What is Sexy?

There has been a fair amount of talk lately about the whole Miley Cyrus debacle and it started me thinking. I’ve heard comments about how she was trying to be shocking, and there, I agree. She was trying to be provocative. Hmm, maybe. She was daring to be sexy. Now right there I have to stop you. I do not believe Ms. Cyrus was trying to be sexy. Why do I think this? Because where on the planet is that considered sexy?

I write romance novels. An 8.5 billon dollar a year industry that specializes in sexual attraction. I have never read a novel where the hero enters a room and sees a scantily dressed woman gyrating as if she’s holding both ends of a live wire and fornicating with a foam appendage and thought, “Damn, I must to have this enchanting woman.” NEVER. If this book exists, please let me know.

But Anna, I hear you say, romance novels are in no way based in reality. (Excuse me while I snort so hard, I injure myself) Okay, fine. Let’s look to the movies. An industry blamed many times over for its influence over modern culture and most often directed by men for men. Marilyn Monroe may have been on the wiggly side, but she did not become an undisputed sex-goddess icon by twerking. Can you imagine Lauren Bacall telling Humphrey Bogart to pucker up his lips and blow then punctuate the sentence with an impersonation of a giraffe reaching for an apple with its tongue? Shudders.

In Body Heat, Kathleen Turner smoldered on the screen simply by standing there. I don’t think William Hurt’s character would’ve been so eager to bust through that door if she’d been bent over at the waist and shaking her booty like she was trying to flick gum off her butt cheek. Wait a second, the image has me laughing so hard, I can’t type.

Remember Kelly McGillis in Top Gun? The scene where Charlie struts down the aisle of fighter pilots in a black knee-length skirt, stockings and heels depicted a woman who is smart and sexy. Even in “guy” flicks like Fast and Furious, the women in tiny skirts and stripper-dance moves are nothing more than scenery and forgotten as soon as the camera pans away.

One of my favorite movies is The Thomas Crown Affair with Pierce Brosnan and René Russo. That entire movie is sexy, and I’m not just talking about the scene with the see-through dress. But let’s talk about that dress for a second. In that scene it might have been Catherine’s black gauze covered nipples that garnered Thomas’ initial attention, but it was the entire package of grace, confidence and sultry dance moves that lit his fire. I loved Russo’s wardrobe in that movie. The first time we meet her character she is wearing that fantastic coat with the fur and gray suit with the long slit up the side. Again, sophisticated, sexy and smart. The men thought she was hot but also knew she was two steps ahead of them.

I guess that’s my point. When did sexy equal dumb and immature? I know it’s to each their own, but seriously. Do I want people to think I’m sexy? Yes. But I also want them to think I’m smart and respect my opinions and my abilities. When I meet someone, I want them to think, “Wow. What a great girl. A real class act.”  And not, “Poor misguided thing. Is she on drugs or was she dropped on her head too many times?” At the end of the day Miley’s behavior has zero effect on me, but I hope the women of the world understand that one’s actions will stick with them forever. What sounds like an awesome attempt to garner attention now may come back and bite you on the ass years down the road. You don’t want to blow a lifetime of credibility on a publicity stunt, or have your entire career weighed down by one poorly thought out plan and became the world’s punch line.  Class, my friends, class. That is the word I shall live by.