Skirt Length Theory

[Alex]

  Citation

"Many believe that there is a definite correlation between the length of skirts and the economy. In the United States, a study has shown that when the S&P 500 stock index, a benchmark of the overall U.S. stock market, rises so do the skirts on mannequins in department stores. When stock prices drop, so do the length of skirts. When the Dow-Jones average rose in '93, skirts became shorter."

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"I believe psychological factors play a large role in the miniskirt trend. When the economy is strong, women become more active and assert themselves with bold fashions. People go out more often and spend money on their bodies and on fashion. Men interested in these women increase their social expenses. There is a tendency in the male mentality to seek fancy women when the cash flow is good so perhaps women wear miniskirts even more in an attempt to match them." opines Funaki.

Women, with the economy on the rise, have more money, become more active, and enjoy wearing miniskirts. Therefore, "When the economy is good, miniskirts become popular" is not just a wild rumor or a myth but a fact!

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"Other, less-than-scientific examples are the lipstick index and the aspirin index. When sales of these products drop, it is indicative of an economy on the rise. When people are depressed, consumption of aspirin increases. If sales are low, it indicates fewer people are distressed. Also, when the economy is down women buy cheaper cosmetics, so lipstick sells well," says May.

  Citation

There is also the golf ball index, indicating the state of the economy by the number of balls left at the driving range. Supposedly when the economy is doing well, more people don't bother to retrieve their golf balls. When the economy is depressed, people pick up their equipment before going home.

http://www.jmrlsi.co.jp/english/mij/r_eye/2004/05.html

  Citation

The reason is that women traditionally turn to lipstick when they cut back on life's other luxuries. They see lipstick, which sells for as little as $1.99 at a supermarket to $20-plus at a department store, as a reasonable indulgence and pick-me-up when they feel they can't afford a whole new outfit. "When lipstick sales go up, people don't want to buy dresses," says Leonard Lauder, chairman of Estee Lauder Cos. Lauder's Leading Lipstick Index tracks lipstick sales across Estee Lauder's many brands, which account for sales of about half of all prestige cosmetics in the United States and include Stila, Origins, Bobbi Brown, MAC and Prescriptives. Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the index is up broadly, says Lauder. The index also climbed during past recessions, such as in 1990. . . . Other cosmetic items don't tend to benefit from the lipstick effect.

—Emily Nelson, "Rising Lipstick Sales May Mean Pouting Economy," The Wall Street Journal, November 26, 2001

http://www.wordspy.com/words/lipstickeffect.asp

http://www.courtneyknapp.com/blog/index.php?p=253

http://www.answers.com/topic/skirt-length-theory