Pop Culture

Does Wearing Lipstick Make You Smarter? Harvard Study Seems To Think So 0 13

You know that wise, old saying “boys are from Jupiter cause they’re more stupider.” Well perhaps they’re stupid because they’re from Jupiter or perhaps it’s because they’re not wearing lipstick.

If you’re like my boyfriend, chances are if I’m wearing anything on my lips that’s not Chapstick I’m not getting any kisses. It’s like I have the plague.

But those tables may be turning as a new Harvard study found that those who wear makeup can feel smarter, and can lead to better grades.

Skeptical? Let’s see the results.

According to researchers from Harvard Medical School and the University of Chieti, Italy the ‘lipstick effect’ is a psychological phenomenon in which wearing cosmetics can make an individual feel a sense of overall enhancement in self-esteem, attitude, and personality. And according to the research, it was discovered that female students who wear makeup cognitively benefit from this phenomenon.

The effect of makeup even proved to be a better predictor for higher grades than mood boosters like listening to positive music.

In the study, the team sorted 186 female undergraduate students into groups and gave them a simulated multiple choice university examination about general psychology.

Prior, the groups undertook different mood-influencing tasks, including listening to a ‘positive music excerpt,’ coloring a drawing of a human face and applying makeup.

The researchers – led by Rocco Palumbo, a Cognitive Neuroscience PhD at Harvard Medical School – hypothesized the makeup group would experience the greatest lift in positive feelings and therefore outperform the other two groups on the test.

“In line with our predictions, we found a significant effect of make-up on a multiple-choice test performance, with scores being significantly higher compared to those obtained after listening to positive music and coloring a face,” the researchers wrote in an academic paper published in Cogent Psychology.

Of course, many people find this to be sexist and untrue, and a perpetuating stigmatization of the gender bias. What do you think?

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Retailer Selling ‘Sexually Inappropriate’ Babygrow Sparks Outrage from Furious Parents 0 19

One of the best parts about having a child is getting to dress him or her up in all sorts of funny clothing and taking photos of them. In all the photo albums that my mum has at home, I can be seen sporting a beret, dungarees, bright red shoes and a variety of other garish garments. I look at them now and think “what on earth was she thinking?” but in all honestly, I looked hilarious (and sometimes kind of cool?).Baby clothing is incredible, there’s nothing sweeter than when you’re shopping and you see the little baby shoes or babygrows. However, one thing you don’t really want to see when you’re looking at the old photos of you as a child is a crude sex joke scrawled across your torso.

It seems like one store doesn’t understand this basic sentiment, and has landed itself in some seriously hot water with parents over the babygrows they are currently stocking.The retailer B&M Bargains has been stocking various different baby outfits which have different slogans surrounding how the children were conceived. The items were picked up by mumsnet user Jarhead123 and has since got viral on the forum, with many parents calling the items “gross” and “offensive”. Take a look at one example below:

Unsurprisingly, the general consensus on the thread is that the clothing is vulgar and shouldn’t be worn by a baby.However, some parents believe that not only is the item unacceptable, it also “trivialises rape” and shouldn’t be allowed to be sold, “This trivialises rape and that is never okay. How are these things allowed to exist?” said one user. Another user supported this belief, saying “That’s really gross. And so disturbing at the same time. [You] Might as well put the baby in something that says ‘I’m the by-product of rape’.” While another parent said the item could have a lasting legacy when looking through photos as you get older, “It implies she didn’t want a child, which is still a pretty horrible thing to find when you’re looking through your baby photos in ten years time”.

While parents have been quick to lambast B&M for stocking and selling the babygrows, many have also said it’s not the first time they’ve seen vulgar items of clothing being made for little ones.One mum revealed how her husband was given a crude babygrow by his boss when their daughter was born: “My husband was given one of the ‘All daddy wanted was a b***job’ vests by his ex boss when our first daughter was born.” And other mums also claimed they’d seen babies wearing onesies saying “Daddy’s little squirt” complete with a picture of a smiling sperm cell.

It also appears that some online retailers have been selling similar clothing with sexualised slogans such as “My dad is a motherfucker” and “Hung like a six-year-old”. B&M are yet to issue a statement surrounding the babygrows, but I get the feeling they won’t be on shelves for much longer.