Sex and Opium...

[Closet Desire]

http://www.svanscoyoc.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Opium.jpg

I don't know if this advert appeared in the US or not, but here in England it was one of the most successful ad campaigns ever launched. Believe it or not, 730 people out of 58 million complained about it and managed to get the ASA to order all the ads pulled down and withdrawn from magazines.

Funny thing is this is the country where the daily paper includes the "page 3" girl which is nothing more than bare breasts and titillation. Go figure.

What do you all think? Thumbs up or thumbs down? Did it appear in the US? Is it art, porn, or just really good advertising?

This photo was taken in a shop display in downtown Palma, Mallorca in January 2001...a good solid Catholic community. I didn't notice anybody being bothered by it.

Almost forgot...the model is Sophie Dahl and the photographer was Steven Meisel.

 

[Svedish_Chef]

I can see nipple... and I can't believe it is sophie dahl

 

[Juspar Emvan]

I've seen worse, or is that better, anyway more exlipcit/sexual over here.

 

[Closet Desire]

Yeah...

...exactly. I've seen those television shows from down under! Anything goes eh?

 

[jcgirl]

Im thinking she needs to go out into the sunlight more often

 

[Juspar Emvan]

Anything goes? Damn I must have missed something.

At least we're less extreme about it than the yanks.

 

[Andra_Jenny]

I do not get it

Sex and Opium do not mix. You might sit there and dream about sex, but nothin's going to happen. I guess maybe that's the point of the ad. You can look at her and dream about sex, but...

 

[Closet Desire]

Oh...I dunno...

I've been known to get heady from the scent of Opium perfume on a woman's bosom. Maybe the message is "come and get me?"

Seriously, like Dudley Moore said in the movie Crazy People...the sexy car ads (I believe it was a Jag) are for men who want hand jobs from beautiful women they don't know. This ad just cut to the chase didn't it? (Maybe the hidden pun in CP was it's for men who want to "jag" off?)

 

[alexander tzara]

She looks like she's post orgasmic and there's nobody else there so there's a strong suggestion she's been masturbating (maybe 'cause she's so excited by her new contract with Opium). But in the UK, perhaps more than any other western country, female masturbation is probably still the biggest taboo that exists as far as normal sexuality goes. It's a strange country we're living in. The topless page-3 models in the tabloid papers are obviously there purely to titilate male readers - they're always in passive poses. There's not even a hint of them actively pleasuring themselves, probably 'cause the conservative male readers - a big percentage of the target market - might feel threatened by that. They fantasise that this sexy young thing with her breasts out in the morning paper is looking right into their eyes, desiring them.

The Sun reader would probably be shocked if he knew what his wife was really talking about at those Ann Summers parties (kind of like Victoria's Secret, I think, but with a rep visiting a party host's house to sell sex toys and saucy lingerie). He probably doesn't realise that all those Black Lace books she has (Virgin's line of Erotic Novels for Women, sold in even "prudish" chains like WH Smith's) are pretty much an admission that she masturbates!!!

The model in the opium advert looks like she doesn't need a man there. She's happy playing by herself. Maybe the people complaining thought she looked too much like she was masturbating. Maybe if there'd been a man in the pic they wouldn't have got their feathers so ruffled. You often get adverts in women's mags of lovers embracing. I don't remember seeing too many of a woman alone, touching herself like that. I think the pic looks really erotic. I like it.

What you said about Spain, CD - when I was there the local grocery store had hardcore porn mags sitting on the shelfs next to women's magazines and comics. In Britain you'd have to go to a seedy specialist sex shop in Soho (nice bit of alliteration that) to buy the same kind of magazine. It obviously can't have much to do with religion because Spain is a very religious country and Britain is about as Atheist a country as you can get. I think that it's basically 'cause Queen Victoria still has a vice-like grip on our balls. As far as I know, there isn't a site quite like Literotica in the UK. If there was there'd probably be an outcry. The tabloid papers full of naked breasts would start a campaign to have it stopped for being indecent. No Sex Please, We're British.

