Out of the Wilde

This is going to sound crazy. This might just be crazy. In fact, this is flat-out crazy. But I really wish Olivia Wilde would stop posing like this. OK, OK, you probably want to throw something at me right about now. Go ahead, I deserve it. (Dodges a toaster oven.) Hey, nothing that could hurt me!

Here is the thing, whenever you discuss beautiful women there is always a fine line between appreciation and objectification. I try, though probably not always successfully, to stay respectfully on the side of appreciation. But make no mistake, there is a real and unmistakable distinction. One can appreciate a beautiful woman as a whole without objectifying her for a single salacious purpose (that’d be s-e-x, in case any of you haven’t had your morning coffee yet).

I’ve been a fan of Olivia’s for a while now. She first caught my (not to mention Mischa Barton’s) eye as bisexual cutie Alex on “The O.C.” But then she went brunette (nothing against blondes, blondes – I just think darker tones work better on her) and I really, really started to notice. Now, I’ve had my problems with Thirteen’s storyline on “House.” Snoreteen hasn’t helped. But Olivia has always been spectacular to watch.

From reading her interviews and following her tweets, I believe her to be a smart, funny and deeply compassionate person who just happens to be strangle-a-mountain-ox hot. (I mean it, she is really, really, really funny.) But poses like this, well, they undermine all that other stuff a bit and just scream SEX BOMB. Not that women can’t be intelligent and hilarious and sexy, all at once. Of course they can, and deliciously so. It’s just a matter of frequency. Here are Olivia’s last five major magazine spreads.

[Click any to enlarge for research, yes, research.]

Elle, March 2010
GQ Italia, January 2010
GQ, October 2009
Maxim, July 2009
GQ, June 2009

OK, so that’s a lot of skin and a lot of sexy. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Nothing at all. Heck, I’ve posted many of these at some point. It’s just that’s all we get to see of Olivia in the mainstream media. Now, it’s not really her fault. The magazines and photographers set up the shoots and pose her as they like. But wouldn’t it be nice if she was in, say, a gorgeous gown. Or a sophisticated suit. Or, better yet, celebrated for her philanthropic work. Or, best yet, her brain. Did you see her on Bill Maher? Girl’s smart. (Check out that last video, particularly.) Basically, anything that wouldn’t give people the opportunity to write the headline: “Olivia Wilde Gets Down on All Fours for Elle.”

Appreciation/objectification – there’s a fine line. And that’s pretty much it, right there.