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PurposeThis paper aims to develop insight into the impact the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis had on female entrepreneurs in Ghana's beauty industry and their ability to recognize opportunities. The authors also ascertained characteristics of the women that seemed to have influenced opportunity recognition.Design/methodology/approachUsing the case study approach, the authors collected data via in-depth interviews and open-ended questionnaires from sixteen women entrepreneurs in the beauty industry. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis.FindingsThe data show that women entrepreneurs encountered challenges during the pandemic;however, some of the women were able to identify opportunities. Creativity and social media inclination were perceived to have influenced opportunity recognition. It was also observed from the demographic data that women who identified opportunities and women who could not differ in the level of education, age and firm age.Practical implicationsWomen entrepreneurs are encouraged to capitalize on social media and virtual platforms to enhance their marketing, services and operations. COVID-19 aid for businesses must be distributed equitably to all entrepreneurs in need.Originality/valueThe findings from this study provide novel insights into opportunity recognition during a crisis, focusing on a specific industry in a developing country.
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The development of information technologies and the Internet has created an enormous economy. In line with this digital transformation, cultural change has come about. Global companies create new trends focused on vanity and pleasure in social media that follow the patriarchal capitalist ideology. Motherhood has also been included in this process, and "perfect motherhood,” as an extension to new generation motherhood, has been popularized on social media. Perfect motherhood requires mothers who are responsible for looking after children and the home to also be successful in their professional and personal lives while looking beautiful, young, chic, sexy, and fit. Recently the celebrification of motherhood, which can be seen on Instagram, became another quality added to the requirements of being a perfect mother. Heightened during the new post-COVID times, the "Instamom” phenomenon conceals the fact that women are driven to more states of increased precarity and vulnerability, alongside unemployment, exploitation, and ecological and economic crises. This study analyzes the perfect motherhood myth through Instamom case studies and attempts to show how Instamoms are perceived by mothers and mothers-to-be. By adopting the digital ethnography method, 30 Instamom accounts (with followers ranging from 135,000 to 3.5 million) in Turkey were observed for a year via passive participant observations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six Instamoms and 12 follower mothers and mothers-to-be. In conclusion, it was discovered that Instamoms were perceived by their followers as exemplars of knowledge and beauty. Furthermore, the study revealed that both groups were part of the celebrification and branding process, and those who shared knowledge based on experience were considered sincere and created a bigger impression on their followers. It was also discovered that when sharing on social media, these Instamoms attempted to look their best. Moreover, Instamom accounts that prominently use children to increase viewer interaction demonstrate issues related to the "commercialization of childhood.” Tangible advice for transformative change is included at the end of the research. © 2022 Journal of International Women's Studies.
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The results of the fight against coronavirus are taken as indicators of the viability of states. According to the data on the number of patients and deaths per 1 million persons, there are inter-ethnic differences in success in the fight against coronavirus. It has been demonstrated that the pandemic exacerbates intercountry and intercivilizational differences and accentuates the human and social importance of geography. The impact of the pandemic on tourism is being studied. By giving primacy to national and social interests over global and economic pandemics, intangible goods have been given priority. The importance of the accelerated development of the digital economy in boosting rural tourism and dacha de-urbanization as a recreational response of the population to the pandemic was discussed. They have been suggested to be important in creating preconditions for the rehabilitation of abandoned villages. The coronavirus pandemic reinforces the importance of secluded landscapes' walks, local history, and rural tourism. The preventive value of landscape therapy was set. Landscape healing powers can be used almost all the time and almost everywhere, both in a fixed location and in a travel environment. The laws of nature are the laws of beauty. It is assumed that all places perceived as beautiful can heal. The article introduces the idea of the beauty of the landscape as an important natural and health resource. It is assumed that by trusting one's feelings, experience, and intuition, one can discover for oneself the healing power of a particular landscape. Landscape therapy integrates geography, medicine, and human science. The pandemic serves to reorient geography and ecology from the transformation and protection of nature to the transformation and rescue of man. © Russian Academy of Sciences. All Rights Reserved.
