Senior women grace pages of Cosmo

For those fans of the now-notorious "Sybil," it's just not the same. University women are once more gracing the pages of a national magazine -- but, this time, they are fully clothed and ready for the professional world. Cosmopolitan magazine's spring special edition, Life After College, has just hit newsstands with tips on career planning, resume-building, internships and interviews -- and with its beauty pages laden with the faces of senior University women. The photo montage, entitled "Senior-Class Makeovers: Almost Grads Get the Works," features 10 University women before and after "intensive beauty therapy" makeovers at a New York City studio. Participants said they were told that the November shoot would focus on University students because the issue's beauty director, Andrea Pomerantz Lynn, is a University alumna. Lynn could not be reached for comment last night. After placing an ad in The Daily Pennsylvanian, Cosmopolitan contacted sorority presidents, who invited their seniors to send in photographs. "I think everyone that was in it was in a sorority," said participant Amy Rosenbloom, a College senior. College senior Lori Bean said most of the women, who are only listed by their first names in the magazine, were from Sigma Delta Tau and Chi Omega. Bean, an SDT sister, added that the seniors were not paid for their long hours of modeling. "It was a mutual thing," Bean said. "We would never have an opportunity to be in a magazine like that, and they save a lot of money by not having to pay professional models." College senior Susan Egan said she was happy with the results of her makeover, which were more drastic than she expected and included a six-inch hair cut. "They pampered us a lot, you had your hair done . . . I'm glad I did it," she said. College senior Catherine Donaldson-Evans said the day in New York was full of stereotypical fighting hairdressers and bizarre photographers, one of whom complimented her "bedroom eyes." "I think all of us realize what modeling is really like now," said Donaldson-Evans, a 34th Street writer. "Sometimes I felt a little like a product, and when you're a model, you are." Many participants said they wished the photo-story had included some substance in addition to style. "We had all wished they'd put something more about Penn," Rosenbloom said. "It was raining that day, so they couldn't shoot [the "after" shots] at Penn." "They [didn't] pick us because we were achievers," Bean said. "We do go to an Ivy League school. Too bad they didn't put anything more down than, 'No More Bushy Brows!' ." "They wanted to put people in who looked very collegiate before and very successful and business-like afterwards," she added. Donaldson-Evans said while the "after" shots were quite flattering, the "before" shots were less than ideal. "We all looked like hell," she said bluntly. The makeovers, according to the magazine, are "new professional looks" which "may inspire you to make some postgraduation changes!" and feature the women in businesslike suits, apparently ready to take over the boardroom of their choice. While the women said they were excited to see their "faces in print," at least one participant said the shoot would not figure into her own list of credentials. "I wouldn't use it on a resume or anything," Bean joked.

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