Media Contacts:
Aaron Berstler
and Dustin Sadnick
(651) 228-9141
The No-Eyebrow Look: More Than a
Fashion Statement?
Social and financial forecasting firm says
shaved brows show up in bear markets
Gainesville, GA / August 18, 2009 – Shaved eyebrows appear
to be the latest trend in high fashion, but it has the all-too-familiar
look of a bear market. That's according to Elliott Wave International (EWI),
a financial forecasting firm that predicts cultural trends and market patterns
based on waves of social mood.
“Gender-bending is a classic trend that appears during times of bear markets,
and shaving one's eyebrows is a way to blur gender boundaries on the cheap,”
says EWI's Brian Whitmer, who writes about the trend in the August issue
of The European Financial Forecast.
He points out that a recent cover of Italian Vogue magazine features
the shaved head and brow of model Kristen McMenamy, who pioneered the no-brow
look two recessions ago in a "grunge" photo shoot for U.S. Vogue
in 1992. Whitmer predicts more permanent attempts at androgyny as financial
markets continue down to the larger bottom predicted by EWI.
In contrast, EWI says that bull markets emphasize super-feminine and super-masculine
roles with heroes and heroines who fit conventional gender roles.
Whitmer's article includes a financial market chart that highlights correlations
between the absence of eyebrows and previous recessions,
And what do “unibrows” indicate? “That’s a situation too hairy to call!”
he says.
Background: Brian Whitmer edits The European Financial
Forecast and contributes to Global Market Perspective, both monthly
forecasting services of Elliott Wave International. Having worked first
as a civil engineer, he received his MBA from Georgia Southern University
and joined Elliott Wave International in 2009.
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For a copy of the article or to arrange an interview with Brian Whitmer, call
Aaron Berstler or Dustin Sadnick at Kohnstamm Communications, 651-228-9141.
About The Socionomics Institute
The Socionomics Institute, based in Gainesville, Ga., studies social mood
and its role in driving cultural trends. The Institute’s analysis is published
in the monthly research review, The Socionomist. Learn more at
www.socionomics.net.