Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a consultant
    • ex. The restaurant owner talked to a business consultant about increasing sales.
  2. a trendsetter
    • ex. She is a trendsetter because everyone copies her clothes and hair.
  3. cutting-edge
    • ex. The new phone model has a cutting-edge camera that takes amazing pictures, almost as good as a real camera.
  4. engaging
    • ex. The book is engaging, and it keeps readers excited.
  5. interactive
    • ex. The museum has an interactive area where visitors can touch items on display.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Many shoppers now get beauty ideas from social media. Videos on TikTok and Instagram help people learn about makeup and skincare at home. Quinn Kelsey from Denver uses an AI chatbot as her personal beauty consultant. It helps her choose products that fit her budget and shows how makeup may look on her face. She usually buys online, often from Amazon, instead of going to department stores.

Department stores were once beauty trendsetters, but they began losing influence in the late 1990s. New stores like Sephora and Ulta changed shopping by letting customers test products on their own. Today, online shopping makes competition even stronger. Amazon is now the largest online seller of beauty products in the U.S. Many shoppers prefer to get advice from video creators and doctors on social media. They also like to get information about “dupes,” the cheaper versions of expensive brands, on social media.

To stay competitive, department stores are adding cutting-edge tools. Macy’s and Nordstrom upgraded their beauty areas with engaging and interactive features. These include beauty bars, skin analysis devices, and even robot-applied eyelashes. Stores hope these experiences will bring shoppers back.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Using Dupes

  • What do you think about using cheaper versions of expensive beauty products, called “dupes?” Discuss.
  • Have you ever used a dupe yourself? Discuss.
  • Besides beauty products, what other items do you know of that have dupes (ex. perfume, food)? Discuss.

Getting Advice from Social Media

  • Many shoppers prefer to get advice from video creators and doctors on social media. What do you think about getting beauty or skincare advice from social media compared to store experts? Discuss.
  • What kind of advice do you usually search for or get from social media or the internet? Discuss.
  • If you had to choose, would you prefer to get advice from an AI chatbot consultant or from real experts in the field, such as doctors or beauty specialists? Discuss.