We should all be ashamed of ourselves.
We need to expect more from the people we lust after and adore.
Once upon a time, being a sex symbol meant something; it was a true acknowledgment of one’s attractiveness to the world at-large. If you found yourself to be so blessed as to be elevated to this pinnacle of humanity, you had to conduct yourself accordingly.
Not these days. Just look at where we used to be and where we’ve wound up…
RITA HAYWORTH. Go hit Wikipedia, kids!
A “Classy” Megan Fox pose…
But that’s not what we’re used to, is it? How about this one instead…
I LOVE THE INTERNET…
Can you imagine Rita Hayworth selling Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Canvas High Top White Sneakers – had they existed in the 1940s, that is – in such a “reserved” (Gotta love sarcasm, right?) manner? What about a little something closer to the here and now; Farrah Fawcett‘s classic poster…
And Christina Applegate‘s entry to the annals of poster history, circa her Married With Children days…
To her credit, Applegate has always managed to keep her image clean, something most teenage boys could never say of their copies of this poster! There have always been sex symbols willing to display a harder edge. Just look at Jane Russell - she got your Grandpa’s motor racin’ in the 1940s and 1950s, kids – and her “bad girl” look…
I HAVE TO ADMIT, SHE SCARES ME A LITTLE…
And finally, the person most responsible for the devolution of the term “sex symbol” in our modern-age…
KIM KARDASHIAN’S LATE FATHER HAS TO HAVE SPUN HIMSELF OUT OF HIS GRAVE BY NOW!
One could argue the modern media is to blame for our current climate of low standards of public image for female personalities, although the paparazzi existed in the Golden Age of Hollywood and you still didn’t see the same level of promiscuity in ads and posters, etc.
No, we’ve become hungry for lewd images and incredibly lax standards for advertisers. Our willingness to sit idly by – and in some cases, encourage this behavior by buying the resulting products – has resulted in a modern-day sex symbol who is both mainstream and fringe all at once. Kim Kardashian and her douchebag predecessor Paris Hilton have both used sex tapes as marketing tools, successfully so.
I just wish we had kept softcore porn and the mainstream world separated, just as they used to be. There have always been other avenues open to those souls hungry to satisfy their lustful urges. In my day, it was the Sports illustrated Swimsuit Edition, your Mom’s Cosmo or the Sears catalogue. Nowadays kids can surf the web from the comfort of their room (Of course, the door doesn’t lock, but you can’t have everything, right?) and cut right to the chase.
And that’s my point – finally – sex symbols used to leave you wanting more. Now? I can see Kim Kardashian engaged in full-blown – pun intended – porno mode.
In closing, I’d like to publicly say that I’m more than a little afraid of what the future is going to hold for sex symbols everywhere. The days of seduction and class are loooong gone.
I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but it’s a safe bet it’ll be x-rated.
I couldn’t agree more. I love the old pin up girls. It’s so much sexier to engage the imagination than to put it on display!
It certainly is, Gillian!
There doesn’t seem to be a way to reverse it. Maybe we should shoot for a nudist society so our youth knows that the airbrushed, starved and work-out-aholics are the rare exceptions not to set your expectations by.
OK that might be a little extreme but it’s a funny thought.
We need bold ideas, so maybe this isn’t that far-fetched, after all!
mmmm…. Rita Hayworth… what a stunningly, beautiful and sexy woman. Elegant too.
You speak of the devolution of the sex symbol. Well… it’s like this. Sex symbols used to be elegant women. Now they are just trashy.
Exactly what I wanted to say. Sex symbols are supposed to be elusive, elegant and ever so slightly out of reach. Nowadays, they porn themselves out and there is nothing sexy left. That KK picture… euck. Much prefer the Rita Hayworth shot.
As do I!
Simply put – and right to the point! Well done, Woman!
I mean…what could be left? My imagination doesn’t go further. Nice pics of Hayworth, beautiful lady, timeless.
Glad you think so! Your opinion counts to me, young lady!
They’re numbing our senses. Somebody better work on a pill to give our imagination a jolt if there’s no hope for reversal. But I’m hoping we do turn back to those black and white photo days where just a tad of skin and a certain look is enough to start a fire!
I hope so too!
I couldn’t help but think of Lauren Bacall when you spoke of the lost sex symbol. I’ve always been partial. in any event, Kim couldn’t hold a candle to those ladies. Too busy making sex tapes.
She has wasted her life that’s for sure!
You know I’m trying to think of a “great beauty” of “my” era and for some reason, Jodie Foster comes to mind and I don’t know why.
And that Farrah poster sparked a lot of debate as a kid. Is that nipple or seam? I still say seam.
Thanks for another great post!
Seam I guess…
Jodie Foster is a great actress, but I’m not sure about her worthiness as a sex symbol. To each his own, I guess…
Well said, sir. Well said. And even our blog search engine terms show a little of the raunchiness that we’d like to avoid. I’m posting pictures of my kid, for cripes sake! And someone is searching “peehole” then clicking a picture of a baby potty training. Bleh. Can we have some modesty, morals and decorum, please?
Good luck with that!
The problem with some women these days is they have no class. They seem to think it is okay to just put it all out there…it doesn’t leave much to the imagination does it? Then they wonder why they are not well respected….Duh!
Great minds really do think alike, Susie!
You’re right, the days of seduction and class are gone. It seem that society wants women to be the ho-iest (yeah I just made that one up). Yeah, I know sex sells, but it’s not necessary to spread ‘em wiiiide open when selling shoes. Give me the classic sex symbols any day, forget about KK, she’s fugly anyway.
She does have a weird look, doesn’t she?
It is a frightening devolution. I can’t imagine growing up in today’s world. What a mixed message for little girls. And so much pressure to be something that most of us aren’t.
Your observations are spot-on, as usual!
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>Not these days. Just look at where we used to be and where we’ve wound up…
- *weeping silently*
Kate
Don’t waste your “cyber-tears”. young lady. We need to simply turn away from the Kardashians and all their imitators. Although, the odds of that happening are slim at best…
Maybe we’ll get so desensitized by all the trashiness that the old-school pin-up will start to seem exotic again and come back into favor!
Maybe…