Friends Don’t Let Friends Go ‘Bear’-Legged

Robin Maryland, president, ActSensuous

Remember the slogan “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk,” written several years ago by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Ad Council? That campaign created an effective awareness about the death toll from driving impaired, and introduced the concept of the Designated Driver.

I like to think that The ActSensuous Blog has similarly wide-reaching influence, and I’m sort of the designated person trying to drive women to wear pantyhose.

Let’s count the ways this blog has impacted what you’re now enjoying, shall we?

During the 2010-11 NFL season, I complained in my blog about Faith Hill’s awful “bear” legs in her Sunday Night Football intro song. What happened in the 2011-12 season? That’s right: She donned pantyhose and looked 100 times better. Oh yeah, I’m taking credit for that. (Hey, you’re welcome!)

Not convinced? OK, how about this: Devoted watchers of NFL Network have to admit they cringed every time they saw one of the show’s hosts, Kara Henderson, who always wore way-too-short skirts for those horrid pasty white legs of her’s, which she flashed all too often. And what happened not long after I called her out for this (Nov. 4, 2011: “Pantyhose happenings on my mind”)? That’s right. She has been wearing pantyhose regularly on the show – quite beautifully, too. Coincidence? I don’t THINK so.

Check out this video of Kara Henderson in studio on the NFL Network:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Ym7_Ji4Zf_s

I can picture how the conversation around the NFL Network studio must have gone: “Kara, we love ya, girl. But those bear legs of yours are killing our ratings. We get that you women today hate pantyhose, but listen, we don’t want you to end up getting The ActSensuous Blog’s next Grizzly Award. That’s the kind of thing that can end a gal’s career. So, c’mon now, why don’t you break out the pantyhose? Our ratings will soar, and Robin will probably heap loads of praise on you for how good you’ll look. It’ll be a win for everyone.”

Yeah, it likely went something like that, I’m pretty sure.

Now, if you Google Kara Henderson, you won’t find a single photo of her in pantyhose. But on NFL Network, she has become a pantyhose babe. But, I’m not done with the NFL Network yet. Now, it seems every female host on the show has gone all pantyhose on us. Check out this video of the lovely Lindsay Soto (now, Rhodes):

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d826f8ad8/Rolle-looks-back-on-championship-run

Wow. Those are some killer legs in beautiful sheer nude pantyhose, eh? Do you just see how influential the ActSensuous Blog really is?

I feel some of you slipping away from me. You want more evidence, don’t you? Fine, fine.

One of my regular columns on this blog is “Credit ‘Wear’ Credit is Due,” in which I recognize and glorify the little people (you know, like Ann Curry and Julianna Margulies) for dressing beautifully, including wearing pantyhose. Otherwise, probably no one would ever pay these budding celebs much attention.

You remember my post in January 2011, “Credit ‘Wear’ Credit is Due – Who’s that T-Mobile Girl?” In that one, I lavished so much praise upon the up-and-coming Carly Foulks for how pretty she looks in those pink dresses, high heels and very sheer nude pantyhose. Yeah, I put that girl on the map! And what happened after that? Verizon goes out and gets the beyond-beautiful model, Cherub Moore, to wear that fabulous gray skirt and dark wine-colored blouse, complete with gorgeous sheer pantyhose for last year’s Black Friday TV commercial. Need I say more?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w34kGqZb52c

Again, if you Google Cherub Moore (and, really, why wouldn’t you?), you won’t find one picture of her wearing pantyhose. But it’s pretty clear that when advertisers write spots for their clients, they think of me and the influence of The ActSensuous Blog. Obviously, they realize the value of featuring their lovely models in pantyhose. And, again, I take full credit for that.

Too much power?

But, as Peter Parker’s uncle taught us in Spiderman, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” (Did I mention Kirsten Dunst wore pantyhose in those Spidey movies because of me? But, I digress …) And now, I have to live with the fact that this far-reaching influence I wield actually could be starting to back-fire. That’s right. Those people who are equally devoted to the bear legs movement – the people I like to call, you know, the villains – are beginning to take notice of all the good I’m doing out there for truth, justice and the American way, and they’re fighting back.

