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Les Jolie Laides..*celebrating SATC movie
DYS in Fashion Splash — May 28th, 2008 (3,409 views / Print this article )
Les jolie laides.. roughly translated as “ugly but pretty” or “unconventional beauty”, a French term for women who are oddly attractive though not conventionally beautiful. The term came to my mind after reading all over the news a while ago, about how enrage Sarah Jessica Parker was after Maxim named her as the most unsexiest women in the world last year. With her Sex and the City (SATC) movie coming out at the end of this week, it’s a perfect timing to ask ourselves what truly defines beauty, alongside *maybe* planning a SATC movie nite out with your girlfriends hehe 
For instance, most of the casts of SATC are jolie laides, Carrie, Samantha, Miranda aren’t typically pretty, only Charlotte would probably fit into the mainstream standard of prettiness, while the rest of the casts blossom into their own characters within their own style and grace.
image courtesy of sexandthecitymovie.com
How would you describe a beautiful person? Is it someone with a flawless natural beauty without any makeup enhancements? Someone who had it done with technology interventions (boob jobs, lipo, botox etc)? Someone who is perfectly toned with incredible abs? Someone with a fair porcelain skin or a perfect tan and always well-groomed? or simply, someone who shines through its own aura filled with positive energies? No one really knows anymore. It is true that one can not really define a perfect beauty. They always say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but sadly in this hedonistic life that rule does not always apply.
In Hollywood, where physical appearance plays most part of the deal, Sarah Jessica Parker may not portray what most people consider as a true beauty. Nevertheless her confidence, her sense of styling, her words which came out from her mouth and brain, make her one of the most interesting woman. We can’t deny that her character as Carrie in Sex and The City played along the way to boost her confidence and build her character, in addition to the magic hand of Patricia Field as stylist. Some people actually find her attractive while others may not. Di kita mungkin bahasa tepatnya, “Keren dan menarik”.. “Ga cantik tapi keren dan ga bosenin.”
SJP before and after her phase as Carrie on SATC, courtesy of makemeheal.com
Another example, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hillary Swank, Sofia Coppola and Chloe Sevigny. They’re all attractive, although their beauty are definitely considered FAR from what one may define as an ideal beauty compared to other young Hollywood peers. Barbara Streisand, Christina Ricci, Thora Birch, Björk, Liza Minelli, Cher, Sandra Oh, Amy Winehouse also shared a quirky kind of beauty.
Hollywood “jolie-laides”, clockwise: Hillary Swank, Christina Ricci, Chloe Sevigny, Sofia Coppola, Maggie Gyllenhaal, all pics courtesy of ew.com, excluding Sofia Coppola photo courtesy of desitwist.com
And that surprisingly applies in the fashion world as well. Today, they are more and more ‘quirky’ faces in the industry, which in the past could be unacceptable. Carine Roitfeld, said that the girls on the covers on French Vogue needn’t be typically pretty. Well I guess, Roitfeld is definitely ONE of the “jolie laide” with her features which oddly resemble to Iggy Pop, yet still attractive in her own way. Roitfeld chose Charlotte Gainsbourg on the cover of French Vogue (January 08 edition) for her jolie laide appeal, with a long narrow face and sad eyes. I personally don’t find Mlle. Gainsbourg to be a jolie laide, she’s somehow pretty, the classic French way. However her step sister, Lou Doillon, is probably more a jolie laide. Her unusual physical feature definitely accentuates her beauty and make her stand out from the crowd. Another French actress which I also consider une jolie laide and rumored to take over the throne of current-IT-girl from Kate Moss and Sienna Miller, is Clémence Poésy (the new face of Chloé and was casted on Harry Potter as Fleur Delacore). In the modeling industry, there are Alek Wek, Kristen McMenamy, Karen Elson, Hannelore Knuts, Iekeliene Stange, Irena Lazareanu and many.. many.. new faces with their own distinctive features.
from left: Charlotte Gainsbourg - French Vogue, Clémence Poésy - afashionadventure.blogspot.com, Lou Doillon - French Marie-Claire
I guess, people want to see beyond the same pretty faces. Some say beauty could be boring if you don’t have what it takes to bring it up to the next level. As Sarah Jesscia Parker said in an interview as her response to Maxim,
“Do I have big fake boobs, Botox and big lips? No,” “Do I fit some ideals and standards of some men writing in a men’s magazine? Maybe not.” ”But on the other hand,” she added, I really like the choices I’ve made. I am who I am.”
