Archives: Eva Mendes in ‘Hot & Bothered’ by Txema Yeste for Marie Claire US March 2012 AOC Renewed

Actor, activist, wife of Ryan Gosling and mom to their two daughters, Eva Mendes is a fabulously sensual woman. Much of American culture would call her a sex bomb. Anne avoids bombshell terminology because it reduces her to a sexual creature when Eva Mendes embraces her sensuality with a much broader, life-enhancing spirit.

Except that Eva Mendes calls herself a sex bomb, highly influenced by her husband’s deep appreciation for her sex appeal. So we’ll get off our high horse and agree that Eva Mendes is a sex bomb.

When AOC renewed this 2012 Marie Claire fashion story today, we noted that the Miami-born daughter of Cuban-born parents Eva Pérez Suárez and Juan Carlos Méndez was already dating actor Ryan Gosling for six months minimum.

Eva Mendes in Stella McCartney Style for ELLE France, Lensed by Pamela Hanson AOC Fashion

Quoting from Eva’s April 30, 2025 Stella McCartney fashion story and interview with ELLE France, Eva couldn’t contain her enthusiasm about feeling “fucking sexy at times” thanks to the “way my man looks at me.” In fact so much of how Mendes feels is directly tied to the sexual heat between the couple.

Mendes doesn’t share any of the typical Catholic ambivalence about her sex appeal. And thankfully for her husband, she didn’t follow through on her inclination to become a nun.

Rather than consider Eva’s external sex appeal — which is difficult to ignore — AOC turned to a more factual question directed to brain science.

Eva Mendes Covers Vogue Mexico October 2024 Lensed by Emma Summerton AOC Fashion

If Eva Mendes’ Brain Could Talk

I asked AI to explain how neuroimaging would differentiate brain activity in a person who particularly enjoys fragrant flowers, dancing, and swimming with heightened awareness and intense pleasure. Someone like Eva Mendes.

To keep matters simple, AOC did not specifically mention sex. And I am deliberately repeating verbatim what it told me — which is very scientific, and warrants further research. AOC has been a huge fan of brain science for years because our brains are truthful when different regions are activited.

The basic idea I want to communicate is that our brains are a fingerprint of sorts of who we are. In the case of Eva Mendes, I promise you that she has highly-elevated SPS, as defined in point 4. She also has elevated Openness to Experience, as defined in my Louis Vuitton analysis from Monday, see final notes below.

1. Fragrant flowers

Olfactory Bulb and Piriform Cortex: A person who enjoys fragrant flowers might exhibit increased activity in their olfactory bulb and piriform cortex when exposed to scents they find pleasant.
Amygdala and Hippocampus: If a specific flower scent triggers strong memories or emotional responses, increased activity might be observed in the amygdala (involved in emotion) and hippocampus (involved in memory formation).
Thalamus: Heightened activity in the thalamus could indicate more intense processing of the aromatic signals.

2. Dancing

Motor Cortex and Basal Ganglia: Observing a person dancing would likely reveal activation in the motor cortex (involved in planning and executing movements) and basal ganglia (important for coordinating movement).
Auditory Cortex: If dancing involves music, the auditory cortex (processing musical information) would be active.
Reward System (e.g., ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens): If the person derives pleasure from dancing, areas like the VTA and nucleus accumbens (involved in reward and pleasure) could be activated, leading to a release of dopamine.

3. Swimming

Somatosensory Cortex: The sensation of water on the skin during swimming would activate the somatosensory cortex.
Motor Cortex: Similar to dancing, the motor cortex would be active due to the coordinated movements involved in swimming.
Insula: The insula, involved in processing internal bodily states and feelings, might be activated by the immersive and bodily sensations of swimming.

4. Enhanced processing and reward

Individuals with higher sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) might show greater activation in brain regions related to deeper information processing, including the precuneus, prefrontal cortex, and inferior frontal gyrus.
Higher SPS has also been linked to increased emotionality and empathy, reflected in greater activity in the insula, claustrum, amygdala, and cingulate cortex during social affective tasks.
A heightened response in the reward system, involving regions like the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex, could indicate a strong enjoyment and motivation associated with these sensory experiences.

Important considerations

Individual differences: Brain responses can vary greatly among individuals, influenced by factors like personal preferences, experiences, and cultural background.
Context and task: The specific way a person interacts with these activities (e.g., actively dancing versus observing) can impact brain activity patterns.
Multisensory Integration: Sensual experiences often involve multiple senses simultaneously, leading to complex brain activity patterns that reflect the integration of different sensory inputs.

Neuroimaging techniques like fMRI and PET scans can help identify the brain regions involved in these experiences and reveal individual differences in how a person's brain processes and responds to sensory inputs.

However, interpreting these findings to definitively characterize a person as "sensual" requires careful consideration of individual differences, the specific context, and the complex interplay of brain regions involved in sensation, emotion, and reward.

###End of AI

Brain science was on my mind Monday writing about Louis Vuitton’s new FW25 campaign and a more expansive view of a widening of their lens around the concept of travel. CEO Pietro Beccari mentioned the spirit of travel being experienced not only by crossing national borders, “but through ideas, emotions and inspiration.”

Vuitton is increasingly focused not only on the sports lifestyle, but on being a winner and a champion. A key concept in the research on winners is ‘Openness to Experience.’ I wrote:

Research suggests that this openness can be a key driver of higher cognitive activity and complexity, carrying a greater probability of becoming a high achiever in various domains.

In the arena of brain research and neuroimaging, the science has stunning accuracy in identifying conservative and liberal brains, often in the 90th percentile accuracy. As I noted, our brains don’t lie about who we are. ~ Anne