Selling Sex ... The Old-Fashioned Way

Working at the post office as I do I have seen lots of magazines come through over the years. Certainly enough to realize the cover designers of the world are big believers in the old adage SEX SELLS.  And not only in magazines marketed for men. Here are a few samples from magazines with a variety of intended audiences to prove my point.

I find it odd that many of these designers seem to think a woman has to be naked or at least topless for the cover to be sexy.

Other than fitness and muscle magazines it is fairly rare for men to be nearly nude or even topless on magazine covers. and even more rare for celebrity males to appear in that form unless they are MMA fighters or boxers and on occasion other pro athletes but almost never actors.

Though I did find this shot of the Bieb revealing some skin in some kind of funky fish net type shirt . I only have one word for that -- disturbing.

Most leading men appear on magazines with their best swarthy expression and it is simply inferred they are the manliest Y chromosomes on the block.

Now don't get me wrong. I am as big a fan of the female body as anyone, but frankly these so-called provocative shots are anything but for me. They are too revealing. Now I'm not saying that from a moral standpoint. That is another issue altogether and one I don't care to discuss on this blog. I get the the whole subjective women angle too but I'm looking at this post from a pure hedonistic point of view.

And for my money the pin up girl poses of old are far sexier and provocative than the skinfest of today's covers.

I am a sucker for a pin up girl whether it be of the actual picture variety ...

or the illustrated versions ...

So I say, come on cover designers give me less (skin) to give me more. I am after all a writer so I have a good imagination. My mind can fill in where in needs to.