Mourning Roundup: November 16, 2010
NOVEMBER 16, 2010 TAGS:
For years, European tire companies, shower fixture manufacturers and other purveyors have produced calendars of scantily clad women to promote their wares. The Pirelli Calendar, for instance, lithely straddles the line between fashion photography and soft-core porn. The calender’s overt salaciousness commands a unique pre-eminence in the world of photography and commerce. It is a founding father of “sex sells.”
In 2003, executives at an Italian casket manufacturer had the bright idea to produce a calendar of its own products alongside cleavage-bearing women. The idea was so good that it spawned a copycat, Lindner caskets of Poland.
The original, says CofaniFunebri, is back for its 2011 edition. This year’s calendar peddles a dark, sado-masochistic sexuality, which, it could be argued, is a thematic extension of the product line. Or is it?
Wouldn’t “sexy widow” sell more caskets than “crouching devil woman”?
Is bereavement that far removed from sexual desire? Can the anguish of grief be transformed into sexuality? Those questions verge on poor taste. But, it turns out, there is a strong anecdotal history of funerals and sex littering Internet message boards and can-you-believe-it sexpert advice, as David Wallis reported in our pages:
“Post-funeral sex is totally natural,” says Alison Tyler, author of Never Have the Same Sex Twice. “You need something to cling to -- why not your spouse, your lover or that hunky pallbearer? Post-funeral sex can be life-affirming in a refreshing way you just can’t get with a cold shower or zesty soap.”
CofaniFunebri doesn’t much concern itself with the transformative psychology of grief. It’s a low-budget, poorly lit calendar that happens to have coffins in it. Clearly, it’s far less sophisticated than other funerary pictorals. Or should I say pectorals…
In 2003, executives at an Italian casket manufacturer had the bright idea to produce a calendar of its own products alongside cleavage-bearing women. The idea was so good that it spawned a copycat, Lindner caskets of Poland.The original, says CofaniFunebri, is back for its 2011 edition. This year’s calendar peddles a dark, sado-masochistic sexuality, which, it could be argued, is a thematic extension of the product line. Or is it?
Wouldn’t “sexy widow” sell more caskets than “crouching devil woman”?
Is bereavement that far removed from sexual desire? Can the anguish of grief be transformed into sexuality? Those questions verge on poor taste. But, it turns out, there is a strong anecdotal history of funerals and sex littering Internet message boards and can-you-believe-it sexpert advice, as David Wallis reported in our pages:
“Post-funeral sex is totally natural,” says Alison Tyler, author of Never Have the Same Sex Twice. “You need something to cling to -- why not your spouse, your lover or that hunky pallbearer? Post-funeral sex can be life-affirming in a refreshing way you just can’t get with a cold shower or zesty soap.”
CofaniFunebri doesn’t much concern itself with the transformative psychology of grief. It’s a low-budget, poorly lit calendar that happens to have coffins in it. Clearly, it’s far less sophisticated than other funerary pictorals. Or should I say pectorals…
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