December 2, 2007
Invasion of the Body Part Snatchers
Something scary has happened in Romance Publishing Land. Many of the book covers I buy have people on them—without heads!
Some just have boobs, but others don’t even have torsos! (gasp) All I see are ankles, feet and shoes. And lately, if they do show a whole torso, many are shot from behind! Nope, it’s not just fronts anymore. Now they’re doing backs and butts! (Tanya whispers—->) Some even falsely claim to have **B I G** Spankable Arses! 
Who are these headless, frontless wonders???? And why are they popping up everywhere?
There’s way too much body part thievery going on!
And another thing… Is it me or are ALL romance cover hunks lacking in the fur department?
I’m talking chest-hair baybee. Or the lack thereof. True, there are RARE exceptions, but the vast majority are baby-butt smooth. Has some contagious disease hit them? Because all the men I know—SAVE MY TEN-YEAR-OLD SON—have chest hair. So WTF happened? Is Nair or an airbrush to blame? Whatever the case, put the fur back on, boys! Me likey hairy man-titty! 
Okay, but seriously, why do you think there are so many headless and faceless bodies on romance covers? And legs or “wegs,” as my son used to call them—-Wegs, backs and butts. Also, do you prefer a hairless chest? What about a headless body? Or just legs and shoes? Hell, maybe they’ll just start showing toenails next. Oh, one last thing. Does your romance cover preference (hairless/hairy chests) match your real life preference? 
Here’s a tribute to hairy man-titty and stomachs. 
The body parts don’t bother me that much. Although, I probably don’t really care that much for the blatant/sexual ones.
But I’m totally with you on the hairy chests. While Robin Willaims’ hairy shoulders and back may be a bit too much, the samples you’ve post, plus a younger Sean Connery and Tom Sellect are just my cup of tea. That hair adds soo much tactile enjoyment, if you know what I mean. And I think you do.
Although, the guys in the pics you’ve post are all trimmed, I can live with that compared to the wax and shave job that most male romance cover model’s sport.
Tanya,
I guess I’m back in l976.
Spankable asses on men just don’t turn my crank.
I say to all those weightlifters, “Y’r ass is agrass. You got pimples on your ass.”
I say to all these weightlifing men:
Y’r ass is grass. You got pimples on your ass.
(Clears throat and spits)..
Show me a man who rides sidesaddle and I’ll show you a gay caballero.
Mmmmmmmm YUM!!!!!!!
*wipes chin*
I like a little hair…..like the guys above–esp the first one. I dont know his name but i know he was in Fantastic 4!!! *drool*
As to the headless bodies I’m so guilty! LOL not my choice but I can’t say I care much. I think they’re headless to let the reader use their imagination. it also nix’s the problem of having cover models who don’t resemble the hero/heroine (ie wrong hair/eye color)
Ames is right, I think it’s so the reader can match the face with their imagination instead of relying on a cover where they bear no resemblance to the characters.
As far as hair, I don’t care. I like either one, except extremely hairy.
I remembered you were here today.
Hey, you.
WELCOME!!!!
And I see you brought two of my favorites…Jason Momoa and Pierce Brosnan.
Agree with Ames…the headless stuff doesn’t bother me so much, but lol at the way you pointed it out. Yeah, I assume it’s meant to inspire a reader’s imagination. The ones that DO bother me are the ones that don’t show the entire face, but the ‘hero’ seems to be preoccupied with his own crotch. He’s naked and staring down, or he’s even pulled his pants forward to check it out…and I’m thinking, “well geez, dude—you don’t need a woman!”…or, “oh puh-leeze, if you don’t know what it looks like by now…!”
As for the chest hair…
YES! 
YES! 
YES!
I think I’ve mentioned it on my blog. I know I’ve mentioned it in my books. And yes, most definitely–ALL of my heroes have had a fairly substantial amount. I make a point of it. My heroines love it.
Does that preference carry over into real life?
Oh yeah, baby.
Now that you’ve mentioned it, I have noticed just body parts with no heads in the cover shot. The publishers must think that smooth body parts are more enticing that a human face. I don’t mind a hairless chest. I absolutely prefer a hairless back. A little chest hair is okay. I don’t want see Chewbacca.
LOL Jane I agree!!!!
And Raine….LOL@the crotch eye!
Vanessa,
I don’t buy books with covers I can’t take out in a public place.
To me, it’s just stoopid for publishers to do these covers. I have kids in the house, and I read a lot in public, so they’re definitely missing **this** consumer. They could reach a lot more people if they’d just be a little bit more discreet.
As for hairy chests, I hear you about the Robin Williams forest. Not my cuppa tea either. As long as I can’t braid it, it’s fine. I can’t imagine being with one of those baby-butt chest guys. In fact, (apart from when I was a teen) I don’t think I’ve ever dated a man without chest hair. The skin-only guys on those covers really do nothing for me.
Hey Ivan!
Great to see you here. About the spankable butts… That book was targeted at women which makes me wonder why they put a woman on the cover to begin with. Why would I want to look at some chick’s bony behind hanging out all over the place? I don’t play on that team, you know?
As for men … I don’t want a man with a big spankable butt. And if he rides side-saddle, that’s an even deeper problem.
Hey Cece,
His name is Chris Evans and he is VERY yummy to look at.
Your cover theory makes sense. I can see why they do it. The only thing that bothers me about these **headless horsemen**— and this might sound strange—-is that it’s like the publishers are saying, “insert a body here. ANY body will do. The head isn’t necessary so let’s just cut it off.” IOW, the picture is an object and nothing more. That’s why some men annoy me with the way they view women as physical objects, not people.
I first started noticing these covers on the more spicier books, and then everybody else jumped on the bandwagon. I like seeing faces, darn it, and when I look at those headless covers, it kind of distances me from things.
Yeah, I know, I’m weird, but that’s how some of those headless pictures come off to me.
Bailey,
Raine,
Thanks for the welcome! You rock, lady.
I have to admit, I can’t remember seeing a crotch-worshiping cover. I know I saw one on Smart B’s where the guy had his hand around his you-know-what, and it was covered with a towel or something. The thing was about four times normal size. 
It looked like it belonged to a horse or maybe even an elephant. I pity the woman he used that thing on. They prolly had to rush her to the emergency room for stitches.
Jane,
I’m with you on the Chewbacca situation. If I can comb it, it needs to go.
I remember always seeing Tom Seleck when I was a kid, thought he was a hottie. even w/ the facial hair (of course the dh more often than not has a full beard so I guess I do have an affinity for hairy(ish–no Robin sorry) men.
oh and uber-great pics! where is the drooling smiley . . . . .
Dennie,
I drooled for Tom too, and got very upset when he married that Jilly Mack person.