The Power of Glamour: Longing and the Art of Visual Persuasion Paperback – May 30, 2017

An unusually interesting book. The questions it raises, the suggestions it makes, teased my mind for many hours between reading sessions.Virginia Postrel asserts, and asserts very convincingly, that `glamour' is something different from beauty or sexiness, from fame, wealth or style; in spite of the fact that many such attributes seem to typically hover around a glamourous figure.She seems to believe that the perception of `glamour' is a relatively modern social phenomenon. It has something to do with the modern idea that the form and content of peoples' lives can be to a large extent of their own making. People are not necessarily doomed to accept the limitations and the drudgery of the former `lower classes'. The word `glamourous' is most often applied to individuals, less often to places or even objects that are potentially associated with glamourous individuals.Glamour seems to be a concept known to both sexes, but differing in its various forms for each of them. Male glamour, one supposes, may well be older than female glamour, because it was originally associated with warfare or with phenomenal business success. It was only in the nineteenth century that glamour seems to have appeared as a persistent yearning in women, because before that the possibilities that were available for women to have any say in either their life-styles or their occupations were almost nil. And the idea of glamour is not total fantasy. It seems to require the faint perception of at least a far-out possibility. The glamourous figure is not just adored, he or she is an inspiration who, in imagination, might be emulated.Glamour for the nineteenth century woman in both Europe and America was largely centered on wealth and beautiful possessions, frequently cloth and clothes. In certain sophisticated circles, however, (especially in European high society) the concept of a sexual freedom more equal to that granted to men did appear and take on a glamourous aspect. Glamour is a social phenomenon, and the forms it takes for different people depend on what their peers find desirable as well as on the individual who feels the longing. It is not the same thing as style, but it shares the same kind of social energy.The perception of glamour became much more widespread in the twentieth century and began to evolve and rapidly change its forms. The movement of populations into large cities, the widespread use of photography, the near universal literacy, the cinema, the generally improving living standards--all of these things contributed to this evolution, because glamour is, in part, a social phenomenon. Rather, perhaps, it is an individual phenomenon which tries to reconcile the dreams and longings of the individual with the requirements and the possibilities of society.Glamour in the twentieth century became less differentiated by sex and more differentiated in the areas and the activities which it invested. All glamour now, at least, seems to require a strong suggestion of excitement as well as degree of self-assuredness and effortless self-control that might be called serenity but is more often described these days as `cool'. The glamourous individual is in command of his or her situation, but at the same time, that situation is felt to be rich in excitement, in adventure, in possibilities which keep on revealing themselves, but have no specific form.It occurred to me, reading this book, that glamour is essentially a vision of adulthood on the part of a young person. It is not the vision he or she was trained to expect or strive for. It is not dull or demanding of great effort and everlasting incremental advancements or (worse) failures. Responsibility is taken seriously, but carried easily. Life is excitement and adventure. The notion requires at least the idea that there is some possibility of fulfillment. That possibility probably recedes in every life and so does the idea of glamour. It may linger for some people who are especially fond of `genre' literature, where the various genres tend to have protagonists whose lives or personalities seem glamourous to the reader and where some people can temporarily shed the tediousness of their daily lives.

I really enjoyed Virginia Postrel's The Power of Glamour and I strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to better understand what glamour is, its history and how it impacts us both individually and culturally. The book is very well written and contains many images and examples to illustrate the ideas explored throughout the book.The author begins with "the magic of glamour" to set the context. She describes glamour as a form of rhetoric that involves an interaction between an object and the audience. She then builds out her definition of glamour over the next several chapters. There are 3 recurring elements in her analysis of Glamour: The Promise of Escape and Transformation, Grace, and Mystery (leaving something to the imagination). Each of these chapters is full of interesting information and analysis. For the purpose of this review, I would like to note a few key things she points out in regard to Grace.Grace gives us the impression of something being effortless even though in reality there is a tremendous amount of hard work that we don't see and which is needed for that grace to be developed (think of all the practice Michael Jordan needed to do to become so graceful on the basketball court, that Astaire and Rogers needed to do to look so graceful on the dance floor). As she points out "glamour appears effortless" and this is what "makes glamour so dangerous and so alluring."Ms. Postrel also differentiates Glamour from other related concepts. I found her analysis of the difference between glamour and charisma to be very enlightening. She presents a chart with the differences between the two concepts (she also notes that objects can be glamorous but they cannot have charisma) and then notes some examples to illustrate those differences. Her example of Barack Obama as someone who has Glamour explains how this helps with getting elected but becomes a hindrance when trying to enact specific policies. She also notes those rare individuals, like Steve Jobs, who have both.She traces glamour all the way back to Achilles and she takes us through the history of glamour and explains why the concept really took off in the 20th century.One of my favorite features of the book Icon section at the end of each chapter. Each chapter has 2 icons that are explored and they illustrate a lot of the ideas in the book. I found each of these interesting but my three favorites are: The Superhero, The Gibson Girl and The Horseman.The author notes at the end of the book that:"The story of glamour is the story of human longing and its cultural manifestations. Like other forms of rhetoric and art, glamour can embody good ideas or bad ones. It can inspire life-enhancing actions or destructive ones. Its meaning and its effects depend on the audience. But one things is certain: glamour is not trivial."Ms. Postrel has given us a detailed analysis of glamour and the powerful role it plays in our lives. By understanding glamour more deeply, we can be alert to both its positive and negative effects. I highly recommend this book as a great way to better understand and appreciate "The Power of Glamour".

Glamour motivates us, many of us anyway, in ways we are aware of but do not necessarily call "glamour," because we have too narrow a definition of the term. It is not just Hollywood or Broadway; in many cases Hollywood or Broadway are the opposite of glamour. This book distinguishes between 'glamour'--that mysterious, magical longing--and 'romance'--in the sense of a romantic myth or dream: we can be swept up in the romance of a great struggle in which we hope to ultimately prevail, but a glamorous project succeeds with a wave of the hand. Nor is glamour the same as charisma--that inspiring resonance we have with a leader. Some people have both: read the book to discover a couple of examples. But glamour goes well beyond charisma: charisma is limited to people, but inanimate or abstract things can have glamour. This is a book, like Postrel's other two books, to read more than once. By the way, the Kindle version has a tiny bonus: one of the Charles Dana Gibson reproductions retains the original caption in the Kindle version, but it is missing in my hardcover version. There may be other differences--get both: the hardcover for the looks, the Kindle version for the text.