a closeup of Shelley
from a rare Italian-language
Charlie perfume ad, 1982
In 1976, Shelley was hand-picked to represent the Revlon Charlie brand. Revlon creative director David Leddick had Shelley's then boyfriend Steen Svensson shoot the first presentation with her. It got her the contract. Makeup artist Rick Gillette recalls, "Shelley Hack was really the perfect girl for Charlie." Her first Charlie commercial debuted in 1976, and it was an immediate and immense hit. By 1977, Charlie became the #1 fragrance in the world (the first American-made international bestseller and Revlon sales figures passed the $1 billion mark) and Shelley THE Charlie Girl had catapulted to icon.
Shelley in a very rare
Italian-language Charlie perfume ad, 1982
"La Splendida Fragranza Giovane e Sexy di Revlon."
"The Gorgeous, Sexy-Young Fragrance by Revlon."
From 1976 to 1982, Shelley THE Charlie Girl was an aspirational figure to many women all over the world. Her Charlie perfume ads portrayed women in the most positive light. The working woman, the sassy woman, the liberated woman, the party girl, the sporty woman - all of them she portrayed as sexy, confident, independent and fabulous. Her long-legged stride was somewhat a symbol of the strides taken by the women's liberation movement. And her confident smile symbolized the idea that women could fend for themselves, thrive and be happy about it. "I wanted to stride like her with confidence. I wanted to be this fabulous," Oprah Winfrey admitted in 2008 when she had Shelley as a guest in her iconic daytime TV talk show. Shelley told Oprah, "I think women looked at that and said, 'You know, I wanna be like that.' I mean, I (pertaining to herself) wanted to be like that."
