Men with high levels of testosterone are attracted to women with highly feminine faces, a new study suggests. Eva Longoria, who plays Gabrielle in Desperate Housewives, Evangeline Lilly from the TV drama Lost and the film star Natalie Portman are among those who fit the bill.At the same time women with raised levels of the hormone tend to be drawn to highly masculine men like the James Bond actor Daniel Craig, say the researchers.The study, the first into the role testosterone plays in the attraction of the sexes, involved a series of tests involving 70 women and 30 men in which testosterone levels were measured on each occasion.
Levels of the hormone fluctuate in individuals on a daily basis and the researchers found that attitudes changed depending on the testosterone level.
The results also suggested an overall preference for women and men with more feminine features, which suggests that the "tall, dark and handsome" stereotype, emphasising macho features, is not after all the most attractive male form.
The researchers said people were not always attracted to the same type of face, but would find different people attractive depending on their testosterone levels.
A woman might therefore find herself drawn to the masculine Russell Crowe one day, and the more delicately featured Orlando Bloom the next day.
Dr Ben Jones, a psychology lecturer at Aberdeen University where the study was conducted, said the results showed that someone's "type" could change quite significantly over time.However, high testosterone levels consistently prompted people to choose "high quality" mates.He added: "When men's testosterone levels were high, they were more attracted to feminine women. When women's testosterone levels were high, they were more attracted to masculine men."Since masculine men and feminine women are thought to produce the healthiest children and sex drive is higher when testosterone levels are also high, these findings suggest that men and women in hormonal states where their interest in sex is highest show stronger attraction to high-quality, or healthy, mates."
Participants were asked to complete face preference tests over a period of a month in which they were shown pairs of masculine and feminine faces. They were asked to choose which version of the same face was most attractive.
In each session, volunteers also provided a saliva sample which was used to measure testosterone levels.Levels tend to be higher in women at ovulation during the menstrual cycle and therefore they were drawn to masculine men at that point.
Participants were shown photos of the opposite sex and the same sex, which revealed that high testosterone levels made no difference to men in terms of the males they rated as attractive.
However, women also found masculine women attractive when they had high levels of the hormone. Although Dr Jones said this may also have been because they felt "more negative" about attractive women at the time.
The researchers are now planning to study the role of voices and odour in sexual attraction. The facial attractiveness test used by the psychologists is available online at www.faceresearch.org
Monday 15 September 2008
A man who smells good to one woman doesn't necessarily smell good to another. "There is no ' Brad Pitt of smell,
Taking a contraceptive pill messes with Mother Nature in more ways than one, according to a new study by a scientist at the University of Liverpool in England.
In its effort to prevent pregnancy, the Pill alters a woman's sense of smell, which is one of the ways she decides, consciously and unconsciously, which men she is attracted to. When on the Pill, she is attracted to men with similar genes, the study revealed. With these men, she is more likely to have a miscarriage or a baby who has a compromised immune system, or suffer from infertility. When she is not on the Pill, her nose tells her to choose men who are genetically dissimilar, which increases her chances of producing a healthy child. It is Survival of the Fittest 101.In the study, which was led by Dr. Craig Roberts, lecturer in evolutionary psychology, 100 women were asked to indicate their preferences of six male body odor samples. Roberts tested women before and after their use of the Pill, which took research one step further from the 1995 study by Claus Wedekind that linked scent to selection by genes."Makes sense," says matchmaker Barbie Adler, president of Chicago-based Selective Search. "We don't usually hear the word 'smell' when people tell us if they like or don't like someone, but that is part of it. Usually, they use the word 'chemistry' or 'intuition.' "The Roberts study helps explain the science behind the intuition, says Rachel Herz, Brown University visiting professor of psychiatry and human behavior and the author of "The Scent of Desire" (William Morrow, $24.95). "Except for identical twins, each of us has a unique set of MHC (major histocompatibility complex) genes, which is the genotype for our immune system," explains Herz. "Our body odor is the external manifestation of this."
