Personals: Portraits of Real People and Their Personal Ads

by Michael C. Smith

Book Overview

A quirky collection of photographs reveals the real people behind actual personal ads placed in newspapers from around the country, in a series of portraits of more than sixty aspiring lovers. 12,500... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0789305232
• ISBN13: 9780789305237
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Universe Publishing(NY)
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 7.3"

Customer Reviews

Ture Life

As one of the Make Up artists for this book it was a pleasure to have worked with Michael and his crew. Michael took an idea and created a visual for all to see. The people are real, the ads are real and the "Looks", well they are just as real! I hope that everyone who buys it or looks at it has as much fun as I did in being a part of his creation.

Fantasy Portraits Based on Headlines in Personal Ads

The concept behind this book is unique in my experience. Mr. Smith read many personals ads offered by people looking for companionship. He then contacted those who had placed the ads, and offered to do a fantasy portrait of them based on the description in the ad. This book contains the actual photographs of the people behind the ads along with the ads themselves. The perspective is a humorous one, touched by more than a little pathos.Before going further, let me caution you that the images in this book include people of almost every major sexual persuasion and practice. I have written my review so it will be acceptable to general audiences. This book should not be shared with children, in my opinion. The images exceed an "R" rating if this were a motion picture.The author explains his purpose (and his ambivalence) rather well in the introduction. "Although I've always been drawn to personal ads . . ., I had never . . . answered one until I began to research this book." "Maybe the project was really just an excuse . . . ."The results will surprise you, as they did the author (and me). "I had no idea what I was in for." "I was touched, shocked, titillated, saddened, amused, horrified -- but always fascinated -- by the people who placed the ads."Let me give you a few examples (selected from among the less controversial photographs). The quote is the ad's headline in each case:"Start a Fire in My Heart" In this one, a young woman describes her desire to meet a handsome fireman. The portrait has her wrapped in a fire hose that is attached to a hydrant while smoking a cigarette."Tennis Playing Cross Dresser" Here, a man dressed like a woman in tennis whites leaps over the net in a way so that you can see that this is a man dressed like a woman."Do You Have a Hairpiece?" A nude young man is standing in front of a barber shop window holding a small wig strategically over a central part of his anatomy. The title refers obliquely to a contagious skin affliction mentioned by name in the body of the ad. "I-Dream-of-Jeannie-Looks" In this one a blond woman in a harem outfit lies next to an open lamp with smoke coming out. She does indeed remind one of Barbara Eden in the television series."Urban Mermaid" This one has an Ariel look-alike lying in a crummy bathtub on a seedy urban street."Tickle Party Guy" Here, a nude young man strategically covered has disembodied hands all over him."Bowl You Over" A nude man wearing socks and bowling shoes is standing on the lane with a bowling pin strategically placed.Here are some other titles where I will leave the photographic image to your imagination:"Vampire Huntress""Don't Stop When I Tell U""Rock Tigress""Killer Mouth""Cinderella""Spanker Sought""L.A. Girl Seeks D.C. Guy""78-Year-Old Virgin"The bulk of the people in the book are either quite attractive or at least reasonably attractive. One wonders about what lack of social skills led them to try personal ads. Presumably, the headlines sugg

Personals

This is a fascinating case study of real people (I think), and their ads. Michael Smith did a fabulous job of matching these characters with equally fitting clever settings. It is reassuring to see that there are persons from all aspects and walks of life just searching for the most basic of needs, connecting with another.(Grant Dillon, you devil) I would recommend this book as a interesting insight into the world of people and their personal ads. I will eagerly await the movie version!

The Personals Story

As part of this wonderful book of pictures and the personal ads that inspired them, I can tell you firsthand that the people photographed within really are real. I was working as the director of a personals department in L.A. when my advertisers began mentioning to me that they were receiving responses from a man who wanted to photograph them for a book, and my curiousity was piqued. I'd been given his number by one of the lady advertisers who was worried about being taken for a ride, so I gave him a ring and we arranged to meet. Mike was one of the nicest, most interesting and interested men I'd ever met. His project divided his time between L.A. and N.Y., and he had some great stories about the wonderful people he'd already photographed. I soon realized that we shared a belief that the people who place personal ads are as normal - and as strange! - as any other subset of humanity, and just as worthy of both respect and ridicule. I'm thrilled to see that his book conveys that affectionate belief.In an age of cyber-communication, cyber-relationships, and cybersex, it's nice to remember that sometimes people are just people needin' people... with all the ridiculousness and tenderness that entails.