Seven of Nine: Efficiency

[Amaraen]

During my binge watching I am now mid way through Season 4. This time I am feeling a bit perplexed about Seven of Nine's views. She is always talking about how things are efficient and irrelevant, but she seems to contradict herself.

Mainly the three things I am thinking of are hair, makeup, and high heels.

Wouldn't it be more efficient to have a shorter, military-style hair style that does not need much maintenance? Wouldn't makeup be completely irrelevant in her mind? And what functional advantage would high heels have? I am a practical person very rarely wear heels: I would imagine that someone like Seven would completely avoid them.

Thoughts?

 

[stardream]

During my binge watching I am now mid way through Season 4. This time I am feeling a bit perplexed about Seven of Nine's views. She is always talking about how things are efficient and irrelevant, but she seems to contradict herself.

Mainly the three things I am thinking of are hair, makeup, and high heels.

Wouldn't it be more efficient to have a shorter, military-style hair style that does not need much maintenance? Wouldn't makeup be completely irrelevant in her mind? And what functional advantage would high heels have? I am a practical person very rarely wear heels: I would imagine that someone like Seven would completely avoid them.

Thoughts?

You are very observant.

I was under the impression that the Doctor created her appearance and it didn't cross her mind to question him...although you would think she would at least ask "Why aren't the other women on this ship forced to wear this get up?"

 

[Triskelion]

She wasn't about efficiency, she was a sexually-dominating pied piper to lure basement dwellers to the land of mass consumption. Why the Hirogen didn't put her in a Gestapo uniform with a riding crop, we'll never know...some network suits might have enjoyed the idea....

 

[Melakon]

Yes, her appearance is due to the EMH inflicting his own esthetics onto her appearance. He even brags about stimulating her hair follicles, else she might have been bald.

The catsuit design supposedly had properties to speed dermal regeneration. She probably couldn't wait to get out of the thing.

 

[hux]

Real world answers to fictional world questions. Jeri Ryan was hot and had lovely long hair. She was also fairly petite. What yer gonna do?

In-universe, the doctor stimulated hair growth to provide a more human look and created a tight fitting cat-suit to help her skin heal. She just stuck with it because... efficient.

 

[stardream]

I didn't think about her hair one way or the other...except I thought she looked better when she wore it loose. It wasn't like the constantly changing Janeway hair (or to a lesser extent Paris' hair. His even changed color a couple of times).

Janeway was also petite. She didn't wear heels...not that I noticed anyway.

 

[T'Girl]

Mainly the three things I am thinking of are hair, makeup, and high heels

although you would think she would at least ask "Why aren't the other women on this ship forced to wear this get up?"

Other women on the ship certainly wear makeup and boots with heels, Janeway's hair was in up in a bun for a while.

 

[Timo]

Let's not forget that perfect hair in Star Trek is apparently achieved without time or effort required. There's probably a machine for it. Or a subroutine. Or a type of radiation or particle.

The same goes for makeup, naturally. No doubt one of the first things programmed into domestic replicators after their introduction was the Venus Drug that Harry Mudd once pushed.

So that really only leaves the high heels. And those apparently give some sort of a tactical advantage or a boost in cross-country mobility, as the freedom-fighting veteran Kira Nerys also preferred those (see especially "Indiscretion" and the benefits in sand dune crossing and rock climbing).

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Tracy Trek]

Janeway was also petite. She didn't wear heels...not that I noticed anyway.

As was B'Elanna. Also Kes.

I believe the Seven character was created to appeal to the young male demographic, so she had to appear as sexy as possible. No matter that it strained credibility.

 

[Kilana2]

During my binge watching I am now mid way through Season 4. This time I am feeling a bit perplexed about Seven of Nine's views. She is always talking about how things are efficient and irrelevant, but she seems to contradict herself.

Mainly the three things I am thinking of are hair, makeup, and high heels.

Wouldn't it be more efficient to have a shorter, military-style hair style that does not need much maintenance? Wouldn't makeup be completely irrelevant in her mind? And what functional advantage would high heels have? I am a practical person very rarely wear heels: I would imagine that someone like Seven would completely avoid them.

Thoughts?

You will be the next efficiency monitor....

 

[T'Girl]

Janeway was also petite. She didn't wear heels...not that I noticed anyway.

You were saying? Seven and Janeway had about the same height of heels.

 

[stardream]

Janeway was also petite. She didn't wear heels...not that I noticed anyway.

You were saying? Seven and Janeway had about the same height of heels.

Like I said...I didn't notice. I honestly don't pay a lot of attention to things like that. I wouldn't have paid attention to Seven's heels either except people kept going on and on about them.

 

[Triskelion]

^ Technically, isn't that the EMH?

 

[T'Girl]

They're the boots that are a part of the Janeway costume.

 

[hux]

^ Technically, isn't that the EMH?

Are you suggesting the EMH downloaded the captain's physical parameters but added the boots for his own kinky reasons?

 

[Triskelion]

^ Technically, isn't that the EMH?

Are you suggesting the EMH downloaded the captain's physical parameters but added the boots for his own kinky reasons?

Hey, if the shoe fits....

http://www.trekbbs.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/

 

[Amaraen]

Captain Janeway has definitely worn those same boots on numerous episodes. I had noticed that they made special high heels for her and I also found that odd. I find it stranger though with Seven, as with her personality (especially at the beginning) it would have made more sense for her to ditch them immediately and wear something more practical. Skin-tight clothing can definitely be excused since it could possibly be more efficient, since it wouldn't be a risk of getting in the way of work, etc.

Even if the Doctor had dressed her up like that, I could see Seven, the first time she has to do her routine, saying "This is irrelevant" and not bothering with the makeup. Then the first time her hair needs to be washed, saying the same thing and cutting it off. I actually have a very difficult time imagining her not doing this.

 

[stardream]

Now that I think of it there was a scene of Tom and B'Elanna kissing and he had her lipstick smeared on his mouth. Scientific Method I believe....so Torres wore lipstick at least...unless Tom was more of a free spirit that we thought.

 

[borgboy]

^ Technically, isn't that the EMH?

Are you suggesting the EMH downloaded the captain's physical parameters but added the boots for his own kinky reasons?

Hey, if the shoe fits....

So this is the last thing I see before going to bed. Thanks lol

I have thought the same thing, that I couldn't really justify why Seven would keep long hair and wear impractical shoes.
I also wondered why some Vulcan women, like T'Pol in the fourth season of Enterprise, would take the trouble to care for long hair. What logical purpose would that serve? Although I suppose even Vulcans appreciate aesthetics.
It's worth noting that it looks like Spock wears cosmetics, although I vaguely assume it's supposed to be exotic Vulcan skin tones.

 

[Melakon]

Jeri Ryan is 5'8"/1.73m, about 4 inches taller than what's normally considered petite. Kate is closer at 5'5"/1.65m.