高级英语-15.The-Beauty-Industry

TheBeautyIndustry美容用品业TheBeautyIndustryTheoneAmericanindustryunaffectedbythegeneraldepressionoftradeisthebeamyindustry.美国工业中惟一未受贸易大萧条影响的是美容用品业。Americanwomencontinuetospendontheirfacesandbodiesasmuchastheyspentbeforethecomingoftheslump—aboutthreemillionpoundsaweek.美国妇女仍不断在她们的脸上和身体上花费与经济萧条到来之前同样多的钱——每周约300万英镑。TheBeautyIndustryThesefactsandfiguresareofficial,andcanheacceptedasbeingsubstantiallytrue.这些事实与数字都是官方的，可大致属实。Readingthem.Iwasonlysurprisedbythecomparativesmallnessofthesumsexpended.当读到这时，我只为花费的数目相对较小而感到惊奇。TheBeautyIndustryFromtheprodigiousnumberofadvertisementsofaidstobeautycontainedintheAmericanmagazines,从美国杂志上铺天盖地的化妆品广告来看，IhadimaginedthatthepersonalappearancebusinessmuststandhighupamongthechampionsofAmericanindustry—theequal,oronlyjustlessthantheequal,ofbootleggingandracketeering,moviesandautomobiles.我原以为美容用品业一定居美国工业群雄之首，与贩卖私酒和敲诈勒索，电影和汽车业并驾齐驱或稍逊一筹。TheBeautyIndustryonehundredandfifty-sixmillionpoundsayearisatidysum.每年1亿5，600万英镑是一个相当不小的数目，RathermorethantwicetherevenueofIndia,ifIrememberrightly.如果我没有记错的话，超出印度年收入的两倍。Idon'tknowwhattheEuropeanfiguresare.Muchsmallerundoubtedly.我不知道欧洲的数字是多少，毫无疑问要小得多。TheBeautyIndustryEuropeispoor.andafacecancostasmuchinupkeepasaRolls-Royce.欧洲很穷，保养一张脸需花费和保养辆罗尔斯-罗伊斯牌汽车一样多的钱。ThemostthatthemajorityofEuropeanwomencandoisjusttowashandhopeforthebest.大多欧洲妇女最多只能洗洗脸，听天由命。Perhapsthesoapwillproduceitsloudlyadvertisedeffects;也许肥皂会产生广告中大肆宣扬的效果，TheBeautyIndustryPerhapsitwilltransformthemintothelikenessofthoseravishingcreatureswhosmilesorosilyandcreamily,sopeachilyandpearlily,fromeveryhoarding.也许能把她们变成像那些在每块广告牌上绽开令人陶醉的红润白嫩、艳如桃李、美若珠玑般笑容的女郎。Perhaps,ontheotherhand,itmaynot.另一方面，或许肥皂不具有这种效能。TheBeautyIndustryInanycase,themorecostlyexperimentsinbeautificationarestillasmuchbeyondmostEuropeanmeansasarehigh-poweredmotor-carsandelectricrefrigerators.无论怎样，在装饰自己上更为昂贵的试验和大马力汽车及电冰箱一样都是欧洲人的经济能力所不及的。EveninEurope,however,muchmoreisnowspentonbeautythanwaseverspentinthepast.然而即使在欧洲，如今花在化妆品上的钱比过去任何时候都要多得多，TheBeautyIndustryNotquitesomuchmoreasinAmerica,thatisall.只不过比起美国来要逊色些罢了。But,everywhere,theincreasehasbeenundoubtedlyenormous.但无论在任何地方，增长无疑是巨大的。Thefactissignificant.Towhatisitdue?这一事实意义重大。为什么会出现这种现象呢？TheBeautyIndustryInpart,Isuppose,toageneralincreaseinprosperity.我认为部分是由于普遍增长的繁荣。Therichhavealwayscultivatedtheirpersonalappearance.有钱的人总是追求个人容貌的修饰，Thediffusionofwealth—suchasitis—nowpermitsthoseofthepoorwhoarelessbadlyoffthantheirfatherstodothesame.财富的扩散，尽管程度并不大，境况比其父辈稍好些的穷人也能这样做。TheBeautyIndustryButthisis,clearly,notthewholestory.但显然这并非事情的全部。