At the moment, ‘Kira Plastinina’ shops
seductress. It is not uncommon to find middle-aged
exist in more than thirty Russian cities, as well as
women in Kira Plastinina’s shops who are trying to
in Ukraine and Kazakhstan. In summer 2008, the
fit in with the culture of glamorous youth.
brand was introduced to Los Angeles.
Kira herself wears clothes from her own label, con-
‘I’m often asked how I would describe the style of
firming its ‘glamorousness’ with her status as a rich
my clothes. But I don’t know. Special, in some way.
heiress and the occasions at which she shows off
It seems to me to be “art-glamour-sporty”’. This
her apparel (high-society events and parties). The
definition reflects the eclecticism of Kira’s collec-
1 http://www.be-in.ru/streetfashion/2008/10/karina
17
DECEMBER
a n alysis
6/2008
designer believes it is possible to diversify ‘clas-
and face is sometimes more expensive than a com-
sical’ glamour and introduce elements of the style
plete wardrobe: it is possible to find imitations of
favoured by youth subculture. Thus, her autumn-
clothing brands, but physical perfection requires
winter collection of 2008–9 displayed the influence
substantial investment.
of skateboarders and hip-hoppers. For the spring-
The svelte and tanned glamorous body seems to
summer collection of 2008, the models posed in
be impervious to time and illness, and it does not
the industrial regions of Moscow in front of walls
fear cold when nude. The impression of eternal
covered in graffiti. These features of the urban sub-
youth is achieved with the help of various forms
culture aesthetic act in glamorous fashion as addi-
of cosmetic surgery, including the extremely popu-
tional symbols of youth and contemporaneity.
lar Botox injections used to combat wrinkles. This
It is interesting that the American version of Kira
works by blocking the nerve impulses that control
Plastinina’s website is in this ‘alternative’ style,
the facial muscles. A partially dead face is the cost
using expressive photomontages and predomi-
of stopping time.
nantly darker hues. The Russian-language site is
much more ‘glamorous’: the photos of the clothes
C RITICISM
are set against a white-pink zebra-patterned back-
The abuse of cosmetics, diets and sunbeds that
ground and the links are decorated with hearts and
is part and parcel of the culture of the glamorous
diamonds.
2
OF
GLAMOUR
body is believed to pose a serious medical risk. It
is thought that glamorous fashion endangers wom-
NOT JUST C LOTHES
en’s reproductive capabilities: those who regularly
Often, glamour does not exist as a separate disci-
wear high-heels deform their pelvis, and going out
pline; rather, it is characterised by its use of com-
in cold weather in short skirts and tops can bring
bination. In this way, the separate signs of sexual-
about pneumonia. This behaviour does not corre-
ity, youth and carefreeness impart an overall tone
spond to traditional conceptions of female roles,
to a suit: austere office clothing can thus be acces-
and women who engage in it have become the tar-
sorised with large, flamboyant costume jewellery
get of anti-glamorous rhetoric, which often takes
which lends a celebratory or festive ambience even
on a clearly sexist character.
in the workplace. The atmosphere of an evening
Hidden behind the aggressive attacks on glamour
party or get-together is essential to the existence
one often finds insecurity about status and pros-
of glamorous apparel, which demands from the
pects. A search of forums and blogs throws light
wearer the appropriate ‘star’ behaviour and deter-
on the character of the discomfort experienced by
mines the form of communication with those in
men when they meet glamorous, fashion-conscious
one’s immediate proximity.
women: they feel that these women size them up,
When creating a glamorous appearance, the out-
work out that they do no belong to the economic
fit plays a secondary role in comparison to a well-
elite and dismiss them from their thoughts. On the
groomed body, which is not only hidden but also
other hand, ‘unglamorous’ women suffer from the
accentuated by clothing. Low-cut necklines, short
frustration of having to compete with their better
skirts and bare shoulders, belly or back – the glam-
groomed and more confident rivals. Both genders
orous style builds upon these attempts to draw
are inclined to equate the observance of a glam-
attention to the erogenous zones. Care of the body
orous aesthetic with prostitution.
2 http://www.kiraplastinina.com/
A striking paradox exists in contemporary Rus-
18
DECEMBER
6/2008
sia: glamour is treated by a broad swathe of the
level of tolerance and an unwillingness to enter
population and media as mainstream, despite the
into a dialogue.
fact that from an aesthetic, ethical and even medical point of view it represents more of a deviation
From the Russian by Christopher Gilley
from the ‘norm’. This is an indication of the instability within Russian society today and the internal
A BOUT
oscillation between activity and passivity. ‘Mass’
Kseniya Gusarova is writing her doctoral thesis at
glamour signals the desire for social change, but
the Russian State University for the Humanities.
this longing has been redirected into the sphere
She specialises in the history and theory of cul-
of consumption. However, even the criticism of
ture. Her PhD deals with changes in standards of
glamour has so far rarely gone beyond the uncon-
hygiene and the concept of beauty in Russian cul-
structive expression of personal phobias, a low
ture in the first half of the twentieth century.
THE
AUTHOR:
A NTI-GLAMOUR (ILYA UTEKHIN)
The fashionable new novel Духless (dukh= spirit; Moscow: AST, 2006) by Sergei Minaev opposes
glamour, and with it pop music, bright young things in expensive restaurants, the denizens of fashionable clubs, high heels, rhinestone and long fingernails; it advocates a strident renunciation of glamour
as a style, subculture and ideology. Who is it aimed at? Those young people who prefer a more simple and economical method of self-expression than the pursuit of glamour.
The novel had an enormous print run. Its title satirises the fashionable trend in naming Russian works,
evident in, for example, Про любoff/on (‘About love’) by Oksana Robski, that combine Russian and
English words. It describes, not without humour, the world which it rejects as if from the inside. In
employing a familiar mode of speech, this work exploits a sure-fire, tried-and-tested stylistic recipe:
the writer finds the profane and down-to-earth in that which is normally thought of as extravagant and
beautiful, in order to strip away all masks and pretensions. The hero throws up in an expensive restaurant; the characters consume excessive amounts of alcohol and drugs, and expound on their understanding of history between the third and fourth joint. The emphatic naturalism comes off, whichever
way you turn it, as kind of glamorous.
This is because glamour easily absorbs its opposites when there is the possibility of commercial success; it allows someone to make money by pretending to take part in the glamorous life for those who
themselves do not belong to this subculture, but are ready to cough up their hard-earned cash in order
to gain a feeling of complicity in the goings on described by the glossy magazines.
19