Can you smell that? That irresistible scent wafting through the air? It smells like public service -- and public service is sexy.
How, exactly, is service sexy? A recent video on Funny or Die tries to address this question, while also promoting a new social good competition for the millennial generation. (There's $100,000 up for grabs.)
Perfume commercials are notoriously obscure: The 1991 Calvin Klein ad for "Eternity" features a man and a woman on a beach with a male voice-over that asks, "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" to which the woman responds, "Haven't I always seen you somewhere?"
Huh? What is Calvin Klein selling? Not to say that this commercial is ineffective. I want to buy this cologne and date both of the people in it.
But the burning question is, what makes a beach or a drive through an imaginary city so hot? It seems that anything could be sexy so long as we buy into it. Sexiness is really all about what we value. Whether it's the curvy women of the renaissance or the "natural" (or at least patchouli laden) allure of the 60s, what's sexy is largely dictated by culture; it is tied to a particular ethos.
Anything can be sexy. A lamp can be sexy. Thick-rimmed spectacles can be sexy. Donating used clothing can be sexy. We simply have to value those things.
How cool would it be if the current generation were to find service sexy. Imagine: a whole society of donating, good-doing people with ripped abs and great hair. This video is at least a start.
Your move, Mr. Klein.