A Brief (and Bare) History of the Tease Scene

‘Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me.’

By The Editors
December 19, 2016 9:00 am

If you’re on the same December routine as us, your mornings look something like this:

Wake up, put on coffee, watch the new video on LOVE’s model-a-day advent calendar.

Today, that meant Alessandra Ambrosio giving her next-door neighbor a little peepshow, which, for the uninitiated, is a rather storied cinematic trope. Phoebe Cates. Sharon Stone. Salma Hayek. The list of famous women who have exposed themselves for the edification of (previously) innocent bystanders is a long one.

Like many great motifs in film, it’s the complete and utter mythology of this situation that makes it so enticing: a sexual overture initiated by a (typically older, more experienced) woman is not something many of us will experience in real life, but in Hollywood, it might as well be a rite of passage.

To pay homage, we’ve compiled a brief list of some of our favorite teases from motion picture history. 

Jane Seymour in Wedding Crashers
“William doesn’t give a shit about my tits.” “Well, darn him.” No one diffuses sexual tension like Owen Wilson.

Penelope Cruz in Nine
With a cast featuring Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Kate Hudson and Stacy Ferguson (aka Fergie) — it’s near impossible to choose one scene from this movie musical. But Cruz stopping Daniel Day-Lewis with the line, “I’ll be here, waiting for you, with my legs open,” is seared into our brains. So we’ll go with that.

Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct
“That’s pretty cold, ain’t it, lady?” Speak for yourself, pal.

Anne Bancroft in The Graduate
“Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me.” Yes, Dustin, she is. And it worked. On you and us. 

Phoebe Cates in Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Still waiting for the red bikini scene of the 21st century. Until then, this always makes the list.

Salma Hayek in From Dusk Till Dawn
Knowing her character is actually a bald, reptilian vampire may make this scene less appealing. Then again, maybe not.

For those of you that came here looking for more of Alessandra, then you should know this isn’t her first time in LOVE’s advent calendar.

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