A man who smells good to one woman doesn't necessarily smell good to another. "There is no ' Brad Pitt of smell,' " says Herz.When people meet potential mates, their noses tell them if they have similar or dissimilar genes and immune systems, according to Herz and Roberts. Mating with someone with similar genes increases the chances of a baby having negative recessive traits such as Tay-Sachs.In terms of hormones, the Pill tells a woman's body she is pregnant. This could explain why women on the Pill choose men who smell like family members, because they could protect her while she is vulnerable. Off the Pill, nature takes over, so she seeks genetically dissimilar mates.The time of month affects a woman's ability to sniff out mates too. Her gene-smelling ability is keenest around ovulation, says Herz, when it exceeds a man's. During menstruation, her ability is less than a man's. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to use sight to locate what their eyes tell them are fertile mates: women with healthy-looking skin and hair and a waist-to-hip ratio of 7:10.The Pill isn't the only way people alter their scent detecting, adds Herz. "Men can mask their odors by wearing, for example, colognes," she says. Does this mean a woman will ditch a man when she discovers his real body odor? Not necessarily, says Herz. "If he has masked his real smell with a strong fragrance such as Axe, and you fall in love with him, and then he later reveals his real smell, it will be positive to you because of your positive feelings for him," she says.Does all this fly in the face of society's definition of eligible men as rich, successful and intelligent? Herz's studies have shown that body odor wins. One of her test respondents said, "If I'm with a guy who smells really good, nothing else about him matters."Yet, Herz offers an explanation of why so many successful men seem to have their choice of women: On average, these men are healthier and not plagued with illness, so their body odor is more likely to be pleasant.
"This doesn't necessarily mean that Donald Trump is the right MHC match for model Melania Knauss," writes Herz in her book. "But it does mean that he probably smells better fresh out of the shower than someone his same age whom you meet at the unemployment center."Roberts' study, which brings attention to a field that is ripe for additional studies, raises as many questions as it answers, says Herz. Yes, she says, "I don't like the way he smells" is a common complaint among women in marital counseling. And, she says in her book, infertility clinics report that couples who are MHC-similar have a harder time conceiving.But, are women messing with the future of our race by choosing mates while they are on the Pill? That, says Herz, is what we still don't know.Next up for Roberts, he said in an e-mail, is to study couples' experiences outside of the laboratory. This could tell scientists, he said, the secondary effects "in terms of within-couple infertility and, potentially, on child health and relationship outcomes."Not to mention, he said, the possible "breakdown of relationships when women stop using the contraceptive pill."
In its effort to prevent pregnancy, the Pill alters a woman's sense of smell, which is one of the ways she decides, consciously and unconsciously, which men she is attracted to. When on the Pill, she is attracted to men with similar genes, the study revealed. With these men, she is more likely to have a miscarriage or a baby who has a compromised immune system, or suffer from infertility. When she is not on the Pill, her nose tells her to choose men who are genetically dissimilar, which increases her chances of producing a healthy child. It is Survival of the Fittest 101.In the study, which was led by Dr. Craig Roberts, lecturer in evolutionary psychology, 100 women were asked to indicate their preferences of six male body odor samples. Roberts tested women before and after their use of the Pill, which took research one step further from the 1995 study by Claus Wedekind that linked scent to selection by genes."Makes sense," says matchmaker Barbie Adler, president of Chicago-based Selective Search. "We don't usually hear the word 'smell' when people tell us if they like or don't like someone, but that is part of it. Usually, they use the word 'chemistry' or 'intuition.' "The Roberts study helps explain the science behind the intuition, says Rachel Herz, Brown University visiting professor of psychiatry and human behavior and the author of "The Scent of Desire" (William Morrow, $24.95). "Except for identical twins, each of us has a unique set of MHC (major histocompatibility complex) genes, which is the genotype for our immune system," explains Herz. "Our body odor is the external manifestation of this."
A man who smells good to one woman doesn't necessarily smell good to another. "There is no ' Brad Pitt of smell,' " says Herz.When people meet potential mates, their noses tell them if they have similar or dissimilar genes and immune systems, according to Herz and Roberts. Mating with someone with similar genes increases the chances of a baby having negative recessive traits such as Tay-Sachs.In terms of hormones, the Pill tells a woman's body she is pregnant. This could explain why women on the Pill choose men who smell like family members, because they could protect her while she is vulnerable. Off the Pill, nature takes over, so she seeks genetically dissimilar mates.The time of month affects a woman's ability to sniff out mates too. Her gene-smelling ability is keenest around ovulation, says Herz, when it exceeds a man's. During menstruation, her ability is less than a man's. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to use sight to locate what their eyes tell them are fertile mates: women with healthy-looking skin and hair and a waist-to-hip ratio of 7:10.The Pill isn't the only way people alter their scent detecting, adds Herz. "Men can mask their odors by wearing, for example, colognes," she says. Does this mean a woman will ditch a man when she discovers his real body odor? Not necessarily, says Herz. "If he has masked his real smell with a strong fragrance such as Axe, and you fall in love with him, and then he later reveals his real smell, it will be positive to you because of your positive feelings for him," she says.Does all this fly in the face of society's definition of eligible men as rich, successful and intelligent? Herz's studies have shown that body odor wins. One of her test respondents said, "If I'm with a guy who smells really good, nothing else about him matters."Yet, Herz offers an explanation of why so many successful men seem to have their choice of women: On average, these men are healthier and not plagued with illness, so their body odor is more likely to be pleasant.