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These are just three of more than 11,000 reports of hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) shared with the Stop AAPI Hate coalition during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many more acts continue to go unreported, making the actual number much higher-potentially in the millions. Reports of anti-AAPI hate come from all fifty states and the District of Columbia, with nearly 40 percent from California. In response to the rise in hate against AAPI communities, Stop AAPI Hate introduced No Place for Hate California, a package of first-in-the-nation, state-level policy proposals. Together, these proposals take a gender-based, public health, and civil rights approach to addressing the racialized and sexualized verbal harassment experienced by AAPIs (especially AAPI women) in public, which comprise a majority of the reports submitted to Stop AAPI Hate. Stop AAPI Hate partnered with state legislators and mobilized a coalition of over fifty community-based organizations.
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Consumers get innumerable product options, making it crucial to study their selection among brands vs. new brands. The study explores how in a post-COVID world, the online purchase behavior of Generation Z female consumers is impacted for new-brand beauty products. Using qualitative methods, the authors explored the online purchase behavior of Generation Z females for the purchase of beauty products in emerging economies and how blockchain technology (BCT) can play a crucial role in influencing consumer decision-making. Five focus group discussions were conducted. The study's findings reveal four key themes-"It's too hard to be an innovator," "Online stigma," "New brand reservations," and "BCT and new brands purchase decisions." The authors portray that Generation Z consumers don't feel competent enough to buy new brands online without extrinsic motivation. They do not entirely trust the information marketers provide them in the current form. They are expected to buy new brands online if the authenticity of the complete product details can be verified using blockchain mechanisms.
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While COVID-19 had many negatives it also brought with it many opportunities for growth and increased incomes by young farmers who managed to capitalize on supply chain disruptions to take a significant local market share. Data analysis showed that youth with better developmental relationships with parents, peers, and other adults had higher post-program levels of internal socialemotional strengths (e.g., commitment to learning, positive identity). The article examined how the developmental relationships of African youth participants in a youth economic development program helped them to build skills that could potentially improve their socioeconomic conditions.
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In recent years, on-site visitation has been strictly restricted in many scenic areas due to the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Cloud tourism”, also called online travel, uses high-resolution photographs taken by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as the dominant data source and has attracted much attention. Due to the differences between ground and aerial observation perspectives, the landscape elements that affect the beauty of colored-leaved forests are quite different. In this paper, Qixia National Forest Park in Nanjing, China, was chosen as the case study area, and the best viewpoints were selected by combining tourists' preferred viewing routes with a field survey, followed by a scenic beauty evaluation (SBE) of the forests with autumn-colored leaves in 2021 from the aerial and ground perspectives. The results show that (1) the best viewpoints can be obtained through the spatial overlay of five landscape factors: elevation, surface runoff, slope, aspect, and distance from the road;(2) the dominant factors influencing the beauty of colored-leaved forests from the aerial perspective are terrain changes, forest coverage, landscape composition, landscape contrast, the condition of the human landscape, and recreation frequency;and (3) the beauty of the ground perspective of the colored-leaved forests is strongly influenced by the average diameter at breast height (DBH), the dominant color of the leaves, the ratio of the colored-leaved tree species, the canopy width, and the fallen leaf coverage. The research results can provide scientific reference for the creation of management measures for forests with autumn-colored leaves. © 2023 by the authors.
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Background: Hyaluronic acid fillers (HAF) are a versatile tool in esthetic medicine. They also have a potential for medical indications including facial rehabilitation. Materials and methods: We performed a literature search on PUBMED and Google Scholar until December 2022. Clinical trials, clinical studies, review articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, case series, and case reports were considered for review. Keywords "facial rehabilitation”, "acne scars”, "traumatic scars”, "oral restoration”, "facial lipoatrophy”, "facial asymmetry”, "periocular correction”, "nasal obstruction”, "ear lobe restoration”, "morphea”, AND "hyaluronic acid filler” were used to select articles. Results: We prepared a narrative review on the use of HAF for correction of facial asymmetry and asymmetric lips, improvement of different types of scars, improvement of the jaw line, improvement of ear lobes, periocular and oral restoration, and the treatment of nasal obstruction and morphea en coub de sabre. The amount of HA used in these indications is often less than 1 mL. The bolus technique, fanning, and dual-plane injections can be utilized for treatment. Duration of clinical effects depends upon the anatomical region and is usually maintained between 2 months and 2 years. Adverse events are often mild and temporary. Vascular occlusion is a severe adverse event, but it has not been reported yet for these medical indications. Repeated injections are recommended to obtain a longer-lasting improvement. In cases of morphea, only stable and non-inflammatory plaques should be treated. The advantage of HAF compared to permanent and semipermanent fillers is the availability of hyaluronidase for rapid removal of filler material and to revise overcorrection. Conclusions: HAF play an auxiliary role in facial rehabilitation. Knowledge of filler qualities, anatomy, and underlying diagnoses is important for their safe application. More prospective controlled trials are necessary to improve evidence.
