★ 口紅效應：從口紅看經濟 The Lipstick Effect: How Luxury Lipstick Sales May Be a Sign of Economic Hardship

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這種現象在 2001 年被奢侈品牌化妝品公司雅詩蘭黛總裁萊納德．蘭黛稱為「口紅效應」

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本文主講 Wesley

In 2020, the world was plunged into an economic recession as the COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread closures to businesses. Under these __1__, millions of people suddenly found themselves facing financial insecurity. During such times of economic hardship, one may naturally expect that consumer markets will see a decline in __2__, as people everywhere feel restricted to making only “ essential ” purchases. However, a curious phenomenon known as the “lipstick effect” can often be observed.

2020 年，由於新冠肺炎大流行導致了大範圍的企業關閉，世界陷入了經濟衰退。在這些情況下，數百萬人突然發現自己正面臨著財務不穩的局勢。在經濟如此艱困的時期，人們可能自然會預期消費者市場支出的減少，因為各地的人們都覺得被侷限在僅做「必要的」購買。然而，我們經常可以觀察到一種被稱為「口紅效應」的奇特現象。

The lipstick effect refers to the phenomenon of consumers spending on small luxury goods instead of more __3__ goods like fur coats or designer bags, even when an economic recession occurs. This phenomenon was termed the “lipstick effect” in 2001 by Leonard Lauder, chairman of luxury cosmetic company Estée Lauder. He had not only __4__ the phenomenon at work but also realized that it was especially evident in the case of lipstick and other cosmetic products.

口紅效應指的是即使當經濟不景氣發生時，消費者仍會花錢購買小件奢侈品（而非皮草大衣或名牌包等比較昂貴的商品）的現象。這種現象在 2001 年被奢侈品牌化妝品公司雅詩蘭黛總裁萊納德．蘭黛稱為「口紅效應」。他不僅目睹到這種現象所帶來的影響，也意識到這就口紅和其他化妝品來說尤其明顯。

So, how exactly do cash-strapped consumers __5__ making such purchases? First and perhaps most obviously, consumers may simply wish to give themselves treats now and again to provide __6__ from their financial insecurity. Another theory has to do with labor markets. Specifically , during a recession, job seeking tends to become more competitive . Thus, people seeking employment may __7__ a need to spend money on certain products to improve their physical appearance. By using products such as lipstick, they may feel more __8__ during job interviews.

那麼，缺錢的消費者究竟是如何合理化購買這些東西的行為？首先（或許也是最顯而易見的）是消費者可能只是希望不時地給自己一些小確幸，以分散他們對財務不穩的注意力。另一個理論與勞動市場有關。具體而言，在經濟衰退期間，求職往往會變得更加競爭。因此，求職者可能會發覺需要花錢購買某些產品來提升自己的外表。藉由使用口紅等產品，他們可能會在工作面試中感到更有自信。

Whatever the causes of the lipstick effect, what is certain is that this  phenomenon is no fleeting __9__ but rather one supported by economic data. For example, during the global recession of 2007-2009, sales of cosmetics in the United States __10__ by around 5%. Based on such data, it seems that even in the current insecure economic climate , the luxury cosmetics industry is one that will be sticking around.

不管口紅效應的原因為何，可以肯定的是，這種現象絕對不是短暫的趨勢，而是有經濟數據作為支持。舉例來說，在 2007 到 2009 年全球經濟衰退期間，美國的化妝品銷售額增長了約 5%。基於這樣的數據，似乎即使在當前不安定的經濟形勢下，奢侈化妝品產業會是一個繼續存在的產業。

(A) trend (B) expensive (C) justify (D) expenditure (E) perceive 
(F) witnessed (G) confident (H) increased (I) circumstances (J) distractions

 

Ans: 1. I 2. D 3. B 4. F 5. C
6. J 7. E 8. G 9. A 10. H

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