Monday, August 30, 2021

THE Charlie Girl

a closeup of Shelley from a French Charlie perfume ad, 1978

Shelley will forever be remembered as THE quintessential Charlie Girl (who became Charlie's 5th Angel, of course). Her image of the independent, bright, chic and confident woman was the perfect embodiment of the ideals of the Revlon brand. There were other Charlie models prior to her, but it was only Shelley's commercials and ads were successful. Why? In a study made by Revlon, it turned out that women weren't intimidated by her and that men found her approachable. And her influence was far-reaching. Women all over the world wanted to be Charlie Girls; so much so that six months after Shelley began endorsing Charlie, it became the #1 fragrance in the world (the first American-made international bestseller) and Revlon sales figures passed the $1 billion mark.

Shelley in a French Charlie perfume ad, 1978