 

[Closet Desire]

What a great response!

Even though I live here I'm still surprised every day by what I learn! I thought America was the original land of contradiction...you know...my right to publish porn cannot be infringed BUT we reserve the right to picket your offices and firebomb your house.

CD-able and I have had a lot of these discussions about the differences and here's what we have come up with about America based on her experiences while living there. Americans do not fart, shit, or piss nor do they have sex. This is why you find enemas and deodorant douches in the checkout aisles at Walmart instead of Mars bars. They are fastidious to the core (not talking about the Lit crowd by the way). Women and men do NOT kiss the same sex nor do women ever want to wear "sexy" underwear. Women don't walk arm-in-arm or sit too close together lest they be though of as lesbians. Breasts are dirty and obscene and should never be shown in public...even on ancient Greek sculptures or primative Hawaiin (spelling...sorry). Those who do have sex consider it good if it's "nasty" and feel appropriately guilty afterward. Well, that's the short list...hee hee.

So...from my perspective merry old England is a pretty liberated place.

Spain has it's own hangups about sex...but we'll save that for another time.

[Edited by Closet Desire on 01-31-2001 at 07:05 AM]

 

[CreamyLady]

I saw it in Vogue.

I'll admit the model is stunning, and it is visually arresting, but -- it is designed to sell perfume to men. Obviously, they are supposed to think all women go insane over it.

Personally, I dislike the stuff, and would give a lukewarm reception to any given to me as a gift. But then, it wasn't being sold to ME.

In point of fact, I used the image, cut up, rearranged, and juxtaposed with a Dolce & Gibana ad for a collage project. I got a C (partially because I loathe collage) and it was a major pain in the ass.

I remember reading a paper about, of all things, bad language. The worst words in countries that were predominantly Protestant had to do with bodily functions: fuck, shit, piss, things like that. In predominantly Catholic countries, the worst words were blasphemy, using God's name unwisely.

I think it says something about priorities.

 

[Closet Desire]

I think men...

...are supposed to go insane over it. We go cross-eyed and droolin' over stuff like that!

I know what you mean about the perfume. I was married to someone it smelled lucious on, but on CD-able...well...so-so. She's much better in musky things...yummy yum yum!

I didn't know that about what is offensive in the different religious biases...that's fascinating. I must mark that down in my secret book so I can flash it up later and amaze my friends and confuse my enemies!

Cool...

 

[Expertise]

This thread is blatant false advertising!LOL

That girl...... merciful fuck! I thought I had an Arctic tan

 

[CreamyLady]

Well, I was doing a lot of research for a paper on the harsher aspects of Puritan life. I got the information from a book -- I THINK -- on the witch trials in New England, but I'm not sure because everything about that is kind of a blur.

As for me, I am now wearing Lolita Lempicka. Mmmmmmm . . . it smells eatable, it's so good. MUCH lighter than Opium.

 

[Closet Desire]

Now now...

...keep it in perspective. The woman actually looks much better than this. The photo was taken at night, through a shop window, no flash, on a Kodak Digital DC280. The original is gorgeous, if you're into that sort of thing.

As for perfume called "Lolita" well now that sounds downright naughty if not illegal! Better be careful with that stuff...

 

[CreamyLady]

Well, it isn't illegal, though it smells as if it ought to be.

 

[BrainyBeauty]

I have never seen the ad, but this is exactly how I look after I spritz on the Opium!

It is my favorite perfume - so spicy and sexy. It is one of a very few that actually smells good on me. (I know what you mean. Sometimes other perfumes smell good in the bottle or on someone else, but when I put it on me, it doesn't mix well with my body chemistry)

For me, Opium and sex do go together.

 

[Darkstaff]

Did you know that orgasm is bought about by endorphins and chemicals that are very similar in nature to opium. I suppose thats how some people can "literally" become addicted to sex...theyre nothing more than poppy heads!

 

[naudiz]

I liked it. Maybe not enough to rush out and buy a bottle of perfume, but I don't see what the big deal is.

