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Author:
Tarice L.S. Gray
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Tarice L.S. Gray parlayed her love of writing into a diverse career. She started out as a reporter for Cleveland's National Public Radio member station WCPN...
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There she co-wrote and co-produced the award winning documentary "Martin Luther King Day: A Day on Not a Day off" and wrote, produced and edited "Cross Colors" about the effect media images have on pop culture.
Tarice moved to Los Angeles and became a producer for National Public Radio's "Tavis Smiley Show" and "News and Notes".
She has also worked on the African American National Biography Project for Harvard University and written and published a book of poetry titled "Word Harvest". Tarice has also ghost written features and consulted on other documentary projects.
Currently she is a freelance writer and a member of the Writers' Guild of America, West.
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SEX AND APPEAL
Last November, Maxim magazine, a men’s publication known for its artful covers of buxom women just barely covered, posted their on-line list of the unsexiest women. The list, which a Maxim representative said was a tongue cheek response to an Esquire magazine poll, listed “Sex In the City” star Sarah Jessica Parker as the unsexiest woman alive. Ms. Parker didn’t release a formal statement to address the distinction, but in an interview she admitted she was shocked. Many women were, and it got me to thinking. Does a male idea of what is sexy really rule?
Brent Jenkins is a casual Maxim reader who works in the entertainment industry. He doesn’t necessarily buy into the Maxim definition of sexy. He said, “I bought the one with Sarah Silverman because I think not only her look, her personality makes her much more attractive, whereas I skipped the Mariah Carey thing because I think her personality makes her much less attractive to guys.”
Celebrity Stylist Phillip Bloch believes defining who’s sexy is a matter of personal taste like dating, “there’s somebody for everyone which is I think what Hollywood symbolizes.” Bloch champions subtle sexuality. He underscores this to his celebrity clientele. He said, “there’s no need to scream when you can whisper. People don’t want to see the cleavage shoved in their face and they don’t want to see the high slit dresses constantly.”
Yes, but Mariah Carey is marketed to the masses as being the definition of sexy. Picking up where Madonna left off Mariah Carey whose latest single is titled “Touch my body” plays her sex appeal every which way but coy. And, when it comes to the selling of sex and the marketing of careers, there is a segment of the celebrity population that wants to maintain a certain sexuality standard.
Several women benefit from the title of sexiest,like Eva Mendes, Academy Award winners Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry. Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey, often wearing pretty close to nothing, have dominated the airwaves and magazine covers giving their all -- so sex-as-sexy does sell.
Victoria’s Secret knows this first hand. The billion dollar chain has made cleavage more accessible to women in need through best selling items like the push up bra. The store touts lingerie for a woman to feel and be sexy. The billion dollar chain launched their 2008 “What is sexy?” campaign in January headlined of course by habitual fantasy girl Heidi Klum. The commercials begged the question as we watched Klum and company parade across the screen in limited lingerie. But the company then released a list with broader criteria to answer the question it posed and both Ryan Seacrest, clothed, and Eva Mendes are sexy, apparently. Last year’s list included full figured Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson. A company spokesperson says they look at more than just physical features and, he said, Hudson’s lips were the feature that took the honor. Despite their obvious reliance on sex sells (lingerie), the company is willing to say it’s the package not the presentation.
They may be speaking to the public in general. In a recent MSN/Zogby poll, over 10,000 men and women were asked the question “What is sexy?” 75% of the respondents agreed it’s an attitude not a perfect physique; in fact 76% believed women who were a size 14 or higher would fit the definition of sexy. But reality continues to buttheads with fantasy as we are reminded by celebrities offering their nearly naked, unattainably sized sex appeal as a means to get themselves on the covers of magazines and talked about in the media. Style expert Danna Weiss, believes the media is entirely to blame. She said, “the media has created this, we as the media have created competition for women. You know, who’s skinnier, who has more beautiful breasts?” Weiss thinks the competition has degraded women and also made this a “cookie cutter” industry.
Still, not every actress feels the pressure. Betsy Zajko is a working actress who’s done television and film. She is acutely aware of the Hollywood sex appeal criteria and how it shapes even the characters she’s played. Zajko said, “I go into an audition where I’m supposed to play what they call a MILF (Mothers I’d Like to F-k). I’m aware that sometimes I’m put in that category, and if I go into an audition with a ton of women who are cut and really defined, I can certainly get into comparisons. But [rankings of that sort don’t] do me any good when I walk in the room.”
So how does the real worldview of sex appeal balance out the Maxim standard? How does Sarah Jessica Parker claim her rightful place of queen of “Sex in this City”? Maybe it doesn’t matter. Weiss believes the best definition of what is sexy is your own. “The truth is what I do tell clients is pick your feature that you love and flaunt it.” She continued, “and that is something that’s a confidence builder. If you have a great cleavage and you love it, flaunt it. If you have great legs and you love them, flaunt them. Be who you are and enjoy it.”
Hollywood actress Kate Winslet agrees. The one time cover girl for GQ magazine makes no apologies for not being the Hollywood standard. But she doesn’t shy away from sex scenes like in “Little Children.” Time and again Winslet has not only defended her body image, famously when the editors of GQ digitally altered her cover, she’s flaunted it on screen. In fact she told BBC “I'm completely physically comfortable with who I am and I have no particular issues any more and I don't feel I have to run around waving my flag about the female body any more."
Good. And it should be true for everyone. Also true? Sex sells. We stay curious about the polls that want to dictate what sexy is. The Maxim Hot 100 will be out in June, $4.99 on the news stands.
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