Hermione Granger Sex Symbol?
Blog by Sean Gehon, Thursday, May 10, 2007
Six novels and four movies later, the story of a young orphan in search of understanding in a world he may never understand has touched the hearts of both young and old around the entire world. He’s battled wizards, demons, and students alike, all in an effort to claim the Quidditch Cup, and make his parents proud. Harry Potter has made friends and enemies through his adventures and Hogwarts School for Witches and Wizards, but what’s the one thing he’s missing? According to Warner Brothers it’s bigger breasts.
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint are back in the fifth installment of the Harry Potter franchise Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The movies alone have made more than three billion dollars at the box office, making Harry Potter one of the most successful franchises ever. According to Warner Brothers, that’s not quite good enough. It was recently reported that in an effort to entice viewers to come see the latest Potter film, the size of Emma Watson’s bust was digitally enhanced on one of the promotional posters. The seventeen year old Watson plays a fifteen year old girl in the Potter films.
People have said for quite some time that sex sells. We currently live in an oversexed society, in my opinion. Everywhere you turn someone is baring their midriff, talking about sex, singing about sex, dancing like they want to have sex… or just having sex in front of you. There was a time when sex and things of a sexual nature did in fact entice people into watching your television program, going to your movie, or even reading your book. Does it really affect anyone over the age of sixteen anymore? We’ve all been there, seen that, heard the inappropriate language, so I have to wonder… how does enhancing the size of a girls breasts help draw people into seeing a movie?
The Harry Potter series of books, movies, and merchandise has been highly successful since Harry’s debut in 1997. With fans both young and old rushing out to buy the books, and see the movies, do we really need to enhance a young girls breasts? When I’m going to a Harry Potter movie, or to read a Harry Potter book, I’m not sitting there hoping Hermione (Emma Watson’s character) has large breasts, or that she’s a sexually attractive woman… I’m hoping for a tear jerking, edge of your seat adventure. For that matter, is anyone really concerned about what the movie poster looks like? Personally, when I’m looking at a movie poster I’m simply curious what the movie is and when it opens… not how large a young girls breasts are.
What kind of message is Warner Brothers sending to its younger audience? In order to be a movie star and be on a poster, you need to have big breasts. Many people on this planet have enough thrown in their face from Victoria’s Secret models and scary thin celebrities like Nicole Ritchie, they really don’t need Harry Potter reminding them to get a boob job once they’ve got an eating disorder. In all honesty, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is almost guaranteed to be a hit, the last thing they need to do is manipulate their posters. For that matter, wouldn’t enhancing the size of Emma Watson’s bust line be false advertising? Isn’t that illegal?
Luckily, through all the complaint and minor scandal the digital boob job caused, Warner Brothers has re altered the image back to normal. It’s nice to see that once called out on their inappropriate behaviour, Warner Brothers backed down and showed a little decency. Harry Potter is mainly marketed towards children who are going to have a hard enough time trying to become a stereotypical image of perfection, they don’t need their favourite wizard rubbing it in their faces too.
Sean ( I can’t wait! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLud6yM47u8 )