When I was in college, there was an add for men's boots that didn't have a single boot in the picture. Instead, there was this woman wearing nothing but torn jeans on her hands and knees with her tongue sticking out like she was about to, well, lick someone's boots.

I wonder why that ad didn't get yanked. Or if it did, it wasn't until after it had run for a few months.

 

[Siren]

She is beautiful .....but, is she dipped in white powder?

 

[Darkstaff]

Yeah Siren...she does look a bit post mortem there. Ah well I guess ya cant have everything (breaks out stick of butter ^_^)

 

[Cheyenne]

While I was waiting in my doctor's office this morning, I picked up a "Seventeen" magazine just to see what kids are reading these days. There was an ad in there much worse than this Opium ad. It was selling Candide (sp?) shoes. It was a teenage girl, naked, except for bright blue high heel shoes. She was sitting on the edge of a bathroom sink with her back to the mirror and legs opened wide in "the" pose. In between her legs stood a teenage boy wearing only a towel around his waist, not to mention her legs wrapped around his body. No imagination required at all to guess what they were supposed to be doing. I don't remember seeing any ad this blatant aimed at kids back when I was that age and I read Seventeen. Many moms would have heart failure if they saw it, I think. It would make a good shot for a "how to" manual, though.

 

[Bigdog]

While I was waiting in my doctor's office this morning, I picked up a "Seventeen" magazine just to see what kids are reading these days. There was an ad in there much worse than this Opium ad. It was selling Candide (sp?) shoes. It was a teenage girl, naked, except for bright blue high heel shoes. She was sitting on the edge of a bathroom sink with her back to the mirror and legs opened wide in "the" pose. In between her legs stood a teenage boy wearing only a towel around his waist, not to mention her legs wrapped around his body. No imagination required at all to guess what they were supposed to be doing. I don't remember seeing any ad this blatant aimed at kids back when I was that age and I read Seventeen. Many moms would have heart failure if they saw it, I think. It would make a good shot for a "how to" manual, though.

I think the brand is Candie's Shoes, I seem to recall some of their ads not being run in certain magazines because they were so racy.

Maybe I better start reading my daughter's J-14 magazine before I let her have it each month. God only knows what kinds of ads are now "acceptable" for a 12 year old.

 

[Cheyenne]

I think the brand is Candie's Shoes, I seem to recall some of their ads not being run in certain magazines because they were so racy.

Maybe I better start reading my daughter's J-14 magazine before I let her have it each month. God only knows what kinds of ads are now "acceptable" for a 12 year old.

Yes, Candie's shoes! That was it.

I think I'm far from being a prude, but that ad in a magazine aimed at teens surprised me. I kept looking at it thinking I couldn't really be seeing what I knew I WAS seeing.

I don't have any idea what a J-14 magazine is, but I'd certainly flip through the pages just to see what kind of stuff was in it.

 

[alexander tzara]

It was a teenage girl, naked, except for bright blue high heel shoes. She was sitting on the edge of a bathroom sink with her back to the mirror and legs opened wide in "the" pose. In between her legs stood a teenage boy wearing only a towel around his waist, not to mention her legs wrapped around his body. No imagination required at all to guess what they were supposed to be doing.

You probably wouldn't even be allowed an advert like that for adults (outside of a sex mag) in the UK, Cheyenne. If they were going to have something like that it would probably be in a women's publication like Cosmo or Marie Claire. I've never seen anything like that in any of those magazines (not that I spend my whole time reading those but I've been known to browse LOL). So, it's either because they think it wouldn't appeal to their target market (probably career women aged 20-40), or they haven't thought of it, or the advertisers don't want their products associated with oral sex (maybe they think that if people start realising that oral sex exists they'll be too busy to bother with consumerism any more), or it's just not legally allowed in advertising (there's probably some watchdog somewhere warning about the dangers of cunnilingus. Haha.).

I personally think we should just have adverts for cunnilingus and to hell with the shoes or whatever it is they're trying to sell us.

But, then, of course, you'd need the government health warnings:

NOT TO BE TAKEN WHILST OPERATING HEAVY MACHINERY