Terrible deformities. How to turn an event into a powerful promotion tool? Use the nature of human interests! The desire to turn into a “freak” is a perversion or self-expression

The most anticipated show at the last Fashion Week in Paris, of course, was the Balenciaga show - in place of Alexander Wang, who left the brand last year, they called the controversial and young Georgian designer Demna Gvasalia, and everyone was terribly interested in what this founder of the Vetements brand, which makes clothes in the spirit of a local second-hand store, he will take it and show it to everyone. And Gvasalia demonstrated not just a collection, but a whole trend - the shift of beauty in favor of ugliness, the ideal - in favor of unpretentiousness, the chic - in favor of the everyday secondary - which is now unfolding in fashion.

Praised for his unorthodox approach to creating things even during his debut at Vetements, Demna Gvasalia followed the path of his colleagues Hedi Slimane and Alessandro Michele, who came to famous fashion houses (Hedi at Yves Saint Laurent, Michele at Gucci), “wiped legs" about the historical heritage, did not give a damn about all this nonsense about the "DNA of the brand" and began to create what they wanted, albeit on the basis of some already developed styles and silhouettes, and everyone began to desperately praise them for this - they say, this is new, unusual and interesting. From a person whose main item in his own collection is a top with the inscription “You Fuck”n Asshole, you somehow don’t expect aesthetically beautiful things, but everything that happens on the Balenciaga catwalk from Gvasalia is not a Gucci tent or a Saint Laurent brothel, and a kind of gloomy consignment store where marginalized people shop. The series of suits, in which, according to the idea, it seems to be a Balenciaga-like futuristic silhouette, and ski jackets, which have that very favorite Cristobal neck in the shape of a bud, and the final a series of patchwork dresses, which were initially accompanied by colored tights, and then even shoes with an identical pattern.

As a stylist, Gvasalia could have a lot of orders in fashion magazines for those wonderful photo shoots with semi-drug-looking girls in very strange outfits (if not “rags” - this is the word that is asked for those same patchwork dresses of the updated Balenciaga), but is it worth it so persistently praise as a designer? Definitely, he turned out to be more far-sighted than many of his colleagues in predicting the very moment when ugliness fully came into fashion. If earlier these were only “peripheral” designers of the industry with their crazy experiments like Vivienne Westwood or Rick Owens, now this very anti-beauty is everywhere - an unsightly baggy silhouette, incomprehensible shoes akin to market slippers, a frankly cheap-looking dress and stylization in the spirit of “I’m just I went to take out the trash.” You can no longer take hooligan designers, but look at those who are always featured on the front page of fashion magazines, and here it is - imperfection, reaching the point of ugly or simply banal human “no, guys, I’ll never wear that”, comes out on surface.

Ugliness has become part of fashion, its way to turn into news, into that very unpleasant “squeak” that everyone will definitely share on social networks. Disharmony and defectiveness have become a lure in an era when closets are full of clothes, and couture collections differ from each other from year to year only by the number of supermodels who were invited to them. Designers are looking for a way to interest us in something new, but it turns out as if they diligently drank all the working hours allocated to create the collection, and then woke up with a hangover and came out with what came to mind. From extraordinary fashion shoots on ruins in the mud and atypical faces of models who seemed to be an informal minority in the 2000s, now through a motley range of street-style images in the spirit of “who will dress the weirdest”, we have come to the conclusion that designers no longer dictate fashion, they just create something as strange and unrealistic as possible, and then the PR people invite the Kardashian family to promote it all, and sales grow. Ugliness is making its way to the masses, and now, perhaps, to look fashionable, you don’t even have to try very hard - you can just find worse leggings in the closet, tear an old sweater, forget to wear jeans under a sweatshirt, and that’s it - you’re ready to get caught into photographers' lenses.

In the late 1880s, a new phenomenon emerged that aroused the admiration and sympathy of Victorian society for people who had genetic abnormalities. Photographer Charles Eisenmann saw a great opportunity in this hobby and began photographing Freak Show people dressed as if they were from Victorian society. Eisenmann continued to work on his archive throughout the 1870s and 80s.

"Gnome Fatty" Sophia Schultz was a regular at the studio. During the 1880s, she began to grow facial hair, which was made even thicker through retouching.

Born with a beautiful face and giant legs, Fanny Mills had a dowry of $5,000 in cash and a “prosperous farm” in Ohio from her father, but could not find a man willing to marry her.

The four-legged Myrtle Corbin gave birth to 2 and 3 children, respectively, using two separate functional reproductive organs.

In the 19th century, physical deformity was often not only a curse, but a way to become rich and famous. Many of the Freak Show participants received good salaries and lived happy lives with their families.

