A postscript of sorts to the Jontue and Le Jardin de Max Factor commercials. I have no memory whatsoever of Max Factor Epris, but I remember this commercial. People don't talk so much in perfume commercials these days, do they?
28 Comments
Leave a comment, or read more about commenting at Now Smell This. Here's our privacy policy, and a handy emoticon chart.
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I remember this commercial! Automatically dating myself….. I used to spend hours to get my kinky curly hair to style like hers, to no avail though. She is such a pretty lady, I've always liked her.
Robin, you totally kill me with these. I have to visit YouTube more often.
I have no memory of what Epris smelled like, but as soon as I played the commercial, I remembered it, and how I was stuck like glue to the television whenever “Charlie's Angels” was on.
Here's a real kicker: Remember Farrah Fawcett shampoo?
She's gorgeous! And yes, I wanted that hair. And never got it.
Did FF have a shampoo? I vaguely remember her being in shampoo commercials but didn't remember it was her own brand. What was it called?
Such a lovely voice, too. Warm and intelligent and feminine. I get a bit nostalgic for those times; they seem so gentle, earnest and innocent. I'm a little tired of the surgically-enhanced sex-bombshells-with-attitudes flogging frags these days — that entrepreneur and former porn star featured today being a prime example. Sigh. . .I feel like a little old lady sometimes, and I'm a very young 51.
Wella Balsam!
…and Farah Fawcett by Fabergé.
There was also a Farah Fawcett perfume I think…
… and I'm starting to sound like I was obsessed with her!
Wait, wait…there was less surgical enhancement then, true, but were female celebrities any more gentle & innocent, really? Not saying they weren't, have to think about it. Need to find a good list of 80s celebrities.
Wait, then what was FF by Faberge?? I don't remember all this stuff. Just wanted her hair, as did everyone.
I could be wrong but both the shampoo and the perfume were Farah Fawcett by Fabergé, making them both, in theory, FF by Fabergé.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1NKEdHLbBk
Thanks for the link! Interesting, I did not remember that commercial at all, nor do I remember that shampoo bottle.
Thanks so much for this! What fun. So glad the big hair days are gone — I couldn't compete either.
I just think that in general, Robin, their images were far less overtly sexual. I dunno, I just don't seem to remember any semi-nude, nipple-baring writhing a la Eva Mendes et al. But I could be wrong. . .I also don't remember any former porn stars with their own fragrances being launched in the seventies and eighties, but again, perhaps I'm having a senior's moment. . .?
I was a die hard Charlie's Angels fan. I even had a photo album that I collected their pictures in. I so wish I still had that.
That commercial is awesome. She is stunning.
My hair is naturally bigger than that
I don't think she's very attractive at all.
These old commercials are weird. I like the Paco Rabanne 1million commercial
LOL — the former porn star category is new to me too! But think of the CK underwear (and perfume!) ads of the 80s, & all that.
It was too much of a high maintenance look anyway — I'm glad it's over too.
Oh, I thought she was gorgeous! To each his own, of course
Hey, I used to be in the Jaclyn Smith fan club….
I think the issue about “front ladies” for frags is that they used to be so wordly and sophisticated -someone you could look up to when you were young, or identify with as a grown woman. Now many of the front women are just very young women/models/actresses, whether they are enhanced or not. No Jaqueline Bissets, Isabella Rosselinis, Ines de la Fressanges, etc…You can't aspire “down”…. I think Chanel using Nicole Kidman would be fairly modern sophisticated choice, but that's Chanel.
Yes Ann, ITA. They aren't really women. Or maybe we're getting older? LOL. Just kidding, I hear you!
I love that you were in a fan club. When I was in grade school it was just a bunch of us girls trading magazine clippings.
When I look back at the Brooke Shields campaign and the “nothing comes between me and my Calvin Kleins” or whatever that was — considered the shocking height of risky business at the time — it seems quite laughably tame by today's standards. And fragrance ads were tamer still; the seduction was comparatively covert. Do you really think that nothing much has changed, R?
LOL — so true about the Brooke Shields!
And no, no, wouldn't say nothing has changed. There was nudity then, but now there's much more, there was an unfortunate emphasis on “skinny” then, now there's much more, etc etc. Definitely the old ads are tamer, but I suppose I don't think the messages in the old ads were any more positive (or innocent). Looking at the 3 I happen to have posted recently (Jontue, Jardin de Max Factor, and this one), I don't see these as positive messages for women at all -> perfume is one more weapon in your arsenal to seduce a man, and that's it. JdMF tells you to be soft, Epris tells you to be disturbing, but the message is about the same: get your man. As a perfume lover and a woman, I object! Not that the fragrance ads (then or now) for men are any better.
The Eva Mendes ad is simply more direct and obvious, but don't see the message as much different. And you could argue (going out on a limb here, admittedly) that at least it emphasizes HER pleasure…
It was so cute – I must have been like 10. I asked my mom to help me write a letter to her fan club. A few weeks later I got a signed glossy b/w photo of her and official notice that I was a member of her fan club. It was a very proud moment for me!!
everyone in the 70's had tiny facial features
I don't see anyone who looks like me in 70's ads or on 70's tv.
Very thoughtful comments, Robin. Thanks very much.
I'm with you, absolutely. Innocent times, they weren't; in fact, manipulative, they most certainly were. Hadn't thought of that angle until you pointed it out — blinded by the glare from the satin sheets of 2009, I guess.
Darn, you're smart.
LOL at “blinded by the glare”…I'm really not smart, just cranky