"This doesn't necessarily mean that Donald Trump is the right MHC match for model Melania Knauss," writes Herz in her book. "But it does mean that he probably smells better fresh out of the shower than someone his same age whom you meet at the unemployment center."Roberts' study, which brings attention to a field that is ripe for additional studies, raises as many questions as it answers, says Herz. Yes, she says, "I don't like the way he smells" is a common complaint among women in marital counseling. And, she says in her book, infertility clinics report that couples who are MHC-similar have a harder time conceiving.But, are women messing with the future of our race by choosing mates while they are on the Pill? That, says Herz, is what we still don't know.Next up for Roberts, he said in an e-mail, is to study couples' experiences outside of the laboratory. This could tell scientists, he said, the secondary effects "in terms of within-couple infertility and, potentially, on child health and relationship outcomes."Not to mention, he said, the possible "breakdown of relationships when women stop using the contraceptive pill."
Minutes after having sex with her boyfriend, a 35-year-old woman suffered a stroke, paralysing the left side of her face
Minutes after having sex with her boyfriend, a 35-year-old woman suffered a stroke, paralysing the left side of her face. But she miraculously recovered after therapy.Loyola University Medical Centre doctors attributed the stroke to related factors including birth control pills, a venous blood clot, sexual intercourse and a heart defect. Birth control pills slightly increase the risk of blood clots. Doctors believe a small clot formed in one of the veins in her thigh, broke loose and moved to the right atrium, the heart’s upper right pumping chamber. Normally in such cases, the clot will get pumped out of the right atrium and travel to the lungs, where it may harmlessly dissolve.Pressure changes in the heart, triggered by sex, enabled the clot to travel through the hole from the right atrium to the left. From there, the clot travelled up to the brain. According to Jose Biller, co-author of the report at the department of neurology, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, the woman was taken to a community hospital, then transferred to Loyola. A neuroradiologist inserted a catheter (thin tube) into a groin artery, and guided it up to the spot in the brain where the clot was lodged. Soon the clot began to dissolve. The improvement was immediate and dramatic.The unique case has been described in the Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease.
Wednesday 10 September 2008
sexual practices such as multiple partners and anal sex and that both binge drinking and risky sexual behaviours are more hazardous to women than men.
Binge drinkers, defined as having more than five drinks at one time, are more likely to indulge in unsafe sexual practices such as multiple partners and anal sex and that both binge drinking and risky sexual behaviours are more hazardous to women than men.For their study the researchers analyzed the data collected from 671 STD patients being evaluated or treated at a clinic of whom 322 were men and 349 females.
The participants were asked a range of questions about their recent alcohol/drug use and risky sexual behaviours using an audio computer-assisted-self interview technology.According to Dr. Heidi E. Hutton, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences, the study showed that binge drinking among women STD-clinic patients was associated with certain risky sexual behaviours.
Dr. Hutton says that women binge drinkers were three times more likely to have anal sex, and twice as likely to have multiple sex partners compared to women who do not drink alcohol. Women binge drinkers were also five times more likely to have gonorrhea as compared to non-drinking women.Dr. Geetanjali Chander, an assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins, says that binge drinking results in a decreased ability to make clear decisions and can enable individuals to engage in behaviours that they would not if sober.Dr. Hutton says the link between binge drinking and risky sexual behavior is complex and there are gender differences, and binge drinking increases the STD risk for women.Dr Chander says while some drink to be less inhibited, less anxious or because they are depressed, expecting alcohol to alleviate their symptoms, many people fail to realise the potential risk or harm that may result from binge drinking.Dr. Chander says gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease which reflects unsafe sexual practices and this association between binge drinking and high-risk sexual behaviours is especially important as risky behaviours are associated with HIV acquisition and transmission.
