Never in-your-face?

Reader question:

Please explain this sentence, particularly “never in-your-face”: It’s fashion-forward but never in-your-face; jazzy, but not over the top.

My comments:

Years ago, I explained “in your face” in “a singer’s performance style is described as ‘in your face’”, which means loud, rude and offensive.

In our example here, “never in-your-face” means the exact opposite, i.e. never offensive.

Whatever “it” is, when “it’s fashion-forward but never in-your-face”, it is fresh and fashionable but not too much so, not so much as to be nauseating and offensive. When “it’s jazzy, but not over the top”, it’s loud, cheerful and freewheeling but not excessively so. “Over the top”, by the way, means just that, excessive, too much.

If “it” refers to a style of music, then it is avant-garde, trend setting, forward looking, definitely not backward. When “it” is jazzy, it is jazz-like, free, perhaps loud, but never repulsive.

Think of the old songs of Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. That’s jazz back in the day, back in the old day, the good old day and, in fact, jazz’s heyday.

Oh, I’m being carried away. Back to “in-your-face” as an adjective for being rude and offensive.

You must have heard people say: “Get out of my face!”

That’s what they say to someone who quarrels with them face-to-face. In fact, the quarreler’s face is so close to yours that you can see nothing but their face. You can feel their breath and you can’t stand it at all.

And by saying, “Get out of my face”, you’re telling them to get out of your sight because they’re too rude and repulsive.

And that is that.

In-your-face, in short, can be used to describe anything that’s too much and too close for comfort, too rude and excessive.

And here are media examples:

1. Attention-grabbing signs that remind drivers of highway mortality can backfire in unexpected ways, according to a new study.

When cars in Texas zoom past crash statistics – like “1669 deaths this year on Texas roads” – researchers found drivers are 4.5 percent more likely to get in a crash in the next 10 kilometers (6.21 miles).

In Texas alone, that accident rate could account for 2,600 crashes a year and an additional 16 fatalities. If the same rate exists nationwide, it’s possible road fatality reminders could be causing 17,000 car crashes in the US every year.

“Our study shows that salient, generic, in-your-face safety messages delivered to drivers crowd out more pressing safety concerns,” the authors conclude.

While traffic signs about road safety might seem helpful or innocuous, there’s a chance they are distracting drivers in a way that is more of a disaster than a deterrent.

That’s a serious issue given that 28 states have adopted similar interventions.

Texas makes for a good case study because the state flashes fatality messages on the highway once a week each month. This allowed researchers to measure the impact of these messages on an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis.

Comparing car crashes from before the state’s safety campaign started and after, researchers were surprised to find an immediate negative impact. It seemed the campaign was doing the exact opposite of what it was intended to do.

When fatality signs went up in campaign weeks, car crashes also went up. The result is comparable to raising the speed limit by 3 to 5 miles per hour (4.8 to 8 km/h) or reducing highway troopers by up to 14 percent.

Although initially surprised, the authors of the study have found a way to explain the results.

They propose that “sobering” messages like road fatalities are too “in-your-face”. Instead of making a driver more alert, they simply make them more distracted.

By stealing some of a driver’s limited attention and turning it into anxiety about death, road signs can cause drivers to overlook other essential considerations, like knowing where other cars are around them.

The “distraction” hypothesis is also supported by the fact that an increase in car crashes from fatality signs was larger on Texas roads that were more complex, such as those with more traffic or more lanes and turn-offs.

- Study Reveals an Unexpected Side Effect of Traffic Safety Messages, ScienceAlert.com, April 24, 2022.

2. Tech billionaire Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly got into a shouting match near President Donald Trump in the White House.

Last Friday, The New York Times detailed a supposed “power struggle” between Bessent and Musk. That struggle led to a heated exchange after Bessent accused Musk of going around him to have Gary Shapley installed as the acting commissioner of the IRS. Not long after Shapley’s appointment, he was replaced by Michael Faulkender – Bessent’s deputy.

While the initial report from The New York Times merely described it as a “clash,” additional reporting from Axios on Wednesday revealed the two men actually got in each other’s faces – and it was all within earshot of Trump.

The report continued:

The clash – with both men in each other’s face – showed how much Musk’s personality and style have rankled some senior administration officials since he began running roughshod through agencies with DOGE.

According to one source, the men “were not physical in the Oval, but the president saw it, and then they carried it down the hall, and that’s when they did it again.” Another source described it to Axios as “quite a scene” and emphasized how “loud” the exchange was.

Additionally, representatives of both Musk and Bessent confirmed the argument did happen.

- It Was WWE’: Elon Musk Reportedly Got into a ‘Loud’ Shouting Match With Trump’s Treasury Secretary in the West Wing, MediaITE.com, April 23, 2025.

3. Trend alert – say hello to butter nails. Forget the sheer pinks, delicate nudes, and other neutral tones you’re used to, it’s time to throw out the seasonal manicure rulebook and try something fresh and a little bit unexpected instead. According to manicurist-to-the-stars, Tom Bachik, it’s all about “butter” manicures for spring.

Bachik previously showcased the look on longtime client Selena Gomez’s perfectly-shaped oval nails, painted in a pale butter shade. Slightly vanilla-toned, you can achieve a similar look at home with the help of Chanel’s Le Vernis Ovni shade or Essie All Fun & Games.

It’s been all over the spring 2025 runways too: From sheer and slinky gowns at Toteme, to boho layers at Chloe, and pretty pleats at Chanel – everyone is buttering up. Fashion designers often offer an It shade (or two!) with each new season, and for spring, we’re being served with a generous slab of butter yellow. Glam, of course, has to follow.

The trick to this trend is getting it right – and to avoiding an unappealing shade of yellow – is to ensure it’s the right hue. Think creamy, rather than mustard or neon for your set of butter nails. It’s a nod to the color, without being too in your face. The color brings with it a pop of energy, while still feeling subtle and elegant.

- Butter Nails Are Spring’s Most-Requested Manicure—Again, Vogue.com, April 29, 2025.

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About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

（作者：张欣）