I didn’t write a post about this next subject (although I did think about doing it), but you guys beat me to the punch when you wrote some comments about the CitiBank TV commercial, in which (actual professional rock climber Katie Brown) says:

My boyfriend and I were going on vacation, so I used my Citi Thank You card to pick up some accessories: A new belt, some nylons, and what girl wouldn’t need new shoes? …

A few of you praised that commercial for its obvious reference to nylons of the hosiery variety. I loved that you picked up on that and made a big deal about it. But have you noticed that the writer(s) recently modified that line? Now, when the lady rock climber talks about picking up some things she’ll need for her vacation, she says “A new belt, some nylon (instead of nylons) …”

Are you kidding me? Is the writer of that commercial such a pantyhose hater that he or she (more than likely, she) had to take away that cute play-on-words in order to not encourage us pantyhose lovers? I can just picture some little Kelly Ripa-like writer thinking to herself: “I’ll show those pantyhose lovers!” Is it just me, or is this edited line a retaliation for all the excitement I (OK, you this time) generated about this commercial’s use of the word “nylons?”

Similarly, Cherub Moore has since appeared in (at least two Verizon commercials that I’ve seen), but now she’s actually wearing pants that do nothing for her lovely figure. I hope Verizon is happy with themselves for dressing her down, and making her look just average, after I (yeah-yeah, you guys, too) bragged about how beautiful she looked in the Black Friday commercial.

Are the writers/directors/producers of these commercials making adjustments based upon what we’re doing in this blog? OK, well, probably not. But it does kinda make some sense. We brag them up for dressing their spokeswomen in pantyhose during a time when, let’s face it, the majority of the world’s women hate pantyhose. You’d have to think those responsible for these commercials might realize that they could attract a larger audience for whatever they’re selling if they suck up to the bear-leggers rather than to those in the minority who appreciate and value pantyhose.

Reality setting in

Similarly, I’ve been sooooooooo disappointed lately in many of the celebs on whom I’ve heaped tons of praise for their devotion to wearing pantyhose. And when some of the usually-pantyhose-friendly ones don’t, I make excuses for them and blame it on the costume designer for dressing them in bear legs. But, when celebs appear on late night talk shows, or are out and about town, and dress in nice outfits but with bear legs, that’s clearly on them.

Stars I’ve complimented for their devotion to class and elegance, especially in dressing up and wearing pantyhose, have been letting me down lately. For example, I have never seen Morena Baccarin wear pantyhose on a single talk show or awards show. Not Dana Delany either. Not Jennifer Lopez. And lately, I’ve seen Milla Jovovich more often bear-legged than in pantyhose. And don’t even get me started on Angelina Jolie and her constantly popping her bear leg out from her high-slit dress during the Academy Awards show. Bimbo.

Actress Julianna Margulies is always professional and classy during appearances on late night talk shows, such as "The Late Show with David Letterman."

Still, the only celeb who seems to always do the right thing when it comes to how she dresses for public appearances is Julianna Margulies.  But, is she wearing pantyhose in the photo above?  If so, those are the sheerest nude pantyhose on the planet.  I actually saw this episode of  ”The Late Show with David Letterman” and thought she was wearing, but at least one of our readers commented on this post that she is actually bear-legged.   I guess my eyes aint what they used to be, or more likely, I saw what I wanted to see.   What say you?  Did Julianna Margulies actually appear on Letterman bear-legged?

I’ve often written that Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, almost always can be counted on to wear pantyhose during public appearaces.  And, maybe to a large extent, that’s still the case, but increasingly, it seems that 99.5 percent of celebs are brainwashed and believe they have to appear in public bear-legged because “that’s what everyone is doing.” Pitiful.