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Nowadays, the number of smartphone users shopping online over the internet is increasing due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation. People need to stay safe at home and work from home according to the social distancing policy. It is difficult for people to go shopping onsite at a physical store. Especially, cosmetic consumers cannot try on cosmetic products, and they are not sure which product is suitable for them. Therefore, to solve these problems, this research project proposes 'Beauty Face', which is an android application for cosmetic consumers who would like to try on products and receive recommendations. The Beauty Face application allows users to find the desired products and view product information. Also, it provides a useful feature for users to try on products by applying augmented reality (AR) technology to simulate cosmetic and beauty products on the user's face. Moreover, the Beauty Face application can recommend products that are appropriate for users by applying machine learning (ML) technology. The Beauty Face application can be helpful for cosmetic users to be more convenient in buying cosmetic and beauty products online and reducing chances of being infected or spreading COVID-19. © 2022 IEEE.
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Dendrobium sulcatum Lindl or "Ueang Jampa-Nan” (Orchidaceae family) is widely dis-tributed in Thailand and Laos. It is classified in the genus Dendrobium, which is used in both traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine for health enhancement and anti-aging. The purpose of this study was to investigate the phytochemical constituents and bioefficacy of stems, leaves and flowers from D. sulcatum for cosmetic and cosmeceutical applications. Phenolic and flavonoid contents were tested for the phytochemical evaluation. The antioxidant (DPPH, FRAP and ABTS assays), anti-lipid peroxidation, antiglycation, anti-inflammatory and anti-tyrosinase properties were assessed for their bioefficacy. The results showed that the extracts of stem and leaf had higher total phenolic content than that of the flower, and the leaf extract had the highest flavonoid content. The antioxidant, anti-lipid peroxidation and anti-inflammatory activities of the extracts were greater in those from the stem and leaf compared with that of the flower. The leaf extract exhibited the greatest antiglycation property. The results of anti-tyrosinase analysis of the extracts showed that the leaf and flower exhibited potent activities with a percentage inhibition greater than 70% (at a concentration of 50 µg/mL). In conclusion, these findings suggest that the ethanolic extracts from different parts of D. sulcatum are promising sources of natural active ingredients for further cosmetic and cosmeceutical products.
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Macrofungi are diverse in their uses as good source of protein in our diet, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals medicine, and for making beautiful art pieces. Several species serve as decomposers and many form mycorrhizal associations with plants. The commercial cultivation of several macrofungi has been steadily increasing globally. Cultivation of Cordyceps militaris can be done in a variety of media including silkworm pupae, rice, or liquid nutrition. Macrofungi are diverse with complex and highly varied growth conditions and bioactive constituents, most macro-fungal resources have not yet been fully explored and implicated, leading to an urgent need for appropriate strategies to address the problem. Increasing attention has been paid to the cultivation and application, of these fungi as potential probiotics. The accumulated secondary metabolites in medicinal mushrooms have been widely accepted as sources of safe and effective nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, and pharmaceuticals. Various mushrooms are utilized as foods appreciated for their exquisite flavour and are used extensively for their medicinal properties. Recently, we saw how an invisibly small entity an ultramicroscopic virus created a turmoil in dynamic ecosystem of the planet Earth and caused the human societies to grind to a halt. Of course, human lives have pivoted around the metabolic ingenuity of fungi for a long time and these organisms can still be the tools to learn the intricacies of life, their mutualistic behaviour with other organisms and potential to produce a large number of secondary metabolites useful to fight diseases and providing good memory and better health are our present day concerns. Entangled body of tubes can teach the lessons of human survival in this crucial time of Corona pandemic. These macrofungi could modulate immune cell's response and possess antimicrobial, antioxidants, and anticancer properties. In Western Ghats as well as Himalayan mountain ranges of India, the lush green vegetation supports a variety of naturally occurring macrofungi. Brief details of some of the well-known fungi found in India, Macedonia, and other parts of the world are highlighted in this chapter. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.
