Glamour isn't a cultural necessity but its usefulness can't be denied. It makes us feel good about ourselves by making us believe that life can sparkle.

Glamorous people make difficult tasks seem effortless. They appear to cruise through life shaking off defeat with a wry comment. No matter how hard they work for what they have, the exertion never seems to show. And yet, the cool confidence they project doesn't ever drift into lassitude.

Hollywood attracts people of glamour — as well as the misguided souls who confuse it with mere good looks — because that is where it is rewarded. And the Academy Awards are the epicentre of it all. We watch the Oscars to delight in the stars who glide down the red carpet like graceful swans or who swagger on to the stage looking dashing.

Other reasons too

Of course, we watch for other reasons, too. There's always the possibility of a supremely absurd fashion moment or
an acceptance speech during which the winner becomes righteously indignant — Michael Moore-style — or practically hyperventilates such as Halle Berry.

While Moore, who was a nominee, is not glamorous, he is compelling for the sheer possibility of an impolitic eruption. Berry isn't glamorous either, mostly because nothing ever looks effortless with her. (She has even expressed anguish over her beauty.)

Mostly, though, we watch in search of “old Hollywood'' glamour. But really, is there any other kind?

Old charm

Among the actors who consistently manage to evoke memories of Cary Grant or Grace Kelly are George Clooney and Cate Blanchett.

There's something about the way they present themselves that speaks to discretion, sex appeal and glossy perfection.

As an audience, we think we know these actors but we really don't. We know their image, the carefully crafted personality they display to the public. If they have been to rehab, they went quietly and without a crowd of paparazzi trailing behind them.

Their lives appear to be an endless stream of lovely adventures, minor mishaps that turn into party banter, charming romances and just enough gravitas to keep them from floating away on a cloud of frivolity.

These actors take pretty pictures because they seem supremely comfortable with themselves. It's not simply their beauty we're seeing; it's also an unapologetic pleasure in being who they are.

Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actress, Tilda Swinton, has the kind of striking, handsome looks of Anjelica Huston or Lauren Bacall.

But Swinton doesn't register as glamorous as much as cool. She looks a bit androgynous and favours the eccentric Dutch design team of Viktor & Rolf, which once populated an entire runway show with Swinton doppelgangers.

Coolness suggests that the person knows something or understands something that average folks haven't yet figured out. Cool people are a step ahead.

Different from charisma

Glamour is firmly situated in the now. There's nothing particularly intimate about glamour, which is why it plays so well on the big screen and why film actors who embody it can sometimes be disappointing in real life.

Glamour isn't like charisma, which is typically described as the ability to make others feel important or special.

Neither quality has much to do with a person's inner life.

Glamour is no measure of soulfulness or integrity. It isn't about truth, but perception.

Redbook traffics in truth. Vogue promotes glamour. Although Hollywood is the natural habitat for the glitterati, they exist everywhere: politics, government, sports, business.

Tiger Woods brought glamour to golf with his easy confidence and his ability to make the professional game look as simple as putt-putt.

Billionaire Donald Trump aspires to glamour with his flashy properties and their gold-drenched decor. But his efforts are apparent, his yearning obvious. The designer Tom Ford is glamorous. The man never rumples.

Celebrating surface gloss

Charisma is personal. Glamour taps into a universal fairy tale. It's unconcerned with the nitty-gritty.

Instead, it celebrates the surface gloss. And sometimes, a little shimmer can be hard to resist.

People

Political fancy

In the political world, Barack Obama has glamour. Bill Clinton has charisma. And Hillary Clinton has an admirable work ethic. Bill Clinton could convince voters he felt their pain.

Hillary Clinton reminds them, detail by detail, of how she would alleviate it. Glamour has a way of temporarily making you forget about the pain and just think the world is a beautiful place of endless possibilities.

Ronald Reagan evoked glamour. His white-tie inaugural balls and morning-coat swearing-in were purposefully organised to bring a twinkle back to the American psyche.

George W Bush has charisma, aka the likeability factor, although it does not appear to be helping his approval rating now. Still, he remains a back-slapper and bestower of nicknames.

By Robin Givhan, Los Angeles Times-Washington Post

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