Sex sells. Warning: contains sexual content.
Imagine a naked woman sat on a pristine supermarket shelf. Her blonde locks fall past her shoulders and curls at the ends. As she lifts her head up, her neck reveals a defined collar bone. Her nipples are covered with a conveniently placed white tea towel that she is clasping in her right hand but her large breasts are still visible. The shape of her body forms an hourglass and her skin is smooth. Each inch of her stomach is flat and toned. Her legs are crossed, one over the other, but her hips are broad and demonstrate the width of her bare bottom. With her left hand placed on the edge of her thigh, her red nails are wiggling at the tips of her fingers. She’s tapping her knee but she reaches her right hand to touch her rouge lips.
Interesting, isn’t it? The image of a gorgeous woman is now in your mind. Using the stereotypical male’s urges, she could probably persuade you to buy something. With the promise that you could own a beautiful female, such as the fictitious woman I just described, she could probably manipulate you into buying anything from a toy unicorn to a pack of cigarettes. I didn’t give you her name or even show you her face. The fact that she was blonde might have enticed you in more too, she gave the impression of being more fun. In a study taken by the Mail Online, it was understood that brunettes were seen as having “parenting potential” whereas blondes were seen as “promiscuous”. A dating expert set out an experiment to see how two standard groups of builders would react to her as a blonde and her as a brunette (I’ll leave the link at the bottom). With each group, she dropped her red scarf. As a brunette, she was greeted with chivalry but her blonde locks produced a response of “hey blondie”.
From 1860 the term ‘bombshell’ was described as something “shattering or devastating thing or event”. But from 1942 onwards, it was attributed to a ‘sex symbol’ for instance the term ‘blonde bombshell’. The stereotype is loved for her curves, hypersexuality and general hourglass figure. Jean Harlow was the first woman to be nicknamed this as her character in the film ‘Platinum Blonde’. But possibly the most famous beautiful blonde of our time, in that aspect, would be Marilyn Monroe.
Since the 1950’s, the advertising industry realised that sex really does sell. Pin ups of women in the 1950’s proved to be a popular marketing choice. Posters for the army enticed men in with long legs and a curious gender role swap. It meant that war seemed appealing. With the opportunity to win a an attractive reward such as the pin up woman, men were less reluctant to sign up for the battle.
The initial advertisement with nudity that was created in 1871 by the brand Pearl Tobacco. Their packaging presented a naked woman balanced, tiptoeing on the surface of the sea. Other products such as W. Duke & Sons who packed provocatively pictured trading cards into their box of cigarettes seemed to catch the idea, in 1885. It was not long before lingerie and high heels were a fundamental aspect of almost all commercials. It was in 1953 that Playboy was born. With nudity exposed (pun intended), it meant that more posters became risqué and engaging. Women would pose in various ‘promiscuous’ clothing and attract their audience with their flirtatious poses.
Fast forward to the 1990's. Melinda Messenger was caught in the media after she modelled in an advertisement for a Gloucester based company which was promoting double glazing. She was snapped in lace underwear, gazing through a window. Shortly after the advertisement was displayed, it was noticed that the posters started to go missing. Who would steal such an innocent commercial for windows? Well if a size 34DD model was photographed, what straight man wouldn’t seize it? The advertising industry claimed that ‘the photograph increased sales of its windows by 25 per cent’. Teenage boys still snicker at the big boobs on Page 3, the naked women in The Sun newspaper. Sky sports is often presented by leggy blonde ladies to attract the majority of their viewers. It boosts the ratings compared to other sports competing sports channels. Men like football and women, right?
It can be argued that we are seeing more aftershave and shampoo commercials with shirtless men. For instance, the recent advertisement for Boss Bottled features a half-dressed Chris Hemsworth (known for being the character ‘Thor’, I know I’m biased but he’s attractive). But due to society’s thoughts, we see his fragrance as manly and powerful. This is compared to Jennifer Lawrence who swims in a strapless white dress (which gives the appearance she is nude) in the advert for the perfume Joy by Christian Dior. The noun ‘joy’ is abstract and an often used as an empty adjective. The noun ‘Boss’ connotes a feeling of superiority and control. We are in awe of how he’s portrayed as the #ManofToday. He dresses in a well-groomed suit and tie then proceeds to have a great day at work. You are convinced you can be a ‘real man’ if you buy the aftershave. Don’t get me wrong, I used a lot of male stereotypes in this blog post. I understand that there are now many sexualities and genders that people associate themselves with. But I was simply talking about a portion of the population.
I am a heterosexual Christian who does not have sex before marriage. But I still come in to contact with it on several occasions. I can openly talk about sex. I don’t mind. I’m not afraid of the concept. I do not need to be shielded from the fact people have it on a regular basis. Did I ask for a woman standing in her underwear to be plastered on the wall of the London underground? No but it attracts attention. It’s a decent selling point. It covers one of the main human needs along with food, air, and sleep. In a pub, down the road from where I live back at home, there is an illustration of a naked woman as a poster on their wall behind the bar. Her credentials are covered by packets of peanuts. The point behind that being the more you purchase peanuts, the more skin she reveals. Of course, she’s attractive. I’m jealous that she can flirt with confidence. A blonde woman like that could get you to buy anything.
Attractive references, take a gander
Vintage ‘Pin up’ found on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/833447474765340916/?lp=true
Mail Online: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5230187/Men-really-prefer-blondes-research-shows.html
Blonde vs Brunette experiment: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5230187/Men-really-prefer-blondes-research-shows.html#v-4164617328001
‘Platinum Blonde’. Director: Frank Capra. 31 October 1931, USA.
‘Pin up girls’:
https://www.complex.com/style/2012/08/the-25-hottest-women-in-vintage-coca-cola-ads/14
The Pearl Tobacco advertisement: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pearl,_tobacco_label,_1871.jpg
W. Duke & Sons: https://repository.duke.edu/dc/wdukesons
‘Playboy’. December 1953 with Marilyn Monroe on the cover (she’s also included inside as ‘Sweetheart of the Month’)
More about Melinda Messenger if you want to see who she is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Messenger
An example of a “blonde bombshell” being demonstrated in an ‘attractive’ light on Sky Sports: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz-tv/hot-tv/602721/sky-sports-news-hayley-mcquen-see-through-blouse-kirsty-gallacher-video
No I’m not going to give a link for Page 3 of The Sun
BOSS Bottled advert featuring Thor, I mean Chris Hemsworth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuolDtCniKc
Jennifer Lawrence swimming almost naked to advertise a perfume: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CRihg1X89A
