The Sexy Librarian

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The Sexy Librarian
Knowledge Is Power!
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Librarians carry with them a plethora of images
and stereotypes. Female librarians, especially
with the assistance of the media and the
advertising boom beginning in the 20th century,
have a few distinct (and distinctly different)
images and stereotypes that accompany their
profession. Arent we, as librarians, supposed
to be the reclusive bookworms of the world? A
bit stuffy and humorless? Prim and proper with
glasses and buns?
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However, all images that accompany the idea of
librarians are not as negative as the uptight
shusher. Librarians are often depicted as artsy.
Sometimes quirky. And one of the most prevalent
images of the librarian is that of the sexy
librarian. This idea, though presented in many
different ways, seems to be timeless. It has
been around for decades and appears to be an
image that female librarians simply cannot
shake--whether or not they would like to!
Check out this magazine advertisement from 1967.
This wasnt the beginning of the sexy librarian,
and the idea is still around!
The sexy librarian image presents itself in with
many variations. Continue to explore the many
facets of the sexy librarian stereotype!
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The Sexy Librarian
The Naughty by Night Librarian
The Hipster Librarian
The Rebel Librarian
SoWhat?
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The Hipster Librarian
"As a general rule, librarians are a kick in the
pants socially, often full of good humor,
progressive, and, naturally, well read. --Bill
Hall
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The hipster librarian tends to be the embodiment
of geek chic. She is trendy and classy, yet
edgy. She is tech savvy and sociable. She is a
bookworm, and somehow that is sexy.
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Often bespectacled and conservatively dressed,
the hipster librarian may not be the first image
that comes to mind in association with sex
appeal. However, the hipster librarians artsy
girl next door image is an especially popular
image of the sexy librarian in current pop
culture. Even Unshelved, the comic about
librarians, includes a hipster librarian
character!
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The Naughty by Night Librarian
"Libraries are brothels for the mind. Which means
that librarians are the madams, greeting the
punters, understanding their strange tastes and
needs and then pimping out their books. --Guy
Browning
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The Naughty by Night librarian is likely the
first image that comes to mind with the phrase
sexy librarian. This brand of sexy librarian
is the subject of naughty stories and films, and
she is depicted in vintage pin-ups as well as
modern photographs. Judging from all of these
factors (as well as plenty of talk on the
internet) she is the subject of more fantasies
than many of us would like to know!
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The Naughty by Night librarian is also a staple
of the advertising industry. The Librarian by
day, Bacardi by night advertisement shown
doesnt even use the typical librarian image to
make its point. Instead, it merely plays on the
irony of the seemingly straight-laced
professional who has to break out of her shell
while she can. The advertisement shown on the
right, for Pharos Afrikaans-English dictionaries,
depicts a conservatively dressed librarian.
However, it is clear that there is nothing demure
about her. She appears to be strong and in
charge of her situation. This closet sexpot
type of librarian is one of the most commonly
used images of librarians in popular culture.
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The Rebel Librarian
But despite the meek, shush-shushing stereotype,
librarians are largely a freedom-upholding,
risk-taking group. --Linton Weeks
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The rebel librarian is sexy because of her
strength. The rebellious variation of the sexy
librarian is not necessarily controversial in her
appearance, but she does not conform to the prim
and proper, uptight, and mild standards that many
seem to expect of librarians.
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The rebellious style of sexy librarian is noted
for her intelligence as well as her independence.
She is creative and bold, and a new development
of the sexy librarian image! Take, for example,
this calendar. Tattooed female members of the
Texas Library Association came together to make a
calendar full of sassy photos of well-read and
well-illustrated librarians. Only a little
research was needed to learn that this isnt the
only project along these lines. The rebellious
sexy librarian is not just an image that many
librarians are accepting, but it is one that they
are boasting about!
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What Does This Mean For Librarians?
The fact that the stereotype of the sexy
librarian is more present in popular culture
than, say, the sexy mechanical engineer,
indicates that librarianship is one of the few
intellectual professions that is primarily
female in the popular consciousness.
Librarians fall into the same social construct as
nurses--the automatic assumption is that they
will be female. And just as the promiscuous
nurse takes care of her patients, the patron
oriented nature of the librarians profession
naturally puts female librarians in the position
to fill the role of the sexy-geek-archetype.
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While many librarians are sure to find the sexy
librarian image demeaning, I believe that with
the right spin female librarians can use this
image and preconception to their advantage! I
believe that this notion allows for a great
amount of individuality and independence for
female librarians.
Librarians hold one of the few sexy female
stereotypes in which the attraction lies, at
least partially, in intelligence. I think that
female librarians should feel empowered by this
long lasting depiction of their profession--it
obviously isnt going anywhere!
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With a little class, creativity, and positivity,
I think that female librarians can take full
advantage of their sexy image. For female
librarians, knowledge really can be power!!
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