Sex Appeal and selling videos

[mtnmom]

I think (hope) that things have toned down over the course of the decades. Even the covers of older workouts make me wince. Janis Saffel has been mentioned (and gee, I hate to be picking on her because I don't think she's the worst offender), but for the wrong cover. How about the original cover of Brand New Butt and More? Waaay too much hiney there.

Maybe Kathy Smith never stuck her butt out, but there are a slough of covers with her standing in profile, looking like she just took a deep breath.

I accidentally ran across a site the other day (researching Margaret Richard). Oh my, the tribute they gave to instructors in spandex! I'll see if I can find it.

The high leg and thong leotard look of the 80's is behind us (oops), thank goodness. Yet doesn't Tracey Staehle go for some sex kitten moves on Hi/lo Medball?

ETA - found it: http://tpowis.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1314

Don't click if you easily feel sleazy and don't like feeling sleazy....just saying

[Stephanie_B]

I can't believe the Keys to Weight Training is on that site, it doesn't remotely look sexy to me. Different strokes. And the Mary Tyler Moore one? Seriously. To me that's her in workout clothes.

[videofit]

Workout clothes are skintight and because they are on women with sexy bodies, I can see how some people would find them sexy. That's just the nature of the fitness biz. Don't forget that most of us like to look at other people's muscles.

[pumptmuscle]

Does anyone happen to remember a tv show called the 20 minute workout? It was on around the mid 80's and had 3 women doing it. To say it was risque was an understatement. It seemed more like soft core porn than a workout.

I wasn't sure if it was designed for women to do or men to watch. lol

[Stephanie_B]

LOL Bob I remember. They would be 3-4 of them with their butts like in a circle doing up and down leg movements and what not. I can't believe it was considered "exercise" bahaha.

[pumptmuscle]

Hehe i just saw some clips over at youtube. Sure brought back memories. The fitness movement has come a very long way since then.

[Lucky Star]

Originally Posted by DeltaMan727

I think Kathy Smith is probably the first on a mass scale to use sex appeal. On eBay I’ve scene one poser with her in a swim suit and her boos hardly fit!

Originally Posted by F1mom

DeltaMan, I'm going to disagree with you about Kathy Smith. In the 80s, the height of sexually alluring workouts, Kathy refused to arch her back or stick her butt out on the covers of her videos. I read more than a few interviews about this, and I've never seen her wear or do anything that was remotely sexual, much less a bikini.

Fast forward to now, and she still strikes a more athletic pose on her workouts covers. I'm wondering which workout this is you previewed where they focused on her bust and butt because I've owned most of her stuff in the past and I've never, ever seen a crotch or boob shot of her.

Maybe this is the poster Geoff was referring to:
Or maybe this?: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ima...222639&sr=8-12

[Susan G.]

I might buy a video in spite of the sex-appeal message but I don't like it. I Some videos, outfits and covers do strike me as cheesecake-y (is that an old word?) Tamilee Webb would be one example.

I find the "get sexy" message condescending. I think it was on a Lotte Berke DVD someone said something like "nothing is uglier than flabby arms." If I were making a list of things in the world uglier than flabby arms, that would be item about 10,000.

[alikruegs]

Originally Posted by missmomus

It doesn't really bother me. Generally it seems like "sexy" videos have very high production values and that's always a plus in my book. Also, sometimes the outfits, pouting, etc. can be unintentionally hilarious which only adds to a video's fun factor, imo. However, if a video's obviously intended for a different audience and the "workout" is clearly an afterthought, too easy and/or poorly designed, then I would steer clear (thinking of the Girls Next Door workout, Carmen Electra and things like that).

This completely explains my opinions on this as well.

PS: if I had visited Tracy Anderson's website before buying her video, I might have held off longer and needed more convincing. I think her webpage is a bit overkill -- especially because I don't find her all that sexy in the Mat Workout (just dancer-like and expressive) and she's not "sexy" in her Post Pregnancy or Dance Cardio workouts. Furthermore, her outfits in all of these are quite standard (actually I really like her top in the PP workout).

[EllieE]

I did a video once in gym class in the very late '80s or early '90s- it had Cher in it, and I was, like, soooo totally grossed out by her outfit. I don't even remember the workout, just the vinyl V that (barely) covered her chest/crotch and the see-through bodystocking she wore under it. I think it was an all girls gym class, but we were all cracking up.