March 8/12

What Sells



Nicole Scherzinger is, famously, the lead of the Pussycat Dolls. To my knowledge, the all-woman band is basically dancers and vocalists; I've never seen any of them play an instrument. Maybe they can, but I've never seen them do it.

The Pussycat Dolls are all, of course, very beautiful and in amazing physical condition. They are fantastic dancers. These are the qualities they showcase in the videos I've seen - which I must admit are only two: Buttons and Dont Cha.

Dont Cha is a cheeky, creative song. Its genius is that it makes the point so many young women have wondered since time began: "Why is he with her, when he could be with me?" I think all women see their sex appeal as key in attracting a mate, but young women emphasize it much more. Of course, their idea of sex appeal is more focused on physical beauty than an older woman's might be. A young, sexy girl might ask why a man stays with his wife who is twenty years older - especially if the wife's body is no match for the young girl's. Or, a girl who is simply "hotter" looking might wonder why a hot guy is with a plain girl. Dont Cha sums that all up, very wittingly. Its clever lyrics span a few stanzas. I like songs with a lot of words. Dont Cha impresses me on several levels.

While Dont Cha is great, Buttons is even better. It's more complex than Dont Cha, with a catchier tune and a longer chorus. Moreover, Buttons has Snoop Dogg in it - not for very long, but even so, he definitely adds value.

A couple of times in the video for Buttons, the focus finds one of the Dolls singing back-up. Those clips - which only last a few seconds each - are the most arresting of the whole video.

Even though the Pussycat Dolls seem to lead with their bodies, they couldn't have made it on just that. You can make it on your looks once you're established with something else - a good voice, for instance, or good acting. But what sells isn't just a sexy body; people expect more.

Nicole is very beautiful, but I find she has a few distinct faces. When I looked her up to draw her, I didn't recognize the images as being of her. Some people can do that.

Looking good, Nicole.

Wikipedia was a source for this article.

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