Does sex sell?

It could just be me, but the more Jennifer Aniston contributes to the objectification of women, the more it seems to me that Fate conspires to expose her slender silver-screen talents for what they are. Aniston's biggest box-office success, the $484-million grossing Bruce Almighty, was a long eight years ago. More recently have come a string of critical duds: He's Just Not That Into You (2009), and 2010's Bounty Hunter and The Switch (opening weekend box-office "a dispiriting $8.4 million," said The Hollywood Reporter) 

In between the zenith and current nadir, Aniston chose to market herself as perhaps the most flesh-exposing supposed A-list actor ever:  

 

 
Clockwise from top left: Vanity Fair, September 2005; GQ, January 2009; SmartWater campaign, 2010; Jennifer Aniston fragrance campaign, 2010.

Sorry, Ms. Aniston, but anyone can disrobe. Genius is Audrey Hepburn as an icon of sexuality swathed head to toe in Givenchy.

So endth my Victoria Day weekend rant. 

Victoria, as it happens, was one of the most sexually charged women to draw breath, notwithstanding the misnomer of the "Victorian Era." 

"Oh! To feel I was, and am, loved by such an Angel as Albert was too great a delight to describe! He is perfection," said the longest-reigning British monarch of her consort. "When day dawned," Her Highness recalled of another occasion "(for we did not sleep much) and I beheld that beautiful angelic face by my side, it was more than I can express! He does look so beautiful in his shirt only, with his beautiful throat seen."

 

Comments

[Wascally Wabbit]

Victoria had it right David.
Ms. Aniston must strive to attract - because her acting skills never exceeded mediocre.
Tough crowd!

[dana]

great. any reason why she's picked? Because you know there are several others who use objectification as weapon. And in terms of A-list - have you seen product ad, covers and movies other 'A-list actors' strip down in? - Halle Berry, Kate Winslet, Marion Coittilard, Keira Knightley, Angelina Jolie. Are we doing this all over again? Why do you pick on her exactly? web hits i suppose? I guess you are so affronted by her stripping down, but not THAT affronted that you won't take advantage of it to get web hits. Hypocrit.

[dolive]

Hi dana: If they put a gun to my head I wouldn't know how to get a single additional web hit. Or is it "page view"? (There's a difference, I know.)
I'm long ago resigned to this site having a very small audience, especially compared with my day job writing newspaper stories, where I reach 2 million potential readers. I will tell you, though, that yes there are topics I write on here because I sense this site's audience might be interested. That's why I appreciate feedback like yours.
To your point, yes, Ms. Aniston has no monopoly in this device for promoting herself, though the particular folks you mentioned - compared with, say, Madonna - I have not noticed venturing into American Apparel-type ads to the degree Aniston has. My point really was do we want this image to influence how young women feel they should look or act? Is this the image of young women that want men to have?
It's a free country, and it's up to folks to present themselves as they choose. If Ms. Aniston (or Winslet, Knightley, Jolie et al) were dressed in lab coats, astronaut suits, or smart office wear I think that might set a better example than being so easily mistaken for Maxim cover models.
And why Aniston, exactly? Because as a number of media outlets have reported lately, we've seen rather a lot, of a lot, of Ms. Aniston recently, and this is a practice she has repeated fallen back on, dating from the 1990s. And it hasn't been working, which is interesting in itself. Maybe sex doesn't sell, not as well as assumed at least, though in the meantime I have it shoved in my face. The images above have all appeared on the racks at my local 7-Eleven, where high-school kids congregate at lunch perusing the magazines, and at Shoppers Drug Mart, now the country's leading cosmetics vendor, especially to the younger demographic.
Again, Aniston and George Clooney and Angela Merkel and Leonard Cohen can act as they choose, and since they're public figures and well know it, they'll get a reaction, of acclaim or otherwise. These folks are role models, whether they care to be or not. Clooney's a good one, like his late aunt; Tom Cruise and Charlie Sheen, obviously not so much.

[dolive]

Hi WW: Tough crowd, but if I'm going to commit my views to pixel form, I welcome reaction. Dana actually does make a good point - it is a widespread phenomenon, and hardly a new one. I do object in regard to building EBs audience, since if I have 15 dedicated readers I'll happily settle for that. (I've never looked at the numbers, and I wouldn't be surprised if it is 15!) But look at the response to my put-down of Mr. Harper lately - 14 commenters having an intelligent discussion and debate. That's a red-leter day. Cheers, David

[MLC]

Mr. Olive’s heart is in the right place, and after the last week’s revelations of high profile men behaving badly, Olive’s core value to regard women respectfully is greatly appreciate. Thank You, Mr. Olive. But this is a capitalistic society, and in all fairness to Ms. Aniston and to Dana’s point, Ms. Aniston is an actor. Actors sell themselves; the actor is the product. This is product placement, and like Demi Moore in the 80’s and 90’s before her and other actresses before Ms. Moore, Ms. Aniston is making the most of her product placement during the height of her popularity and while her youthful looks are in their prime. The pleasant magazine covers are the pretty face of the capitalistic system. Unfortunately, Capitalism comes with its dark evil twin. In Industry there was/is massive environmental pollution; in banking there was/is sub prime mortgages, outrageous hidden fees, and insurance fraud; in food and drugs there was/is lax regulation causing early death in many unsuspecting innocent people; in marketing and PR of goods and services there is the objectification of women (and men) and the darkest side of all objectification of women, the gold standard of capitalism and the objectification of women, the porn industry. I wish more individuals would make a better choice, but I’m not naïve or insane to believe people will forgo huge profits for a better, safer, more humane world. Like Martin Luther King, I have a dream.

[Darwin O'Connor]

You have 21 subscribers on Google Reader. Your total readership probably several times that.

Having a wave of comments on one article usually means it has been featured on the front page of thestar.com. I'm not sure if that is the case for "The staying power of Stephen Harper." You can check the referrer logs to find out where all those people were coming from.

[Whoelsale Links of London]

Wow. I've been reading your stuff for about a year now and this is basically the only sh*t I dont agree with. Give atleast a little credit where credit is due. Kobe got his ass kicked by this so called fluke. So what? Chill out. No one said the Rockets were the best team.