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Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which restricted our daily (visual) experiences, we asked people to take an ugly and beautiful photograph from within their homes. In total, 284 photographs (142 ugly and 142 beautiful) and accompanying statements were submitted and brought to light an intimate portrait of how participants were experiencing their (lockdown) home environment. Results revealed an aesthetic preference for (living) nature. Beauty and ugliness were also connected to good versus bad views, mess versus cosiness, unflattering versus flattering portraits and positive versus negative (COVID-19) emotions. In terms of photography strategies, editing and colour were important for beautiful photographs, whereas a lack of effort and sharpness showed up relatively more in ugly photographs. A follow-up study revealed that other viewers' (n = 86) aesthetic judgements of the photographs were largely in line with the original submissions, and confirmed several of the themes. Overall, our study provides a unique photographic window on our everyday aesthetic experiences at home during the COVID-19 lockdown.
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COVID-19 , Pandemics , Humans , Follow-Up Studies , Communicable Disease Control , Esthetics , PhotographyABSTRACT
In the age of an ongoing pandemic and the ungrading movement, many instructors have been taking a closer look at their assessment methods. Assessment in science courses typically focuses heavily on checking understanding of underlying vocabulary and processes rather than highlighting an emotional connection to the material. For the final exam in a senior-level virus biotechnology course in Spring 2021, Fall 2021, and Spring 2022, an additional assessment question asking students what they found beautiful about viruses was implemented. Students highlighted a surprisingly large range of concepts, and all students received full marks for their thorough descriptions of their chosen concept. These responses were also interesting and joyful to grade as the instructor. Examples of responses and potential benefits of this approach are provided and discussed.
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Across the world lockdowns during the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis saw the forced closure of many hands-on services such as beauty salons, hairdressers, and barber shops. In Australia although hair services were allowed to stay open during the first National lockdown, subsequent state lockdowns mandated these grooming services shut to the public for extended periods. There has been much public debate about the necessity–or perceived lack thereof–of grooming services, especially given that hairdressers were permitted to stay open during the first lockdown when many other businesses shut. 2020 saw claims in Western media that the closure of these spaces was ‘liberatory', particularly for women. This article interrogates this assumption, drawing on data from 383 Australian survey respondents collected between July and September 2020 to look at the impact of salon inaccessibility during the period. While some survey respondents relished the freedom of not having to ‘keep up appearances', many also reported on the negative impacts of salon closures in terms of connection, self-esteem and identity. This article considers how the site of the salon is considered a transformative ‘sanctuary' for some and untangles the deeper impact of the closure of these sites on individuals during a crisis. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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In modern society, interest in health is increasing, and more consumers are taking care of their health due to COVID-19. As a result, immunity enhancement and antioxidant foods help to promote health, and the intake rate is increasing. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate quality characteristics and antioxidant activity by adding 0%, 3%, 6%, 9% and 12% pistachios to rice cake, a traditional Korean food. The moisture content and pH decreased as the amount of pistachio added and the chromaticity L and a values tended to decrease, but the b values increased. It was confirmed that the polyphenol, ABTS a DPPH significantly increased as the amount of pistachio added increased. As a result of confirming the functionality and overall preference, it is suggested that the 9% content is the best, and this experiment is expected to improve the quality of rice cake and improve the nutritional balance, so that it can become an antioxidant functional food. As far as we know, it is the first study to prove that pistachios and rice cakes are combined, suggesting that rice cakes with added pistachios, a physiologically active substance, are healthful foods © 2022, Emirates Journal of Food and Agriculture.All Rights Reserved.
