"There's a lot of animosity in these messages," said Judith Langer, president of Langer Associates, a nationally recognized trend spotter based in New York City.

"A few years ago what I was hearing was: 'It's only another $10 a month,' "said Alan D. Levin, of Langer Associates in New York, which runs consumer focus groups.

"We are a society going in different directions at the same time," said Judith Langer, who heads Langer Associates, a market research consulting firm in New York.

"Women are recognizing they like men's bodies," said Judith Langer, head of Langer Associates, a market research firm in New York.

Roper Starch Worldwide in Harrison, N.Y., acquired Langer Associates in New York, a research company, for undisclosed terms.

Her mother is the vice president of Langer Associates, market-research consultants in New York.

"It's a sensible strategy," said Judith Langer, head of Langer Associates, New York, a market research and trend-spotting consultancy.

"Their timing is good," Judith Langer, president of Langer Associates, a market research company, said of Clinique executives.

Judith Langer, president of Langer Associates, a New York-based research firm that conducts more than 200 focus groups a year, said that she often hears complaints from consumers about information overload.

His mother, now retired, was the vice president of Langer Associates, a market research company that was in New York.