Friday Hot: Curvaceous Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett is a wow, and so is this advertisement. Stealing this entire post/set of observations from the influential fashion commentator, Webutante:

Scarlett Does It Right

Instead, I want to focus on perfume and how good the curvaceous Scarlett J. looks in the Dolce & Gabbana ad above. Love her hair, dress, pose. There's neither too little nor too much of her showing. She's carrying just the right amount of weight and hasn't been photo shopped out of existence. And that unfussy, little black dress will take her anywhere. She's alluring, yet restrained in a lady-like way and showing us how to be ready for a sensual night on the town or an intimate one at home. Add a little (and I do mean little) fragrance and she's rules the night and any man fortunate enough to be in her company. Nice. I also love it that the ad is in black-and-white. Very classic and classy.

Scarlett at the 2006 Oscars==>

In that blogpost, I wrote:

Look at how pretty Scarlett Johansson is! She has classic facial structure, and it will wear well over time. In this photo, she looks like an illustration on a fancy and luxurious box of ladies' bath powder, circa about 1935. It feels as though we could open the top of this picture and pull out an extravagant, powder-dusted puff.


Speaking strictly about the physical: if you are a man in Scarlett's presence, at some point you have to say: Enough. What more does man desire in woman? Nothing more. If you want more physical beauty than Scarlett, you just can't be satisfied.

In the Dolce & Gabbana ad, Webutante and a commenter like it that Scarlett is carrying a bit of natural weight. I like it, too. A woman is a WOMAN - not a stick. That appears, to me, the perfect and natural weight for Scarlett. Below that weight, every pound Scarlett loses diminishes her sensuality; diminishes her allure.



There are women who are as physically beautiful as Scarlett. Let's look for some.


Aaaand ... it's difficult to divorce the physical beauty of a woman from what we sense about her inner beauty: difficult to focus strictly on the physical.






I love this photo of Mariel Zagunis in the moment of victory. I think she is so beautiful and so enticing at this moment. However, my feelings have a lot to do with what I sense about her as a person; have a lot to do with my personal preference for athletic women.











Kate Winslett does it for me. Again, however, that has much to do with what I sense about her: intelligence, joie de vivre, natural and easy sensuality.

End Zone: Oscars "Do's" of Kate Winslett









Here's a strictly physical appraisal: sporting a scientifically perfect ratio of hip size to waist size (seriously: some scientists did research on what men find attractive, then measured photos of a bunch of women, and named Jessica Alba as having the most perfect ratio of hip size to waist size), presenting: Jessica Alba (and her husband, Cash).






























Jessica Alba is a good place to stop, especially b/c we can compare this Campari ad with Scarlett's Dolce & Gabbana ad.

Campari is especially popular in Italy. It is made from a secret recipe of bitters, aromatic plants, and fruit. Many flavors marinate together, over time, then become Campari. It is an apertif, i.e. is designed to stimulate appetite before dinner. It's most famously drunk in a "Negroni" cocktail, which is a mix of gin, Cinzano Red Vermouth, and Campari. Italians drink Campari very cold, in a frozen glass, with an orange slice, sometimes topped with a splash of soda.

Which is all to say: Campari's traditional clientele is older, and Campari is marketing like crazy to attract a younger clientele. Which is where Jessica Alba comes in. Except: both her make-up and swimsuit are all wrong - are more appropriate on an older woman. Jessica looks like a little girl playing dress up with her mother's things. The make-up and swimsuit are perfect for a 35 year old to 45 year old to any additional age woman, yet look silly on Jessica Alba. When Jessica Alba is your material, it's difficult to mess up. Yet Campari did.

What of the European audience? Do you think Jessica Alba looks more natural to a European audience? To a Japanese audience? Maybe those are the markets.


Here's the associated Campari television ad. It's blatant, cheesy, yet better. Jessica looks like a young woman, as opposed to a girl playing dress up. BTW, this TV ad shows Jessica Alba AFTER she had delivered her first child. Good genes are a miraculous thing.



Addendum: I've decided this is a good television commercial, based on that I have now watched it 5 times.










Janine Turner could believably drink Campari, and could carry off the Campari magazine ad's make-up and swimsuit.

Janine Turner is like Scarlett's black dress: you can take Janine Turner anywhere - anywhere at all - and she will fit in. Rattlesnake Roundup? Monster Truck Rally? High Tea in Hampshire? Yacht beside the Riviera? Bible study in Beeville? Janine fits in.













Hedy Lemarr, via using this very photo, could sell Campari today, and could sell it to a younger clientele. Look how smart she is! It helps if you know she was highly intelligent.* In this photo, she looks beautiful, athletic, intelligent - completely what I want in my Campari spokesperson!



*I wrote about Hedy two years ago. Please visit this blogpost if you wish to learn more about her interesting life.

Hedy was complicated, but I am struck by her. She co-invented a system of switching frequencies which is still used by the U.S. military to control some missiles. It's principles are also used in wireless internet technology, and in many cellphones. Hedy and composer George Antheil got the idea while playing piano duets. Hedy was a classically trained pianist. She would follow Antheil on the piano as he - switching from key to key and rhythm to rhythm - attempted both to throw her off, and to create interesting interplay.
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