Carrie Bradshaw
And while trying to wrap up this post which has been sitting on my draft for months, I said to myself, “Those names mentioned above are considered unconventional beauties a.k.a les jolie laides but ironically most of them share one thing in common, they are mainly slim and slender!“
Hmm how interesting… would they still be considered les jolie laides if they’re chubby or overweight? Someone with a quirky face and an overweight body?” As unfair as the real world has always been to us, the answer would probably be NO, unfortunately.
At the end, I would say “Your face and body are your own, so is your beauty.” Well, I’m absolutely NOT a beauty expert here myself, but I do believe that we don’t need to suffer to fit into some beauty standard, there’s no need to transform and camouflage your flaws as they could be your biggest assets instead. Surely a clear, clean and healthy skin would definitely be a great beauty asset to start with.
I always admire women who always manage to have great skin. I found them naturally beautiful with or without makeup, whether they have fair or tan skin, thin or overweight, tall or petite, blessed with good genes and great bone structure, a good skin is like a clean canvas to a painter. Overall, just keep ourselves clean (head to toe), healthy (eating habit & lifestyle) and being positive. As simple as it may sound, I’m sure it’s a hard task.
Miranda, Charlotte, Carrie, and Samantha
In the meantime, let’s put this debate aside for now and celebrate the series which have inspired countless of woman out there to dress up again and be pretty on their own way while chasing their biggest dream(s). As for myself, Sex and the City has tremendously made a huge impact and motivated me a lot, especially the scene where Carrie walked into Vogue magazine with the bold big VOGUE logo on her background. I couldn’t help myself not to take that similar shot when stepping my feet there for the first time Whether you like it or not, Sex and the City would never be forgotten and definitely be written in today’s pop culture history.
Sources & images courtesy of: m-w.com, foxnews.com, sexandthecitymovie.com, whowhatweardaily.com, ew.com, afashionadventure.blogspot.com, magentapeepshow.blogspot.com, style.com
There are 20 comments for this entry. Add yours
lita
DYS, another great writing ! couldn’t agree more that beauty is something very private, something our own. SATC too has brought me into another love, love of NY. hiks miss NY already !
May 28th, 2008 at 11:49 am
cheyqua
what a great writing!!! *saving this article to my folder hehehehe*
May 28th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
lila
waw,
provoking article indeed!
i actually read that maxim article about SJP saying that’s she’s not the sexiest women and all..
but then again, thinking about her role in Sex and The city,
and not saying she isn’t sexy, is just brainless..
how could she not be sexy playing Carrie in Sex and the city?
=)
May 28th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
frangipani
love love love your writing =) *couldn’t agree more* and of course love love love SATC too… can’t wait to watch the movie =)
May 28th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Saigolady
my current Les Jolie Laides are America Ferrera and Maggie Gyllenhaal. they sort of like the people you can look up to(until they do something degrading :D).
another great article from you DYS
May 28th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
dunia_dandan
Tulisan yg bagus, Dhysti cayank, but I still hate SATC. Dari dulu. Tapi gw bakal ke bisokop nonton premiere hari Jumat ini with my girlfriends. Just for the company. Kalau enggak, gw mendingan nonton Harold & Kumar
May 28th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Lorelai
Love this blog!
Emang bener banget DYS.. SATC nampol gw supaya mau dress-up lagi.. bahkan bukan dress-up sekarang. DOLL-UP
May 28th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
lovemybags
great article
mang bener SJP nggak cantik, honestly sometimes she looks like a witch LOL. tapi dia dipakein baju apa aja tetep lucu dan her smile at least seems true.
i don’t like women with typical beauty, i don’t find angelina jolie, jessica alba or halle berry sexy and beautiful. i find women like devon aoki, christina ricci, bjork, maggie glyenhaal etc so much prettier and sex in their own way.
their sexiness is not exposed and on the surface unlike jolie n alba. their sexiness is somewhere hidden and somewhat can only be seen by those people who observed them more.
