I’m not so much talking about Julia Roberts in particular, but actresses like her; the “America’s Sweetheart” type. Reese Witherspoon is another example. I started thinking about this when I read a movie review (in the NY Times) and the reviewer talked about Kate Bosworth possibly taking the “America’s Sweetheart” title. I think Roberts, Witherspoon, and Bosworth are all pretty, and I’ve heard other girls comment on how pretty those actresses are, and it got me thinking, are those actresses more attractive to men or women?
Like Bill Simmons The Sports Guy says (paraphrasing), it’s impossible to explain to a woman why Shakira is hotter than Reese Witherspoon. Swimsuit models and the “America’s Sweetheart” are different kinds of pretty. Writing that, I know that these types of things are subjective, and I know I’m not the first or only to notice this kind of thing, is there something to this theory and how widespread is it?
(I know that some people don’t think Roberts is pretty, or whatever, but let’s not debate that.)
The image of Swimsuit models is sex, nasty, slutty, etc… This appeals to men more then a nice girl image.
The image of “America’s Sweetheart” is nice girl, wife, child bearing, etc…
I’m speaking from a mans point of view here. Of course the Sweetheart girls you mentioned are pretty, but they don’t portray sex. Swimsuit models do, and guys like that. I’m not saying all men do, but sex sells to mens basic instincts.*
There is the right now girl, and the right girl. Really though, we like both.
Guy checking in…neither of them appeal to me in the least, and I would never classify Julia Roberts as an “America’s sweetheart” type.
The wholesome look is nice (and I’m not referring to Julia), but men generally fantasize more about slutty-looking women, the ones that can send a signal of ‘hot monkey sex available here for the asking’. IMO, of course.
Well, I do find the wholesome, sweetheart type attractive—certainly more than the plastic, pouty, inflatable, soulless porn star type. But Julia Roberts in particular does nothing for me.
As a woman, I can say that Julia and Reese don’t do a darn thing for me. Of course, swimsuit models don’t either. Actresses that I find attractive: Kate Winslet, Jennifer Connelly, Cate Blanchett, Alyson Hannigan. I like women who look interesting–not “cubist painting interesting,” but someone with a bit of character in their face and presence.
Julia Roberts is just another in the long line of Funny-Faced Females to become stars. There do seem to be an amazing number of them out there these days, unlike when Barbra Streisand pretty much had the field to herself.
My opinion is that they appeal to women in the sense that if you capture from the right angle, in the right lighting, in the right outfits and makeup, they can be made by dint of long hard work to seem kinda beautiful even though they really aren’t. They are female fantasy objects in this way.
Admittedly, most models and supermodels are like this too, because in real life they mostly resemble yardsticks, but men don’t notice or care about anything deeper than the pictures and really don’t mind how phony their look is. They buy into the lie. You’ll notice that women hardly ever enthuse about supermodels.
I’m a woman, and I don’t care for the “girl next door” look. I’m with the guys, I like really sexy looking movie and tv stars. But, then, I’m not threatened by the sexuality of others and a lot of women are. I often hear women getting catty when talking about sexy female stars, and I can’t help but think they only hate them because they’re insecure about their own looks.
I’m a guy, and I don’t really find Julia Roberts all that attractive. Not that I’d kick her out of the bed, but she doesn’t really do it for me the way a lot of other actresses do. Reese Witherspoon is pretty cute, and Kate Bosworth is damn hot.
I suppose everybody has different tastes, but I’d have to say most of the women you mentioned in that list really are beautiful. I’d be willing to settle for a swimsuit model though, if that’s all that was available
OK, maybe I should have phrased the question differently: When casting a “chick flick” are the producers looking for a woman that other women find attractive?
I’m still not sure if that’s what I want to say. It looks like people know what I’m talking about, but I think that maybe the re-phrasing is more accurate.
Men and women seem to have completely different preferences for actresses. A good rule of thumb…if an actress is not featured on Maxim or Stuft, they are “chick flick” material.
I’ve had countless conversations with other males regarding the hottiness of female celebrities, and Reese Witherspoon and Julia Roberts have never come up once.
When casting a chick flick, you look for a woman other women will find likeable. Pretty isn’t difficult to pull off on screen (Julia Roberts is kind of horsey looking, but she is in a movie, therefore she must be pretty).
Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon come across as likeable to a lot of women. Cast a woman who is really beautiful (Nicole Kidman) and you intimidate your audience. Nicole Kidman doesn’t do what I would consider chick flicks (ala Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon). She plays a bitch really well though. (I think she is beautiful and talented and I have no clue whether she is nice or not). Meg Ryan is apparently not as nice as she plays - but she comes across as sweet on screen really well, and is cute without being stunning.
You have a point. Ginger was a bony pain in the ass without much sexuality. Mary Ann looked…squeezable. Dawn Wells apparently didn’t do any cheesecake photos. This is probably the closest thing to it (office safe).
I think there’s a bit of instinctive contrariness acting, here. Tina Louise was sexy, but in a fairly standardized starlet way, and presenting her to a male audience carries the implicit message: “We casting this woman exclusively to push your buttons so react like the slavering dogs you are.”
The male audience rebels instinctively at this attempted manipulation, tires of the starlet, and finds appealing elements in the alternate female character.
Her freakishly out-sized head in that picture is what wierds me out, although I think that’s just the photo. She was certainly cute enough on the TV show.
I don’t think of Julia Roberts as being either particularly attractive, or particularly wholesome. I don’t think you can be America’s Sweetheart if your most famous for playing a whore.
Not that there’s anything wrong with whores. Unless they look like Julia Roberts. <shudder>
Personally, I prefer the “girl next door” look. The “supermodel bombshell” look, like with, say, Pamela Anderson just looks…ugly to me. Maybe because I’ve grown up with this look being so widespread—via the mass media, touting it as the pinnacle of beauty—that it just looks mundane now, and thus with no special appeal. (Poetic justice, I think.)
So, in short, I think Janeane Garofalo looks better than Nicole Eggert…But Linda Hamilton in “T2” looks the best of all.
Really though, we like both.