"Russian Dog Boy", who participated in many productions of the "Beauty and the Beast" theme, was one of the most successful and popular participants in such shows and his portraits sold like hot cakes.

Charles Eisenmann paid great attention to backgrounds, lighting, props and costumes to create evocative, atmospheric portraits. Today, about seven hundred similar works by the photographer have been preserved in private and museum collections. Among other works, there is also a portrait of the famous Barnum.

Event marketing involves a sensory impact on a person and appeals to the emotional sphere of the individual.

For an event to stand out from all others today, it must surprise, infect and inspire its participants. But what are the internal mechanisms of such an event? What tools can you use to infect your audience?

Experts suggest using the very nature of human needs and their motivations for this. And they will explain all this by the principle of attractionism.

We will list some of the popular attractions that marketers use when organizing events in Samara.

1. Surprise attraction

The effect of surprise must be present in any event.

Surprise should be part of the event program, a skillful twist in the script's dramaturgy. The surprise is designed to maintain the interest of the participants and keep them on their toes throughout the entire event.

Surprise sets an element of unusualness and does not allow the event to slide into banal everyday life.

2. Attraction-record

He gained fame thanks to the appearance of the “Book of Records of Russia” and the “Book of Records of the CIS”. These publications turned the record into a tool for non-standard brand promotion. Just remember the number of dishes washed with one bottle of Fairy!

The record attracts the attention of target audiences. True, this strategy is focused on promoting only mass brands, mainly consumer goods.

3. Attraction-beauty

Prevails in the fashion industry, promotes brands whose value category is dominated by beauty as visual appeal. An example would be a competition like “Miss...” (ellipsis is a place for your brand).

Brands that associate themselves with beauty exploit two human desires at once: to gain recognition as the most attractive and to join the world of beautiful people, thereby enhancing their individual identity.

4. Attraction-ugliness

It should not be used to promote a brand. It is well suited for all kinds of promotions designed to arouse disgust in consumers towards something (for example, alcohol, smoking or violence, killing animals). An example of such an event could be various performances, green campaigns, flash mobs, etc.

5. Curiosity attraction

Based on demonstrating the unique consumer qualities of the brand. Most often used in events of a training nature, during which the consumer can test the product. A characteristic feature of such an attraction is that at the moment of contact, possession of the product does not yet become an urgent need for the consumer. In this case, the emotional value for him will be the result that the consumer receives after contact. This is often used when demonstrating new types of gadgets, such as phones. The set of functions is familiar, but some new unusual option that no one else has yet could make such a phone desirable.

6. Miracle attraction

It is rarely found in its pure form. This includes various kinds of performances by illusionists, psychic shows, etc. We are, of course, talking only about creating the illusion of miracles. However, the “Santa Claus system” will work here - the lack of faith in the reality of what is happening does not exclude warm feelings from the participants in the event. This also includes all events that use the attributes of something “wonderful.”

7. Attraction incident

This means a minor incident or misunderstanding. This type is more of a micro-event and is more suitable for promoting a personal brand. A striking example is the case of Marilyn Monroe's dress. Of course, this method will only work if the audience pays close attention to the person.

8. Mystery attraction

This method is often used when introducing a new product to the market. Consumers' attention is attracted by unusual brand names without revealing its consumer essence. An example is opening a new restaurant.

9. Attraction-ban

Similar to the previous method. First, consumers are told for a long time about some rule, taboo. And during the event they solemnly violate it, thereby causing the effect of “biting off the forbidden fruit.” What could be more pleasant?

Incredible facts

This list will tell you about ten unfortunate people suffering from severe deformities.

Some of them, with the help of modern medicine, were able to live more or less normal lives.

Some of the stories are tragic, others are hopeful. Here are ten shocking stories:

Human deformation

10. Rudy Santos

Octopus Man

Attached to Rudy's pelvis and abdomen another pair of arms and legs, belonged to his brother, whom Santos absorbed while in the womb. Also on his body there is an extra pair of nipples and an undeveloped head with ears and hair.

Rudy became a national celebrity during his freak show travels in the 1970s and 1980s. Then he earned about 20,000 pesos per day, being the main “attraction” of the show.

It was then that he received his stage name - "octopus". Rudy was likened to God, and women lined up just to stand next to him or take pictures with him.

Oddly enough, Rudy disappeared from screens in the late 1980s and eventually He has been living in poverty for over ten years now. In 2008, two doctors examined him to see if he could survive surgery to remove unnecessary body parts.

9. Manar Maged

Two-headed girl

Less than a year later, Manar herself died due to a brain infection, the development of which was provoked as a result of complications that arose after the operation.