Themoderncultofbeautyisnotexclusivelyafunction(inthemathematicalsense)ofwealth.现代对美貌的狂热崇拜并不只是财富的作用（从数学意义上看），Ifitwere,thenthepersonalappearanceindustrieswouldhavebeenashardlyhitbythetradedepressionasanyotherbusiness如果是这样，那美容用品业就会和其他企业一样受到贸易萧条的沉重打击。TheBeautyIndustryBut,aswehaveseen,theyhavenotsuffered.但是正如我们所见，它并未受到损失。Womenareretrenchingonotherthingsthantheirfaces.女人们在美容之外的一切方面紧缩开支，Thecultofbeautymustthereforebesymptomaticofchangesthathavetakenplaceoutsidetheeconomicsphere。因而对美貌的狂热崇拜必定表现了经济领域以外产生的变化。TheBeautyIndustryOfwhatchanges?Ofthechanges,Isuggest,inthestatusofwomen;ofthechangesinourattitudetowardsthemerelyphysical.什么变化？我认为表现了妇女地位的变化，表现了我们对“单纯是肉体”的态度的变化。Women,itisobvious,arefreerthaninthepast.很显然，妇女比过去自由了，TheBeautyIndustryFreernotonlytoperformthegenerallyunenviablesocialfunctionshithertoreservedtothemale,不仅在完成迄今为止由男性完成的并值得羡慕的社会职能上比较自由了，butalsofreertoexercisethemorepleasing,feminineprivilegeofbeingattractive.而且在运用更令人愉快的女性吸引力的特权上比较自由了。TheBeautyIndustryTheyhavetheright,ifnottobelessvirtuousthantheirgrandmothers,atanyratetolooklessvirtuous.如果她们没有权利不如祖母们贞淑，至少可以有权利看起来不那么贞淑。TheBritishMatron,notlongsinceacreatureofaustereandeventerrifyingaspect,英国的命妇不久前还是神色严厉可怕的人物，TheBeautyIndustrynowdoesherbesttoachieveandperenniallypreservetheappearanceofwhatherpredecessorwouldhavedescribedasaLostWoman.Sheoftensucceeds.现在也尽一切努力获得并常年保持她的前辈会称作为荡妇的外表,她们常能做到这点。Butwearenotshocked—atanyrate,notmorallyshocked.但我们并不感到震惊，至少在道德上没有震惊。TheBeautyIndustryAestheticallyshocked—yes;wemaysometimesbethat.Butmorally,no.审美上受到震惊——是的，有时是这样，但道德上没有.WeconcedethattheMatronismorallyjustifiedinbeingpreoccupiedwithherpersonalappearance.我们作出让步，承认命妇专注于个人容貌在道德上是正当的，TheBeautyIndustryThisconcessiondependsonanotherofamoregeneralnature—aconcessiontotheBody,withalargeB,totheManichaeanprincipleofevil.这一让步是基于另一个性质更为一般的让步，即将带有大写B的肉体让与摩尼教中说的邪恶，Forwehavenowcometoadmitthatthebodyhasitsrights.因为我们现在已经承认了肉体具有自己的权利。TheBeautyIndustryAndnotonlyrights—duties,actuallyduties.Ithas,forexample,adutytodothebestitcanforitselfinthewayofstrengthandbeauty.而且不仅是权利——还有责任，具体的责任。例如它有责任在力与美方面尽其所能地使自己得到满足。Christian-asceticideasnolongertroubleus.基督教的禁欲主义不再令我们不安。TheBeautyIndustryWedemandjusticeforthebodyaswellasforthesoul.我们要求灵魂以及肉体都能得到公正的对待。Hence,amongotherthings,thefortunesmadebyface-creammanufacturersandbeauty-specialists,bythevendorsofrubberreducingbeltsandmassagemachines,bythepatenteesofhair-lotionsandtheauthorsofbooksonthecultureoftheabdomen.因此其结果之一便是雪花膏生产者和美容专家、橡胶减肥带及头油专利者和保持腹部线条指导书的作者们大发其财TheBeautyIndustryWhatarethepracticalresultsofthismoderncultofbeauty?——