One celeb I thought I could count on more than most to wear pantyhose during public events is gorgeous Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, but she’s killing me these days. I really thought of her as very strong-willed and independent – someone who would always do what she wanted to do – not what everyone else was doing. Yet, while she once frequently wore pantyhose during publicity events, presumably because it is the right thing to do, and because she has the class and traditional values to do the right thing, it is increasingly rare to see her in pantyhose. Still, I have confidence in her. I believe (I need to believe) she’ll go back to doing what she knows is right. She looks incredible in pantyhose and even (gasp) bare-legged (no bear here for her), so I can only hope she chooses pantyhose just because she wants to.

And lovely little Lucy Liu? Forget about seeing her in pantyhose, which is practically a crime since she looks stunning in them. And the extremely rare times we do see her in pantyhose, they’re too often the thick black ones that just don’t suit her.

While it is great that Sandra Oh was honored recently in Canada's Walk of Fame, it's sad that she didn't think the occasion called for pantyhose with that nice dress.

But I am most dismayed by the way Sandra Oh dresses. I know what you’re thinking, but unlike her character on “Grey’s Anatomy,” she truly is gorgeous in a dress, high heels and sheer nude or suntan pantyhose.

Sadly, it seems lately that we’ll just never see her in pantyhose anymore.

She’s a perfect example of a star who grew up with traditional Korean values, used to dress beautifully and appropriately in the proper situations, but now has seemingly become just another brainwashed Hollyweird go-along-er.

A case in point occurred in October 2011 when Sandra Oh was inducted into Canada’s Walk Of Fame for her long career in film and television.

If ever there were a time for Sandra Oh to wear pantyhose, this was it, especially since she grew up in Canada. Instead, she did the “ugly American” thing and showed up bear-legged.

Terrible, Sandra.

Always hope

Actress Miranda Cosgrove shows class and grace, appearing on the Red Carpet wearing a beautiful dress and pantyhose during a Screen Actors Guild awards show recently in Los Angeles.

As much as I appreciate when veteran celebrities do the right thing and wear pantyhose during public appearances, I think I love it even more when very young up-and-coming stars set themselves apart from the pack in the way they dress, wearing pantyhose with their pretty dresses and high heels.

You know how I’ve gushed over the likes of Lady Gaga and Katie Perry for being frequent wearers of pantyhose when out and about. And that can be said for Paris Hilton, too. I’ve almost resigned myself to realize and admit that EVERY celeb is going to have days where they just can’t be bothered to dress nicely.

But recently, I’ve been seeing two 19-year-olds, Selena Gomez and Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) wearing pantyhose during public appearances.

I have to say I had never heard of Miranda until I saw her on a couple of late night talk shows and was so proud of her for dressing up and wearing pantyhose for the occasions. This is such a great sign of hope for the future.

So I’ll go ahead and give myself credit for that. I’m funny that way, ya know.

Who’s the hottie in that Verizon Black Friday TV commercial?

Robin Maryland, president, ActSensuous

  I hope all of you enjoyed your Thanksgiving Day celebrations and Black Friday shopping sprees. 

  In January of this year, one of my more popular blog posts was Credit ‘wear’ Credit is Due – Who’s that T-Mobile Girl?  That one got a lot of responses and still is frequently read today.  Actress/model Carly Foulkes is the hot little number rocking those pink dresses and sheer nude pantyhose.  

  Sometimes when I write these things, I secretly worry that as soon as I draw attention to someone for being a devoted wearer, all of a sudden she’s going to stop.  Thankfully, that hasn’t been the case with Carly, whom I praised in my post for having the professionalism and class to wear pantyhose with that outfit during an era in which that isn’t always done.  But I also gave credit to the person at T-Mobile, or the advertising company, for his or her decision about how to dress Carly for that spot. 

Actress/model Carly Foulkes is affectionately known now as "The T-Moble girl."

It’s impossible to know whether Carly had any say about wearing pantyhose, or if it was solely the decision of T-Mobile or the ad campaign manager.  Perhaps the credit should go to designer/stylist Debra LeClair, who, according to a T-Mobile representative, created the custom-made, vintage-silhouette-inspired pink-and-white dress, and worked on the campaign and photo shoot.  