Dr. Hutton says that both binge drinking and risky sexual behaviors are more hazardous to women than men and when women and men consume the same amount of alcohol, women will have a higher concentration of alcohol in their system, and substantially greater alcohol-caused impairment than men.
Also anatomical differences mean women are at a greater risk than men of contracting some sexually transmitted infections - men transmit some infections to women more efficiently than women do to men - men are eight to 10 times more likely to transmit HIV to a female partner through repeated, unprotected sexual intercourse than women are to transmit the virus to men.The researchers say the gender-specific association between binge drinking and risky behaviors shown in the study calls for more research and they suggest that STD clinics routinely screen for binge drinking.
The participants were asked a range of questions about their recent alcohol/drug use and risky sexual behaviours using an audio computer-assisted-self interview technology.According to Dr. Heidi E. Hutton, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences, the study showed that binge drinking among women STD-clinic patients was associated with certain risky sexual behaviours.
Dr. Hutton says that women binge drinkers were three times more likely to have anal sex, and twice as likely to have multiple sex partners compared to women who do not drink alcohol. Women binge drinkers were also five times more likely to have gonorrhea as compared to non-drinking women.Dr. Geetanjali Chander, an assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins, says that binge drinking results in a decreased ability to make clear decisions and can enable individuals to engage in behaviours that they would not if sober.Dr. Hutton says the link between binge drinking and risky sexual behavior is complex and there are gender differences, and binge drinking increases the STD risk for women.Dr Chander says while some drink to be less inhibited, less anxious or because they are depressed, expecting alcohol to alleviate their symptoms, many people fail to realise the potential risk or harm that may result from binge drinking.Dr. Chander says gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease which reflects unsafe sexual practices and this association between binge drinking and high-risk sexual behaviours is especially important as risky behaviours are associated with HIV acquisition and transmission.
Dr. Hutton says that both binge drinking and risky sexual behaviors are more hazardous to women than men and when women and men consume the same amount of alcohol, women will have a higher concentration of alcohol in their system, and substantially greater alcohol-caused impairment than men.
Also anatomical differences mean women are at a greater risk than men of contracting some sexually transmitted infections - men transmit some infections to women more efficiently than women do to men - men are eight to 10 times more likely to transmit HIV to a female partner through repeated, unprotected sexual intercourse than women are to transmit the virus to men.The researchers say the gender-specific association between binge drinking and risky behaviors shown in the study calls for more research and they suggest that STD clinics routinely screen for binge drinking.
new study of cervical cancer survivors has challenged commonly held perception of hormones' role in sexual activity
new study of cervical cancer survivors has challenged commonly held perception of hormones' role in sexual activity, after finding that the 'fighters' reported satisfying sex lives following surgical intervention. The study details the sexual experiences of women who presumably had no hormonally-motivated sexual behaviour or interest. Surgical intervention for cervical cancer often involves removing the ovaries, which reduces or eliminates circulating testosterone. The hormone is a factor in both male and female sexual behaviour. "Our findings, which demonstrate the existence of widespread interest and satisfaction with sex in the absence of a crucial hormone underscore the importance of non-hormonal components of sexual interest and satisfaction," said author Howard Greenwald.
He added: "That may mean the key to sexual satisfaction is less about biology and more about psychology." He claimed that during the first months and years following treatment for cervical cancer, women often struggle with what they perceive to be assault on their sexual organs and identity. In their study, the researchers found that after six years most women's sexual desire and enjoyment rebounds. The researchers found that more than 80 percent of the cervical cancer survivors reported being sexually active. Whereas, 81.4 percent said they sometimes, almost always or always desired sexual activity and 90.9 percent indicated they enjoyed sexual activity at least some of the time. "This observation is important because the public places so much emphasis on 'hormones' in sex and the pharmaceutical industry is poised to release a whole new generation of hormone-based drugs for female sexuality," said Greenwald. "A person's outlook, relationships and other factors may be just as important, or even more important." After cancer is diagnosed, doctors perform hysterectomies - surgical removal of the uterus - or oophorectomies - removal of one or both ovaries - to treat invasive cervical cancer.
The researchers found a difference in sexual interest between these two groupsa nd found that women with hysterectomies were less likely to report a lack of interest in sex compared to the other women.
