Where Are The Authentic Hollywood Sex Symbols Gone?

It’s the same with Hollywood glamour, which we’ve always been weak to, and which is no longer as seductive and opulent as before. Is it all just an illusion and the current state of things or has the “red carpet” really lost its charm.

Let’s start the story from the Met Gala, which is not coincidentally the world’s most important and extravagant fashion event. In addition to combining art and fashion, the main feature of this prestigious event is glamor in all its forms and dimensions. Many stars of the world’s show business know this best, who paraded on the red carpet in front of the Metropolitan Museum in New York this May. Each of them came with the goal of “making sense” of the fashion and cultural establishment with their clothing combination, which encourages conceptualism and creativity, but even more so, innovation, freedom, and even eccentricity.

One of the biggest sensations of this year’s Met Gala, at least when it comes to reactions on social networks, was certainly Doja Cat, a rapper and current “celebrity babe”, who also stands out with her fashion statement, completely contrary to all expectations and rules. After appearing in public on the same day, covered only with towels around her body and head, Matt Gale arrived on the red carpet in a long, wide “wet” T-shirt – dress, fashion brand Vetements. She completed her bold and unusually “naked” outfit with black mascara, which dramatically flowed down her cheeks. As she later stated herself, the “wet effect” of the dress was achieved with the help of hair gel, mixed with water, because she would not have felt very comfortable if she had to sit in a cotton T-shirt, which is really wet, all evening. Doja Cat has had similar fashion exhibitions before, which, although often bizarre, attracted attention with their authenticity and artistic concept. Her outfit at Haute Couture Week in Paris, when she appeared at the Schiaparelli fashion show “Inferno” in a red, diabolical costume, encrusted with 30,000 Swarovski crystals, was especially memorable.

There is no doubt that movie and music stars, in their personal search for authenticity and relevance, have always been the initiators of trends and brave promoters of originality. In their search, they sometimes made mistakes, often crossed the line of good taste, but the effect they wanted was rarely absent. If we take a look at recent history, the woman who brought conceptual art to the “mainstream” music scene and was the forerunner of today’s (ubiquitous) exhibitionism, at least when it comes to the red carpet, is certainly Lady Gaga. In the sea of ​​her public appearances, it is enough to recall the dress made of living flesh, which she wore at the MTV Awards, as well as the famous performance at the Grammy Awards, in which she appeared from a giant egg, in which she was previously brought to the red carpet .

However, drama and extravagance did not start with Lady Gaga, no matter how much new generations believe it. She may have brought the conceptuality and aesthetics of the bizarre, but Cher brought the extravagance. The famous singer and actress has always been prone to visual experiments, and in the ’80s of the last century, her style culminated, earning her the status of an eccentric, chic diva. Many still remember her designer costume in which she appeared at the Oscars in 1986 and “stole the show” with her appearance. A similar situation was repeated in 1988, when, despite the well-deserved film statue, the world public was buzzing more about her “shockingly transparent” dress, which even today no red carpet would be ashamed of.

The closest to the “bizarre-shocking” concept of today’s stars was the other androgynous diva Grace Jones. The authentic star and sex symbol, whose middle name is eccentricity, has always been cheekily herself and prone to visual-musical experiments. As a unique phenomenon on the world stage, she did not shy away from anything, not even to perform in her 70s with bare breasts painted white, like women from African tribes.

To talk about women who changed the course of popular culture with their authentic creativity, sexiness and visual identity, and not to mention (for the umpteenth time) Madonna, would be impossible and extremely unfair. If we exclude the older, more experienced and “crazier” Cher and Grace, Madonna is the biggest “culprit” for most current trends, whether someone likes them or not. She is the “mother” of all today’s stars, scandal master, innovator and conqueror of freedom in the broadest sense. All the visual, creative and shocking moves of today’s stars were pulled by Madonna even before most of them were born. On the other hand, she most often found her own role models and inspiration in the stars of golden Hollywood, such as Marlene Dietrich, Mae West and of course, the inevitable Marilyn Monroe.

And indeed, Hollywood, as well as its “star system”, created more than a hundred years ago, was and remains the starting point in the creation of all the magic and publicity that followed public figures. In fact, until today, no period has achieved such a strong sociological-cultural impact, as was the case with the period, popularly called the “Golden Age of Hollywood”. Luxurious aesthetics and shine were an integral part of the lives of the stars, starting with their appearance, through their media presence, and all the way to their private lives. Regardless of whether they were “recommended” by good looks or talent, there is no doubt that the actors, and especially the actresses of the golden age of Hollywood, possessed a magic that is immeasurable, even by today’s standards. With the help of excellent stylists, costume designers, make-up artists, hairdressers and photographers, the studios created extraordinary appearances, stars and sex symbols from “ordinary” people, who intrigued and seduced the audience in a specific way. The glamor and presence displayed on the red carpet by divas, such as Ingrid Bergman, Audrey Hepburn, Jean Harlow, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe or the no less sexy Jane Mansfield, were an inspiration to generations to come.  

However, it seems that Hollywood glamour, at least the primordial one, has in the meantime “got lost”. Although it is still present, the new time has brought some new trends, including “stars”, which are not quite so glamorous. Today, the red carpet is more of a podium for expressing attitudes, fashion experiments and rebellion, than a display of seductive, perfectly packaged and (un)attainable glamour. Even the sex appeal of the stars has become debatable, because although it is not deficient, it has become too raw, exaggerated and even banal. Maybe that is also interesting to a certain extent, at least as long as it has a point and as long as nudity is not an end in itself. The effect of shock has certainly become far more important than glamor and good (fashion) taste, but between shock and chic, it is not bad to choose the latter, at least sometimes. One of the more recent examples of this is the actress Scarlett Johansen, who appeared at a formal dinner at the White House in a reduced ivory Armani Privé dress , demonstrating the glamor of golden Hollywood. Although it is a different kind of event, where you cannot appear in a “wet shirt”, even if you wanted to, there is no doubt that you will create a “wow” effect even if you are dressed so “minimally”.

Returning to the beginning of the text and the mentioned Matt Galla, i.e. the singer Doja Cat, we certainly will not underestimate her theatrical and somewhat “bizarre” fashion performance. She, of course, achieved her goal, but in the context of “extravagance with style”, perhaps a more interesting example is the “sand dress”, fashion house Balmain, in which the singer Tyla appeared on the red carpet of the Met Gala. In order for the effect to be complete, she completed her unusual creation with a stylish bag in the shape of an hourglass. However, super model Anuk Yai took care of experiencing complete glamor “in a new way”, who walked the red carpet in an ultra-glamorous “ombre” blue costume, covered with as many as 98,000 Swarovski crystals.

Subliming all of the above, the conclusions may be different, but one thing is certain. Namely, no matter how much new trends replace old ones, red carpets will never remain empty. The show business market may have new rules and requirements. Some of them we will accept, and some we will not like or understand. But stars, sex symbols and “Hollywood glamour” continue to live on.