Dm is a German drugstore, but for some, it can also fungate as a temporary remedy against this stingy micro-loneliness that can occur after dedicating some months in Frankfurt. A common late capitalist tradition, often advocated in “feminine oriented” magazines since very early childhood, is to cry, regret, and then, proceed to feed the need to beautify oneself temporally. This last step can be achieved by enhancing the colours of the epidermal surface of the body.
Amongst other solutions at hand such as soft-meditation playlists, a new morning routine, keeping a bullet journal, re-organising a purse, writing short to-do lists, make-up is the only way one can, on a daily basis, soften the direct encounters with other individuals. The emotional features of a face suffering homesickness can, when done well, be camouflaged to the level of being able to be read as “a face that glows from the geographical translocation”.
It will not only ephemerally cure the melancholy, but the slight reverse expectations and gratification one can get from interacting with the outside world is recommended by many. After having spent so much time for a perfect eyeliner wing, tears will be held back better aswell. And no one will notice the fever behind the matt powder layer on one´s cheeks.
The DM Behavior Codes
Almost like entering a stage, ones body localises itself amongst others in common and confined space, with its structures and behavior codes. The body has a role, The Customer. The script is very simple but its whole pattern is admirable. The social contracts within a store like this are not very much different than a supermarket, except that the content here is marketed toward the Home and the Body. Actually, something in between these two. The assortment of bodily products (smearable, penetrable, edible) is the biggest one.
To try out make-up in drugstores is another story. It is for sure another level of shopping. And in contrary to bigger cosmetic shops such as Sephora, DM has no assistants or employees in charge of advising.
”This freedom is great: I don´t want anyone to look down on my fingers when I try 17 colours of nailpolish on my thumb”.
”Fortunately, the numbing TL light of this store blindly stores my braincells safely in the back of my head. My gaze is suffocated towards gloss vs. matt.”, a customer says after asking what their thoughts are on the interior design of the store.
”Unfortunately, this does help delaying this malicious grey curtain that, out of nowhere, happen to shut down all my in-and a-ttention this morning, with a thin layer of sour apathy”, another customer told us.
Whenever there is an excuse, going to DM can be soothing and agonising at the same time. A feeling that one is looking for when everything is neutralised and eye vision becomes insensitive to even a phone screen.
If you are checking out at the cash register with a maximum of 2 items with dark purple lips and an ombre of pink shades on your eyelids, you won the game.