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This paper draws on qualitative survey and interview data with 72 participants focusing on feminine body and beauty work practices in the UK's first Covid-19 ‘lockdown' in 2020. The data suggest that the affective dimensions of beauty were intensified, accelerated, and expanded during this period. Feminine beauty and body work was deployed to produce desired affects: namely positivity, productivity, and the elimination of stress and anxiety. I argue, therefore, that beauty practices became oriented less around aesthetic labour – the work of improving and maintaining appearance – and more explicitly and substantially a project of affective labour – the deep feeling work of generating and maintaining a disposition that aligns with the needs of capital. Using the lens of affective labour provides insight into the way that the affective harms of the pandemic crisis were individualised and managed by feminine selves through practices of beauty and body work. Participants' affective labour projects produced two interrelated sets of immaterial outcomes. First, they helped maintain a ‘market ready' set of positive and productive dispositions that were particularly crucial for those subjects in heightened conditions of precarity, insecurity or isolation. Second, affective labour was key to the deeply gendered, racialised and classed moral formulation of the ‘good' pandemic citizen who would, and could, follow the directive to ‘stay at home' in order not only to care for themselves and others, but to use the ‘opportunity' of lockdown to transform and improve the self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Gender, Place & Culture: A Journal of Feminist Geography is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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The increase in urban society in the use of cosmetic practices to rejuvenate oneself or obtain a more appealing appearance has influenced the practices of cosmetic dermatologists, general medical practitioners, plastic surgeons, and dental practitioners, among others. The pharmaceutical industry has evolved to meet customers' desire to be more physically attractive irrespectively of age and gender. This study aimed to preliminarily explore Jordanian adults' awareness of dental, facial, and other cosmetic procedures. The reasons for undergoing such cosmetic procedures and self-reported knowledge of the side effects or risks associated with these interventions were also explored. The results show that the participants had undergone various procedures to enhance their looks, attractiveness, and confidence. None of the female participants wanted to emulate a celebrity. Most participants were aware of the side effects associated with cosmetic procedures, which may be attributed to their educational backgrounds, as the participants' minimum qualification was 12th grade and their easy access to information services such as electronic media. A multicenter, large-scale, regional study is required to determine the associations, correlations, and recommendations for individuals seeking cosmetic treatment, cosmetic health providers, and policymakers.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has created shifts in consumer behavior. Beauty customers who normally purchased products in physical stores shifted to purchasing online. Because beauty products are sold at various types of retailers, beauty customers have multiple options for online purchases. This study focused on factors related to beauty that may change group behavior (social norms) using objectification theory and the theory of reasoned action. Broad conceptualizations of beauty and body appreciation and their effect on social norms that in turn affect customers' purchase intentions with omnichannel beauty retailers were analyzed. A series of hypotheses were developed and empirically tested. Trust in online retailers was also analyzed as an indirect effect on purchase intention. 756 participants completed the online survey through Amazon MTurk. The findings show that broad conceptualizations of beauty have no significant effect on social norms, but body appreciation does have a negative effect on social norms. Trust was also shown to have an indirect effect on purchase intention. These findings demonstrate that people's views of their body can also impact group behavior. When individuals have a positive body image, their individual perception outweighs the group's social behavior, which in turn affects their purchase intentions. © 2022 Korean Scholars of Marketing Science.
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The results of research conducted by Katadata in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic hit Indonesia showed that beauty products had the 2 highest sales after fashion. On the other hand, during the Covid-19 pandemic (social restrictions imposed), where not everyone was allowed to gather face-To-face, educational activities at school and college were conducted online. Everyone generally uses beauty products, however, during a pandemic, beauty product sales are still the 2nd highest. From this situation, this research was conducted with research questions, how do risk factors affect the Online Customer Experience Model specifically for beauty products during the covid-19 pandemic. This study uses 436 respondents who are customers of beauty products. This study uses quantitative methods with the Structural Equation Model and Partial Lease Square (SEM-PLS) techniques. It was found that the risk factors affecting the Affective Stage of 0.183 (18.3%), the risk factors affecting the Cognitive Stage of 0.127 (12.7%), the risk factors influencing the 0.225 (22.5%), the effect of risk factors on perceived control of 0.394 (39.4), the influence of factors risk of 0.089 (8.9%) on Repurchase Intention, the effect of risk factors on Trust in Online Shopping. The results of this research are very useful for industrial product development, especially the beauty industry. © 2022 ACM.