Conversely, women who had oophorectomies were less likely to report they enjoyed sex compared to the other women. Oophorectomies typically affect circulating sexual hormones and results in reduced vaginal lubrication. "The women who've lost their ovaries, and thus the naturally circulating testosterone, are less likely to enjoy sex. However, women who''ve had this ovary-removing procedure are statistically no less likely to be sexually active or more likely to lack sexual desire than women who still have their ovaries," said Greenwald. "These results underscore how important it is to include people who are long-term survivors and to assess their quality of life in terms of their sexuality, their relationships with others, and their ability to be productive members of our society."
He added: "That may mean the key to sexual satisfaction is less about biology and more about psychology." He claimed that during the first months and years following treatment for cervical cancer, women often struggle with what they perceive to be assault on their sexual organs and identity. In their study, the researchers found that after six years most women's sexual desire and enjoyment rebounds. The researchers found that more than 80 percent of the cervical cancer survivors reported being sexually active. Whereas, 81.4 percent said they sometimes, almost always or always desired sexual activity and 90.9 percent indicated they enjoyed sexual activity at least some of the time. "This observation is important because the public places so much emphasis on 'hormones' in sex and the pharmaceutical industry is poised to release a whole new generation of hormone-based drugs for female sexuality," said Greenwald. "A person's outlook, relationships and other factors may be just as important, or even more important." After cancer is diagnosed, doctors perform hysterectomies - surgical removal of the uterus - or oophorectomies - removal of one or both ovaries - to treat invasive cervical cancer.
The researchers found a difference in sexual interest between these two groupsa nd found that women with hysterectomies were less likely to report a lack of interest in sex compared to the other women.
Conversely, women who had oophorectomies were less likely to report they enjoyed sex compared to the other women. Oophorectomies typically affect circulating sexual hormones and results in reduced vaginal lubrication. "The women who've lost their ovaries, and thus the naturally circulating testosterone, are less likely to enjoy sex. However, women who''ve had this ovary-removing procedure are statistically no less likely to be sexually active or more likely to lack sexual desire than women who still have their ovaries," said Greenwald. "These results underscore how important it is to include people who are long-term survivors and to assess their quality of life in terms of their sexuality, their relationships with others, and their ability to be productive members of our society."
1.5 million female condoms will be social-marketed to sex workers in four states this year as India
1.5 million female condoms will be social-marketed to sex workers in four states this year as India, with over 2.5 million HIV/AIDS patients, tries to empower women in its fight against the disease. The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) will focus on Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh with this programme. Sujatha Rao, director general, NACO, said a pilot project introducing female condoms to sex workers in 2007 has been a big success, and hence it was being scaled up about three- fold.
Hindustan Latex Ltd (HLL) is manufacturing the female condom for the Indian market through a technology transfer from Female Health Company, London.
The condom - the new generation of the product is known as FC2 - will be social-marketed to sex workers through NACO's 200 partner NGOs, which run targeted intervention sites for sex workers. "The product will have 100 per cent coverage in the four states and is expected to benefit a population of 200,000 sex workers," Kavitha Potturi of HLFPPT, the non-profit wing of HLL, said.
Women in sex work form a core population for the HIV prevention programme in India. Unprotected sex accounts for over 86 percent of HIV infections in the country.
The female condom is the only woman-controlled device currently available to prevent HIV transmission in India. It provides protection against unintended pregnancy as well as sexually transmitted diseases. Female Health Company, which produces the female condom used worldwide, says cost has been a major barrier in making it widely available to women at risk. FC2, the new product, has helped bring down costs. For the first time, FC2 is being manufactured in India by HLL at its plant in Kochi, bringing the per piece cost down to Rs.23 from Rs.45 - the price of the imported product. Under the social marketing programme, sex workers will now buy the female condom for Rs.3 instead of the Rs.5 they spent on it last year.
Rao said the programme will be scaled up further as demand increases. "The female condom is still a new product, not so easy to use. The demand for it has to be generated," she said. The female condom aims to cover gaps in condom use by putting more control in women's hands. Women who used the product in the pilot last year said it gives them more power. Many said it helped reduce sexually transmitted infections. Among the six states where the pilot project was conducted, it was most successful in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, the first three being high HIV prevalence states. Sex workers say although condom use with clients has increased in recent years, there is still the odd client who refuses to use one. Also, condom use is low with regular partners and husbands.
In Madurai, a sex worker in her mid-20s said insisting that husbands use condoms instigates violence and distrust. "Men ask, 'Why are you asking me to use a condom? Am I having an extramarital relationship? Or are you having one?'"