  In any case, the reason Carly made my Credit ‘wear’ Credit is Due column is because in researching her, I found that she frequently wears pantyhose in public appearances and other ads.  So, she’s a hero in my book. 

Enter the new hottie 

  Now, comes an amazing TV commercial by Verizon.  I saw it often while watching the NFL games over the holiday weekend.  It’s the one in which an absolutely gorgeous young lady portraying a Verizon employee walks up to a display at a Verizon store where she touches a bunch of smart phones and similar devices to wrap them in ribbons and bows for the Black Friday holiday sale.  This stunningly beautiful woman with long wavy brown hair is wearing a gray skirt and wine-colored blouse, and at first, that’s all we see of her, even when she walks across the floor to place some of these gift items under the store’s Christmas tree.  When she kneels down, that’s when we see she is wearing some absolutely delicious-looking sheer nude pantyhose.  And quite beautifully at that. 

  Unfortunately, it’s a brief scene, but oh, so lovely.  Man, when I see something like this, I just feel so much pride.  In this day and age, the Verizon people, or again, the ad campaign people for them, could easily have dressed the actress in pants, or gone with the skirt but with “bear” legs, reflecting a sign of the times.  Instead, they went with a professional and classy look, perhaps signaling that if “bear” legs ever really was an official sign of the times, it’s not embraced by everyone, and T-Mobile certainly was going to feature its actress in appropriate business attire.  

  I believe cases like this are all the proof we need that this ugly “bear” legs look has about run its course.  Just look at all the TV commercials for department stores and see what women are wearing.  Every dressy outfit includes pantyhose.  Finally, maybe people are coming to their senses again. 

  Unlike in the case of Carly Foulkes, this time, after hours of investigating on the Web, I could not identify the actress in the Verizon commercial.  So, I cannot tell you whether or not she is indeed a pantyhose kind of girl, or show you any photos of her.  But here’s a link to a video of this commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w34kGqZb52c&NR=1  Watch it in full screen mode for the best view of her legs at the end. 

  After the first couple of times of seeing this TV commercial, something strange happened, and I want to share my thoughts with you and hear your thoughts about it.  I’ve never seen anything like this before, but all of a sudden now, when the actress kneels down to place the gifts under the Christmas tree, they’ve cropped most of her legs out of the picture.  My first thought is why would they ever do such a thing?  She is so beautiful.  My second thought is this:  The powers that be probably figured they didn’t want the viewer looking at this gorgeous girl’s legs instead of the Verizon smart devices for sale.  

  Is that possible?  Could that really be the reason?  Nothing else makes any sense to me.  Anyway, you certainly can see (in fact, even more of) the actress’ legs in the YouTube video.  Hurry before someone edits that part of the scene from it, too. 

  Do any of you know who this girl is?  If so, please let the rest of us know.  I am so impressed with her. 

 

Update (Dec. 7 )

With my thanks for a first-time comment on my blog from a reader, whose online name is las artes, we now have indisputable visual evidence of who this very beautiful and charming actress is — Cherub Moore. 

Thank you, las artes, for pointing me in the direction of the WhoIsThatHotAdGirl (WITHAG) site for finding credible documentation when it comes to identifying relatively unknown but budding stars. 

While not much is known about Cherub Moore, with all the interest her appearance in that Verizon ad is generating online, I can’t imagine she’ll be off the radar much longer. 

Check out this link to view this fabulous TV commercial again, and to see a mini-profile and photos of the enigmatic model/actress Cherub Moore.

http://whoisthathotadgirl.tumblr.com/post/13509132832/q-who-is-the-hot-girl-in-the-verizon-black

 

 Last week, one of our longtime customers/readers of this blog, Carl, suggested that the lovely lady in the Verizon Black Friday TV commercial was Katie Savoy, who actually made an earlier appearance in a different Verizon commercial.  It’s the one where she is sitting poolside with her boyfriend, who is watching an NFL game (Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers) on a smart device.  She decides to take a dip in the pool, while he watches his favorite Viking, Adrian Peterson, score on a long running play. 

