Lipstick, yes. Shampoo, certainly. Perfume, of course.
But hemorrhoid cream is just not a product one associates with a glamorous fashion model.
Yet Kim Alexis, former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, is the -- spokeswoman for Hemorid, a new hemorrhoid preparation.
"Kim takes the issue seriously," said Deborah Tabor, product manager for Florida-based Thompson Medical Co., the makers of Hemorid. "When we spoke to her she thought it was exciting to be involved in a product to help women."
And while her decision to represent hemorrhoid-suffering women everywhere may be noble -- and undoubtedly lucrative -- it's an odd choice for a woman in an industry where image is everything.
"Celebrities usually like to do these things outside of the country, where it won't be seen by the American market," said People magazine editor Marshall Fink. "A Kim Basinger or a Woody Allen would not be caught dead doing these things in the U.S."
But selling a product consumers are embarrassed to buy isn't the career-killer one might think.
In fact, selling anything on TV, even hemorrhoid cream, raises visibility and can help revive a falling star.
Former CBS "This Morning" co-anchor Kathleen Sullivan had virtually disappeared from television before resurfacing in the spring in spots for Weight Watchers. The one-time rising star agreed to shed pounds on air for the company.
The ad campaign stirred renewed interest in Ms. Sullivan, whose fall from grace had been attributed by some media-watchers to weight fluctuation and graying hair.
Numerous stories on Ms. Sullivan's rise and fall appeared in the press, including a lengthy piece in the New York Times. Shortly after, Ms. Sullivan was named host of a semiregular prime-time show, "After the Headlines," that looks at what has happened to famous people now out of the spotlight.
In an interview in June, Ms. Sullivan credited the weight-loss spots with boosting her visibility.
"The job has helped bring me back at a time when I needed the exposure," she said. "Research has shown that there are a lot of people under the age of 25 who had no idea who I was before this. Well, now they know."
Mr. Fink said the public is savvy enough to understand that sometimes people take jobs because they need to work. In post-recession society, no one is likely to knock a celeb
rity for trying to make a buck, he said.
A host of stars have gone the product-promotion route, some choosing to pitch less-than-appetizing goods. And aside from some jokes and snickers, the decision hasn't ruined their careers.
June Allyson sold adult diapers. Out of the public eye for decades, the spots introduced the 1940s musical star to a new audience. Cathy Rigby sold tampons and later went on to star in "Peter Pan" on Broadway. Suzanne Somers hawked a thigh-reducing exercise device and now has her own talk show.
If the ads are done with humor or a self-deprecating quality, so much the better for the star. Several years ago, Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream hit pay dirt with a campaign about "unbelievable" people and an unbelievably good product.
The ads featured Zsa Zsa Gabor, Watergate conspirator John Erlichman, spoon-bender Uri Geller and Big Foot.
"It was probably one of the more successful campaigns we've ever had," said Diane McIntyre, public relations director for the Oakland-based company.
The public, and even Hollywood, is nicer to "has beens" than one might suspect, Mr. Fink said. Once a celebrity is liked, it's difficult to become truly disliked.