Many of the product's 'champions' are young women who say the female condom has come to their rescue in ensuring safety. Partner approval has been critical in making it possible for them to use it, women say.
Hindustan Latex Ltd (HLL) is manufacturing the female condom for the Indian market through a technology transfer from Female Health Company, London.
The condom - the new generation of the product is known as FC2 - will be social-marketed to sex workers through NACO's 200 partner NGOs, which run targeted intervention sites for sex workers. "The product will have 100 per cent coverage in the four states and is expected to benefit a population of 200,000 sex workers," Kavitha Potturi of HLFPPT, the non-profit wing of HLL, said.
Women in sex work form a core population for the HIV prevention programme in India. Unprotected sex accounts for over 86 percent of HIV infections in the country.
The female condom is the only woman-controlled device currently available to prevent HIV transmission in India. It provides protection against unintended pregnancy as well as sexually transmitted diseases. Female Health Company, which produces the female condom used worldwide, says cost has been a major barrier in making it widely available to women at risk. FC2, the new product, has helped bring down costs. For the first time, FC2 is being manufactured in India by HLL at its plant in Kochi, bringing the per piece cost down to Rs.23 from Rs.45 - the price of the imported product. Under the social marketing programme, sex workers will now buy the female condom for Rs.3 instead of the Rs.5 they spent on it last year.
Rao said the programme will be scaled up further as demand increases. "The female condom is still a new product, not so easy to use. The demand for it has to be generated," she said. The female condom aims to cover gaps in condom use by putting more control in women's hands. Women who used the product in the pilot last year said it gives them more power. Many said it helped reduce sexually transmitted infections. Among the six states where the pilot project was conducted, it was most successful in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, the first three being high HIV prevalence states. Sex workers say although condom use with clients has increased in recent years, there is still the odd client who refuses to use one. Also, condom use is low with regular partners and husbands.
In Madurai, a sex worker in her mid-20s said insisting that husbands use condoms instigates violence and distrust. "Men ask, 'Why are you asking me to use a condom? Am I having an extramarital relationship? Or are you having one?'"
Many of the product's 'champions' are young women who say the female condom has come to their rescue in ensuring safety. Partner approval has been critical in making it possible for them to use it, women say.
Diane English has managed to make the "Sex and the City" movie look like a documentary.
Diane English has managed to make the "Sex and the City" movie look like a documentary.With her remake of George Cukor's 1939 cat fight "The Women," based on the play by Clare Booth Luce, English has applied all the lighthearted instincts of her sitcom background and seemingly none of the insights of the source material.
"The Women" was intended as a satire of society mavens and their frivolous lives; in directing for the first time and writing the script, the "Murphy Brown" creator has turned it into a celebration. Sure, it has an all-female cast of solid actresses, as did the original (though perhaps not quite the stellar collection that included Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford and Rosalind Russell).But Cukor's tone and timing are missing: It's as if English has included all the boutiques but none of the bite. And F. Scott Fitzgerald did uncredited work on the first script. Now there's someone who knew a little something about class distinctions, a perspective that's hard to match.
Meg Ryan does her patented cutesy thing in the Shearer role as Mary Haines, a wealthy Connecticut wife and mother who learns that her husband is having an affair. The other woman? Still the perfume girl at the Saks Fifth Avenue cosmetics counter, the role that helped catapult Crawford to fame, played here with cartoony va-va-voominess by Eva Mendes.Mary's friends, including magazine editor Sylvie Fowler (Annette Bening), rally around her in her time of need, offering snappy one-liners and broad facial expressions. Basically, their support consists of that great female pick-me-up, shopping. There are also lunches and dinners in which we must sit and watch the characters rehashing events we've already seen on screen, which is about as compelling as it sounds. It's also a preferred tactic on "The Hills," if that tells you anything about the amount of substance "The Women" offers.But considering the potentially meaty issues these women are facing — marriage, motherhood, career, identity — all their troubles wrap up way too quickly and neatly. Mary whips up one of those self-help vision boards — you know, the kind Oprah espouses, based on her fervent following of "The Secret" — and she figures it all out in no time. (Besides extolling the oversimplified mysticism of author Rhonda Byrne and the like, "The Women" also serves as an ad for designers Narciso Rodriguez and Marc Jacobs and the high-end lingerie line La Perla. Even the no-nonsense Sylvie has her scruffy lap dog on a Burberry leash.)Debra Messing's character, a hippie artist, gets little more to do than pop out babies, which sets up the kind of lazy ending you'd find in the most hackneyed chick flick. Meanwhile, Jada Pinkett Smith as a predatory lesbian novelist feels like even more of an afterthought — and an insulting one, at that. And Debi Mazar, as the gossipy manicurist who dishes about Mary's husband's infidelity, comes off as a gum-chewing Queens anachronism, a clunky attempt by English to remain true to the original material while simultaneously updating it for modern audiences.
