It might seem that the subjectivity of beauty (its effect on libido) is much more emphasized in the USA.
French actors and actresses don’t wish to be called sex symbols. To be “attractive”, “sexy”, or “hot” is not a compliment in France – traduce it and it might well be received as an insult.
Especially “hot.” If you look hot because you want it, you are vulgar (and thus not so hot). If you’re an actor/actress who looks hot without wanting it, you’re a bad actor/actress.
Cold can be hotter – see Grace Kelly in Hitchcock’s movies, Romy Schneider in any movie, or Catherine Deneuve – they strike one’s imagination.
Read more:
http://www.acidemic.com/id120.html
Image credit: Bénédicte (Charlotte Gainsbourg) in ‘Lemming‘
