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Originally Posted by TamEva Le Fay
You will never see companies like Estee Lauder under this same kind of scrutiny and skepticism. Is it only because he’s a Doctor that causes this kind of stigma and raises eyebrows.
Why is that?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TamEva Le Fay
What’s really going on here? Must we all from now on, according to you - submit the science behind our recommendations when sharing on this forum? As much as I would like to it’s simply not going to happen in the real world is it?
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Absolutely not. I did not intend for this to get as out of hand as this has become. And I do think both of our tones in our posts have been interpreted by each other as rude, petty and condescending. I think that's unfortunate, and I sincerely apologize to you if you have been hurt by my tone.
As you describe your tone is "Sisterly", I guess my best description of my tone is "dispassionate". In that spirit, I hope you can read the rest of this post without feeling I am trying to upset you, fight with you, or otherwise behave in a negative manner that you do not deserve. Really, truly.
Perricone, his "philosophy" and the "science" he purports are behind his products are a hot topic. The key to this topic is his credibility and whether the products deliver what he claims they do, both scientifically and in the visible "proof" one can see in the mirror.
I think one has to be willing to accept that people will present different opinions on something that is held to be credible, scientific knowledge. That is the core aspect of what bugged me about your first post, and what prompted me to give my first post.
What people will accept as visible proof is on a different scale of acceptance. This is why I don't have any problem with someone saying "Estee Lauder Potion 1" worked for them. They aren't saying that it is scientifically proven to make them look like they have better skin. They're just saying it made them happy, and they're offering it as anecdotal guidance to someone who's asked for help.
In contrast, when someone says "Chemical A" has "this property" and "does this" and "is important to make X happen", my alarm bells go off. This is wholly different from saying, "Estee Lauder Potion 1 worked for me... maybe it's the Chemical A they say is a key ingredient on the back of the box?"
The threshold of acceptance for "common" knowledge, of which the "Witches" remedies is a good example, is much lower. You point out that this is unfair, and make some fair points, which I'd like to respond to now.
The blurring of the lines between the two industries has been going on for a very long time, no more so than in the anti-aging area of the field. I find that worrying, because bad science in whatever form it comes is to be resisted.
The threshold of acceptance in a comparison of claims is based on the difference between cosmetics and medicine, between a Cosmetic Company (+ Products) and a Medical Professional (+ Products).
Consumers want to be told that science backs up these products, not least because it offers some protection to their wallet, if not their health. The problem is, science usually does not to back it up to the level that is advertised on the bottle.
I fully support the difference in plausibility between the two. Sane people do not expect a miracle from a Cosmetic Company or its products. This is because a Cosmetic Company does not have the same magnitude of authority that a medical professional has. However, when a medical professional says something works and points out that "science has proven it", most of us will tend not to question it as closely. Many don't even know how to look up whether the claims are valid or not. We're left in a sea of misinformation, which leaves us vulnerable.
Even if Perricone is no longer practicing medicine, he still uses his medical credentials and fluffs good science into bad science as a basis to back up his claims. This is where scientists - those who produced those results and worked hard to make sure that their results are empirically correct - get huffy and annoyed, but all too often scientists simply shut their mouths and just get on with their research.
I assume that everyone can understand the science, no matter how complicated it may get. I also assume that people armed with new information can make more informed decisions. I think I have as much right to point out, where I feel appropriate, claims that can be potentially harmful - whether that's to someone's wallet or to their health.
That means that if an improvement of the magnitude of 3 - 6 out of a maximum 9 is good enough for you, great! It would not be for me, or my money. That's the beauty of being told what science actually says, instead of reducing it down to less complicated language. I simply do not believe consumers can't understand the complicated language.
Either way, being more careful about thinking about and making claims about what a product can do from a scientific basis is something I honestly think makes good sense, both financially and health-wise. The same logic does not apply to simple anecdotal information, because (for lack of a better term) our bullsh*t filters are firmly in place when someone says, "Have you tried Clinique's latest cleanser? It worked wonders for me".
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Originally Posted by TamEva Le Fay
Honestly - if you’ve ever read any of my own personal posts on this forum you’ll read everything I say has a flair of exaggeration and drama. I’ll be the first to admit that – and is all in the spirit of fun and a sense of humor to make people smile. I am very serious now.
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I will keep that in mind if I ever come across another post of yours. I tend to take these topics quite seriously indeed, however. It's just part of who I am, not a response to you personally. I truly hope you can believe that.
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Originally Posted by TamEva Le Fay
Ratmist, forgive my immature way of starting this post, but I really felt singled out, still not even sure why…my tone? If you were asking me in person how to remedy the appearance of enlarged pores…I would probably sound like I was talking to my Sister in the bathroom very casual and off the cuff and I know exactly how I’d say it, “Girl…this is what you need, let me break it down…” It’s hard to do that online and not appear as though it’s exaggerated, my apologize!
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When I read your first post, it sounded so much like a sales pitch my back was instantly up. It felt like you were presenting your opinions as facts, not anecdotes or opinions, for anyone reading these posts. It felt like your tone was authoritarian, as though what you were saying should be taken as gospel and should we just look it up, we'd find it to be true. Again, the perception of tone has as much to do with my responses as yours, I'd imagine.
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Originally Posted by TamEva Le Fay
Maybe we can agree that I will continue to believe in miracles - as you will continue to refute the existence of them!
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Miracles aside, thanks for your reply.