Unusual people of the world

8. Minh Anh

Boy is a fish

Minh Anh is a Vietnamese orphan who was born with an unknown skin condition that causes his skin to peel off massively and form scales. His condition is expected to be was provoked by a special chemical (Agent Orange), which was used by the US military during the Vietnam War.

This condition is associated with constant overheating of the body, so it becomes extremely uncomfortable for a person to “wear” the skin without regular showering. The same orphans from the orphanage nicknamed him “fish”.

Previously, Minh was subjected to violence by staff and other children living in the orphanage. They tied him to the bed and did not allow the boy to go to the shower so that "remove" old skin.

When Minh was just a child, he met Brenda, a 79-year-old resident of the UK. Now she travels to Vietnam every year to see him. Over the years, the woman visited the boy and became his good friend.

Brenda helped improve the life of the boy in the orphanage in many ways. She convinced the staff not to restrain him when he had another seizure, and she also found him a friend to take the baby swimming every week, which is now Min's favorite pastime.

7. Joseph Merrick

Elephant Man

Probably the most famous person on this list is Joseph Merrick, the elephant man. Born in 1836, the Englishman became a London celebrity, and later gained fame all over the world.

He was born with Proteus syndrome, a condition that causes unusual tissue growth on the skin that causes the bones to become deformed and thicken.

Joseph's mother died when the boy was 11 years old, and his father abandoned him. So he left home as a teenager, then worked in Leicester and a little later became a showman. He was extremely popular and at the peak of his popularity he received his stage name: “the elephant man.”

Due to the size of his head, Joseph had to sleep sitting up. His head was so heavy that the man could not sleep lying down. One night in 1890, he tried to go to the kingdom of Morpheus "like all normal people," and dislocated his neck in the process.

The next morning he was found dead.

The most unusual people

6. Didier Montalvo

Boy - turtle

Didier was born in the Colombian countryside with a congenital melanocyte virus, which causes the birthmark to grow throughout the body at an incredibly fast pace.

As a result of this disease, the birthmark became so huge that covered Didier's entire back. Didier's peers nicknamed him "the turtle boy" because his incredibly large "mole" was very similar to a turtle's shell.

Apparently, Didier was conceived during an eclipse, because the locals considered him "the work of the devil." For this reason, he was not allowed to communicate with other children and was banned from attending the local school.

When British surgeon Neil Bulstrode learned of Didier's problem, he headed to Bogota, where operated on the child and completely removed the unfortunate “mole”.

When the operation was performed, the boy was barely six years old. It was a real success, because the specialists were able to remove the entire birthmark. After the operation, Didier was allowed to go to school and began to live a normal and happy life.

People with unusual appearance

5. Mandy Sellars

Mandy Sellars from Lancashire, UK, was diagnosed with the same diagnosis as Joseph Merick - Proteus syndrome. This resulted in Mandy's legs becoming incredibly huge, with a total weight of 95 kg and a diameter of 1 meter.

Her legs are so big that she orders herself specially equipped shoes that cost about $4,000. She also has a personalized car that she can drive without using her legs.

The tumor mass was completely removed after the first operation, the remaining three were aimed at facial reconstruction. The operations were successful, and a few weeks later, José was already on his way to Lisbon.

People with the most unusual disabilities

2. Dede Koswara

Man is a tree

Dede Koswara is an Indonesian man who has suffered from a fungal infection called epidermodysplasia verruciformis for most of his life. It causes the growth of large, tough fungal growths that look much like tree bark.

Over time, Dede became extremely uncomfortable using his limbs, they became so large and heavy. The fungus grows throughout the body, but manifests itself mainly on the arms and legs.

In 2008, Dede underwent a course of treatment in the United States, as a result of which 8 kg of warts were removed from his body. After this, skin grafts were done on the face and hands. Unfortunately, the operation failed to stop the growth of the fungus, so another surgical intervention was performed in 2011.

There is no cure for Dede's disease.

1. Alamjan Nematilaev

Fetal congestion is an extremely rare developmental anomaly that occurs once in 500,000 births. The reasons for this anomaly are unknown, but many scientists believe that it occurs in the early stages of pregnancy, when one embryo is literally “enveloped” by another.

In 2003, the school doctor noticed that the child's stomach was very swollen and sent him to the hospital. Doctors examined him and concluded that the patient had a cyst. The following week the boy was operated on and, to everyone's surprise, A child weighing two kilograms and 20 centimeters long was found in Alamyan’s stomach.

The doctor who performed the operation noted that the boy looked like he was six months pregnant. The boy's parents believe that the development of such an anomaly was provoked as a result of radiation after the Chernobyl disaster, but experts rejected this idea.

Alamyan fully recovered from the operation, but to this day he does not know that his twin was growing inside him.