When Katie emerges from the pool, the boyfriend sees her as Adrian Peterson.  The poor guy.  But, it’s a cute commercial.  

http://www.youtube.com/v/QYFmbWzIsxo&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3

It was a good try, and I bought into it, but I just couldn’t reconcile that, as lovely as she is, Katie Savoy just didn’t quite have the exotic look we all saw in the Verizon Black Friday commercial.  

Thank you, Carl, for finding us these pics of Katie in pantyhose/tights.   

In any case, perhaps, like Carly Foulkes who appears in a series of T-Mobile commercials in which she always wears a beautiful dress with heels and pantyhose, it would be great if we get to see Katie and Cherub in a series of Verizon commercials all dressed up.

Cheerleaders of Homewood High School Patriot Band in Alabama perform during Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Nov. 24, 2011, in New York.

Loving a parade 

  Nothing rings in the holiday season like the world-famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City, its 85th annual event. 

  It’s also a venue at which one can see lots of pantyhose.  From cheerleaders to the majorettes of marching bands from all across the country, from dance troupes to celebrities performing, most often, the costumes include pantyhose. 

  And  never is that more evident than on the 36 pairs of lovely legs that belong to the Radio City Rockettes, the world renowned precision dance company based out of Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, NY, which has been performing during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade for more than 50 years.  

Members of the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes perform during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on Nov. 27, 2008, in New York City.

  The Rockettes, most famous for their perfectly timed “eye-high” kicks, also star in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, happening now through Jan. 2, as they have for more than 75 years. 

  Obviously, the Rockettes are known for their fabulous legs.   Could you ever imagine in a million years the Rockettes performing “bear”-legged?  Of course not.   Do you think any of the members of that company would even want to?  No way! 

  So that means all those pantyhose haters out there — those who say pantyhose are uncomfortable, out of style, irrelevant, etc. (those I like to refer to as, you know … WRONG) — actually think the Rockettes would look just fine and that it would be perfectly OK for them to perform “bear”-legged?   Those people can’t be that dumb.  It must be that they are just turning a blind eye to reality in order to not have to face the fact that they just have no sense of femininity, class or elegance. 

Interesting notes 

  Dana Delany wore a nice dress and sheer pantyhose during her guest appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (aired on Thanksgiving Day.)  See, now I would expect that of her, but I mention it here because more times than not, I’ve seen her appear mostly “bear”-legged at these venues.  So, I hope this is a sign of better judgment on her part. 

Lady Gaga, left, is interviewed by Katie Couric during Gaga's Thanksgiving Day special on Nov. 24, 2011 in New York.

  Good job, too, by Lady Gaga, who, even though she wore a pants suit during her interview with Katie Couric as part of the artist’s “A Very Gaga Thanksgiving” special, did wear very sheer pantyhose with her high heels.  It looked nice, and I love that she shows her professional side during high profile interviews such as this one. 

  Of course, Lady Gaga wears more exotic pantyhose and wears them more provactively during her concerts, and HBO aired “Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden” on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011.  

  Finally, and this is weird:  Amy Sedaric appeared last week on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” wearing a strange dress, high heels but no pantyhose.  The weird part is when Dave complimented her about her shoes, she caressed her “bear” legs and said she really wants to do a pantyhose commercial (but apparently there are no takers.) 

  Then, Dave asked her what happened to pantyhose, noting that they seemed to have gone away.  She replied that they had and she couldn’t understand why, and then she emphasized that “We need to bring them back in a big way.” 

  OK, that part I like, but puh-leeeeeeease, Amy, don’t try selling that when you’re not wearing pantyhose.   Those “bear” legs of yours weren’t doing us any favors.  Nice try though! 

  Thanks for reading, and best wishes to all of you for a happy holiday season.