English's "Murphy Brown" star Candice Bergen and Cloris Leachman briefly liven and class things up as Mary's mother and housekeeper, respectively. But the few moments that contain any semblance of truth or realism come from Mary's preteen daughter, Molly (India Ennenga), who's insecure about her body thanks to the oversaturation of impossible female images she sees all around her.But then, how does her mother achieve her own sense of liberation and self-worth? By stitching together a fashion collection and runway show, complete with emaciated models. Her greatest dilemma after that is whether to say yes to the offer from Saks to sell her designs.
Ironically, Mary probably would have contributed more to the world by putting on yet another charity luncheon at her Greenwich mansion.
"The Women," a Picturehouse release, is rated PG-13 for sex-related material, language, some drug use and brief smoking. Running time: 114 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
"The Women" was intended as a satire of society mavens and their frivolous lives; in directing for the first time and writing the script, the "Murphy Brown" creator has turned it into a celebration. Sure, it has an all-female cast of solid actresses, as did the original (though perhaps not quite the stellar collection that included Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford and Rosalind Russell).But Cukor's tone and timing are missing: It's as if English has included all the boutiques but none of the bite. And F. Scott Fitzgerald did uncredited work on the first script. Now there's someone who knew a little something about class distinctions, a perspective that's hard to match.
Meg Ryan does her patented cutesy thing in the Shearer role as Mary Haines, a wealthy Connecticut wife and mother who learns that her husband is having an affair. The other woman? Still the perfume girl at the Saks Fifth Avenue cosmetics counter, the role that helped catapult Crawford to fame, played here with cartoony va-va-voominess by Eva Mendes.Mary's friends, including magazine editor Sylvie Fowler (Annette Bening), rally around her in her time of need, offering snappy one-liners and broad facial expressions. Basically, their support consists of that great female pick-me-up, shopping. There are also lunches and dinners in which we must sit and watch the characters rehashing events we've already seen on screen, which is about as compelling as it sounds. It's also a preferred tactic on "The Hills," if that tells you anything about the amount of substance "The Women" offers.But considering the potentially meaty issues these women are facing — marriage, motherhood, career, identity — all their troubles wrap up way too quickly and neatly. Mary whips up one of those self-help vision boards — you know, the kind Oprah espouses, based on her fervent following of "The Secret" — and she figures it all out in no time. (Besides extolling the oversimplified mysticism of author Rhonda Byrne and the like, "The Women" also serves as an ad for designers Narciso Rodriguez and Marc Jacobs and the high-end lingerie line La Perla. Even the no-nonsense Sylvie has her scruffy lap dog on a Burberry leash.)Debra Messing's character, a hippie artist, gets little more to do than pop out babies, which sets up the kind of lazy ending you'd find in the most hackneyed chick flick. Meanwhile, Jada Pinkett Smith as a predatory lesbian novelist feels like even more of an afterthought — and an insulting one, at that. And Debi Mazar, as the gossipy manicurist who dishes about Mary's husband's infidelity, comes off as a gum-chewing Queens anachronism, a clunky attempt by English to remain true to the original material while simultaneously updating it for modern audiences.
English's "Murphy Brown" star Candice Bergen and Cloris Leachman briefly liven and class things up as Mary's mother and housekeeper, respectively. But the few moments that contain any semblance of truth or realism come from Mary's preteen daughter, Molly (India Ennenga), who's insecure about her body thanks to the oversaturation of impossible female images she sees all around her.But then, how does her mother achieve her own sense of liberation and self-worth? By stitching together a fashion collection and runway show, complete with emaciated models. Her greatest dilemma after that is whether to say yes to the offer from Saks to sell her designs.
Ironically, Mary probably would have contributed more to the world by putting on yet another charity luncheon at her Greenwich mansion.
"The Women," a Picturehouse release, is rated PG-13 for sex-related material, language, some drug use and brief smoking. Running time: 114 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
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