The XX Factor: What women really think.

"Sans Fards" Is French for Bullshit

The femblogosphere is a-chatter over the latest issue of French Elle, which features a series of stars—Monica Bellucci, Eva Herzigova, Charlotte Rampling among them—sans fards—in other words, without makeup. Shine's Jennifer Romolini crows "Yay!" of the Photoshopping and retouching-free issue. It's a call to arms, as she sees it, to U.S. editors in love with images of women that have been airbrushed to death: "So American magazine editors, I plead to you: It's time to step up your game." Feministing agrees, as if a woman who dares wear no makeup has come to embody the ultimate feminist act.

In contrast, Matthew Yglesias sees beyond the smoke and mirrors art of the stunt magazine spectacle that European editors have mastered as of late. These "untouched" images are no more "real" than they are "feminist."

"Obviously, artifice hasn’t, in fact, been done away with here. The lighting, the attire, etc. is all being professionally done; vast quantities of film is being shot and only the very best images selected; and the 'stars' being presented 'sans fards' are extreme outliers in the genetic lottery. All of which is no worse than conventional magazine cover art, but it’s not really any better. And just at a time when public awareness of the fakeness of magazine covers is growing, we get a new artifice presented as unadorned reality."

And he is absolutely right. All of which seems to point out what a strange charade 21st century feminism has become, a so-called "movement" in which being "feminist" means carping about milk ads and empowerment is found in staged fashion magazine layouts.

The Lipstick Level, Continued: Even Oprah Learns To Share Her Toys

With none other than Michelle Obama! After nine years of stubbornly holding off on appearances with well, anything that is not a saleable accessory (not even so much as a cabana boy), Oprah caves on the cover of her magazine, O. The dish:

Winfrey also has an interview with the new First Lady that addresses everything from the joys of White House pie to Obama's decorating philosophy, which seems to have a lot to do with sofas. "I want comfortable sofas," said Obama in the interview. "You've got to be able to make a fort with the sofa pillows! Everything must be fort-worthy."

As a child who constructed obstacle courses and secret islands from couch cushions, that's kind of an awesome sentiment (will the cushions, like the new White House playset, be engraved with former presidents' names?). More remarkable, however, is that Oprah may have actually realized that someone is more bankable than her. Barack Obama certainly holds his own as a magazine cover sales god, but Michelle is giving both her husband and the megastar who campaigned for him a run for their money--appearing on sellout covers from Vogue to People (the O photo boasts a rare sleeved Michael Kors look). Oprah acknowledged as much in the magazine: "people do judge a magazine by its cover, which is why it's important to me keep the cover of this one looking fresh," said Winfrey.

Snap! Lipstick Level: 95. Both Madame Os probably still buy their own gloss—but watching richer-than-sin Winfrey trying to hustle a little extra cash on the side is surely a sign of the apocalypse.

Earlier: Introducing the Lipstick Level: A Recessionometer