Through the Opera Glasses - 13 - Actors' Sexualization Versus Talent, Part 2

Last week I looked at high profile, cerebral actors and actresses - and how easy it was to locate super-hot sexy shots of the actresses. But not the actors. I wondered whether the actresses felt the need to portray themselves as highly sexualized, even though five of the six women are Oscar winners, and the sixth (Julianne Moore) has been nominated for an Academy Award four times.

On the other hand, I also wondered if these women felt that they had every right to be sexy, especially since most of their film roles were not. A revenge-of-the-nerdy-girls kind of thing.

This week, I'm looking at a different group of actors and actresses. These are the acknowleged hotties.

I'll start with the actresses.


Jessica Alba
















Kate Beckinsale
















Jessica Biel












Angelina Jolie
















Eva Longoria
















Eva Mendes










Among this group of women, the only Oscar winner is Angelina Jolie. Other major award winners in this group are:

Kate Beckinsale - London Critics Circle Film Award

Jessica Biel - ShoWest Star of Tomorrow Award 2005

Eva Longoria - Screen Actors Guild Award

The obvious question arises: are these actresses not taken seriously because they showcase their beauty and sexuality? Every one of them have an edgy film in their CV's (the showbiz resume) - except for Eva Longoria, who has an edgy TV show instead.

Jessica Alba - Sin City - directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller

Kate Beckinsale - Winged Creatures - directed by Rowan Woods

Jessica Biel - The Illusionist - directed by Neil Burger

Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart - directed by Michael Winterbottom

Eva Longoria - Desperate Housewives - created by Marc Cherry

Eva Mendes - Once Upon a Time in Mexico - Robert Rodriguez

Now, let's have a look at the hottie men. Last week I could barely find a shirt-opened-to-expose-some-chest shots of the actors. This week...easy peasy!


Jensen Ackles










Jamie Bamber













Vin Diesel
















Josh Holloway
















Dwayne Johnson
















Jason Statham












What do we make of our men here? Are they merely brawny, not capable of being brainy?

Half of these actors are television actors. Half of them are action film stars. Believe it or not, the roughest-toughest of them - Vin Diesel - is also a writer, a director and a producer.

Do you suppose the hottie men will have their chance to give outstanding performances in cutting-edge films? In this group, surprisingly, the women hold the slight advantage over the men in the quality of roles they've been able to play. Will Josh Holloway be doomed to play good ole boys after Lost wraps? Will The Rock be forced to play Scorpion Kings, or will Dwayne Johnson find a challenging role he can truly inhabit?

Watermaid says Isn't it a question of age and the times in which we are living?

Thomma Lyn says there is an unfortunate tendency to typecast talented actors and/or actresses into "same old, same old" roles to showcase their Eye Candy Quotient instead of their acting talent.

Jeeves says these actors also become showcases.

Through the Opera Glasses - 12 - Actors' Sexualization Versus Talent

When I work on my manuscripts, I often search out photos of actors whom I've 'cast' as my characters. It's quickly apparent that many actresses have highly sexualized photos available, whether or not their professional personas tend more toward intelligent film roles.

The same is not true for actors.

In a completely random search of the web, I was easily able to find these sexy shots of actresses whose work I really admire. With the exception of Meryl Streep! I had to really root around for the picture posted here.


Cate Blanchett















Jennifer Connelly















Julianne Moore
















Meryl Streep
















Emma Thompson















Kate Winslet










Actors are open to experience and exploration by nature, and many of these actresses and actors have appeared nude or partly nude for film roles. I wasn't looking for stills of those scenes - I was looking for photo shoots which portrayed actresses and actors as highly-sexualized.

As you can see, actors whom I regard as very talented and on the same level in their craft as the actresses above are not portrayed as sexily as their female counterparts. Here are the sexiest shots I could find for these actors:


Gael Garcia Bernal















Russell Crowe
















Johnny Depp
















Viggo Mortensen
















Clive Owen
















Mark Ruffalo













I've been wondering about this discrepancy for awhile now.

Do actresses still feel the need for validation through their physical appearance, regardless of their degree of talent?

Or do talented actresses have to be merely cerebral, or can't they be sexy, too?

Are incredibly attractive actors trying to downplay their sexuality? Do they equate sexiness with a perception that they won't be taken seriously?

What do you think?

Travis says that's a great word...sexualization.

Kelly theorizes that most women like the smoldering sexuality that is often found in the expression more than the amount of clothing found on (or off) men's bodies.

Anne warns that for actors being too good looking seems to limit their careers - they end up on soap operas.

Mike figures that actors and actresses define who they are by what they do. When they don't do it anymore, what are they?

Leanna reflects that, as an actress, the phenomenon of the dominant male gaze perpetuates a continually cyclical model and I am stuck in the midst of it.