thanks for the article, can’t wait to see the movie, well the clothes and the bags to be more true LOL
May 28th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
DYS
thankss everyone for the kind words
it’s highly appreciated =)
lita: i know how u feel.. watching SATC has made me falling over heels with this city all over again..
cheyqua: thankss dear.. glad u like it.
lila: thanks lila.. true.. clearly she was in a tv series which hugely spells S.E.X as its title.. hehe .. but u know those male magazines r more into boobs, curve, ass.. so yeah, they’re just clueless
frangipani: btw i lovee the name.. is it italian? yeah i cant wait myself to see the movie, it’s sold out everywhere this weekend.
Saigolady: ahh stupid me…. how could I forget to mention America Ferrera?? her TV hit “ugly betty” totally emphasizes how shallow fashion publishing industry could be, thankss diingetin
dunia_dandan: hehe i know u hate SATC to the max heueh ;d wah seru tuh bakal rame2 nonton nya..make dresscode gak? cewe2 kayaknya bakal byk girls nite out niy dgn tema SATC.. kita di sini jg uda direncanain tp blm jelas hiks ;( .. btw kt adik gw, harold & kumar nya ga sebagus yg pertama.. hehe ;d tp itu film emang dodol bangets
Lorelai: haha doll-up.. gaya pin up girlss yahh?? seru banget. iya banget biasanya dulu (pas jaman ms muda ;P) kalo abis nonton seri SATC jd pengen dandan dan ngunjungi tpt2 yg mereka datangin hehe ;d
lovemybags: haha a witch.. iya SJP emang berubah bangets siy sejak jadi Carrie.. makeup yg bagus & styling yg bener byk membantu dia.. iyaa sama i cant wait to see the cloths, the bags, the shoesss.. hair & makeup semua deh haha ;d itu sepatu yg dipakai Carrie dgn baju yg ada corsage bunga segede gaban itu bukan manolos / choos… tp dior extreme gladiator heels.. wekss carrie berpindah hati ke yg lain ;p lol..denger2 sold out dimana2 lho itu sepatunya..
May 29th, 2008 at 7:54 am
mir@cle
DYS, I love this article
i couldn’t agree more with you about the beauty of woman who has great skin. enak aja diliatnya kalo flawless. hehe..
gua sendiri ga pernah nonton SATC..tapi tertarik untuk nonton karena hopefully bisa kasih pandangan baru dan motivates me more seperti yang dirasain banyak orang abis nonton SATC ini
May 29th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Lena
sjp is charming and attractive, sometimes even pretty, but she’s definitely not sexy. i just can’t see men getting hard ons looking at carrie in SATC. she should’nt have been offended, ‘charming’ is certainly a much more aspirational term than ’sexy’. and of course, one doesn’t have to be sexy to have sex in the city–or anywhere for that matter!
May 29th, 2008 at 8:52 am
tje2p
DYS, great writing!!! lately, i said to one of my best friend, beauty not compatible with brain, do i look beautiful today?, it was an irony actually
Di jkt, lagi ngerencanain, begitu SATC masup, kita mau nobar pake dress code *hiyaaa… banci tampil*
tapi emang SATC nampol bgt *minjem kata-kata Lorenita*
May 29th, 2008 at 8:59 am
defsky
Hey, do you girls ever think that what consider sexy for women is not necessarily sexy for men?
I just had a thought cause my husband and I got into a little argument of how he thinks Angelina Jolie is not sexy at all. I, on the other hand thinks that she’s what sexiness of Hollywood is all about. At the end of the argument he made a statement that what women think is sexy might not be for men.
It’s weird but awfully true, I think.
As far as SJP and the rest of the casts. I don’t really care whether they are really sexy or not, I like the way Samantha dressed and I like Charlotte’s but none of them are my style.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:56 am
defsky
Btw, two thumbs up for the writing. I really enjoy it. Thank you.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:57 am
Lena
defsky, even amongst women, ’sexy’ has different meanings…
June 1st, 2008 at 6:37 pm
DYS
mir@cle: glad u like it.. true gw suka kagum juga ama orang yg kulit nya mulus, dipakein lipgloss aja atau blush on aja uda kinclong ga perlu di timbun macem2 lagi…makanya gw lbh obsess beli perawatan kulit drpd makeup soalnya kalo kulit nya jelek di kamouflase/dimakeup apa pun jg jadinya kurang bagus.. =(
ga semua bisa suka SATC kok say.. gw jg dulu di jkt nonton biasa aja, pas pindah baru suka krn bisa relate kali ya.. esp tempat2 mereka shooting =) temen gw yg uda liat movie nya jg byk yg mixed feelings, ada yg suka ada yg gak ama ceritanya.. tp yg pasti matanya ter-entertained dgn baju2, tas, spatu, hair & makeup mereka =)
Lena: hehe i like ur quote: u dont hv to be sexy to hv sex in the city or anywhere.. ;p of course, most men wouldn’t find SJP sexy, esp not turn on (kecuali paling si matthew broderick laki nya SJP ;p)..
but in real life lbh byk cewe2 yg biasa2 aja dan ga cantik2 amat yg bisa relate ke SJP soalnya yg selama ini diliatin di media dan TV tuh cewe2 yg typically pretty or overwhelmingly sexy e.g. cewe2 baywatch atau soap operas lainnya, dan gw rasa SJP dan cast yg lain si SATC (kecuali Charlotte kali ya) berhasil merubah stereotype itu ke publik.. smua cewe bisa attractive and sexy “in their own way” walau physically they aren’t pretty…
cowo2 harusnya bersukur siy dgn SJP krn bisa nge boost confidence cewe2nya atau bersukur cewe mereka lbh sexy and kece drpd SJP.. beuntung lah sama2x hehhe ;d kecuali cewe mereka emang dewi2 cantik dr kahyangan *supermodel jg lewats hehe ;d lgpula SATC emang pilem bukan utk cowo2x kecuali gays kalo SATC nya jd bokep mungkin cowo2 berubah pikiran..
but i never knew that she was labelled “charming” (was it by Maxim? or any other media?) if that’s the case, maybe she wouldn’t be offended & would really appreciate that =)
tje2p: tenkyuu tje2p.. glad u like it too.. wahh seruu tuh kalo nontonya rame2 ama cewe2 dan ada dress code nyaaa.. wahh harus liat tuh potoh2nya.. =)
defsky: thankss dearr… im glad u enjoy it.. yeahh i had that similar argument with my hubby and some of my male friends, and i still cant understand how most of em find Fergie sexy.. heuhe ;d she looks like a she-male to me hehe ;d i dont hate her tho’ well i guess we hv different taste …. same here, the only thing that i care abt SATC is their friendship, their wittiness, their clothings, shoes, bags, etc, the many places they hang out in nyc.. ;D
Lena: agree again with you, every individuals have different interpretations
of sexiness.
*weks jd panjang.. anw.. gw blm nonton jg niy SATC, susah atur jadwal nonton rame2 ama my girlfriendss.. kayaknya bakal nonton ama coworkers gue niy nxt week or mentok2 gw seret suami gue haha ;d
June 1st, 2008 at 8:41 pm
defsky
I like reading all the comments we girls made. Everything made more sense to me now. I can’t believe how a 30 minutes has a lot more meanings than sex, make-ups, bags and clothes but it also gave us a boost on being sexy and more confident and proud to be a woman.
Can’t wait to see the movie!
June 2nd, 2008 at 3:58 pm
mamita
dys,
very nice article indeed, even i (i know its odd :D)dislike the SATC… :twothumbup:
June 3rd, 2008 at 9:52 am
Melaine
Hai..Dys…
Well done…
Damn Honest…
Artikelnya bagus
Gw suka di bagian lo blg klo buat ce yang gemuk mgkn gak mendapat apresiasi yang sama seperti yang laen..
In the end..Being proud to be a woman, having nice attitude, Confidence dan paling penting how u enjoy ur life….
Recommended movie nech
June 4th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Quietus
Sofia Coppola is conventionally pretty. Maybe not super-conventional (she’s rather flat chested), but I’d say her facial features are pretty in a conventional way. Very graceful and elegant and all that.
July 19th, 2008 at 3:27 pm