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“Eye candy” refers to visually appealing people or objects that capture and hold attention. It can be used as a compliment or insult. Its origins are debatable, but it grew in popularity in the 1980s and early 2000s. The term alludes to the sensation of eating sweets, but it can also be used to refer to superficially attractive people or objects with little substance. The entertainment industry benefits from this negative idea of “eye candy” as movies with over-the-top action or attractive people tend to perform better than critically acclaimed movies.
“Eye candy” is one of many idiomatic expressions in the English language used to refer to a visually appealing person or object. The term is most commonly used to describe something that captures and holds an observer’s attention with its attractiveness; eye candy is often observed more immediately and over longer periods than most relatively attractive objects. While the term is usually understood as a compliment, many individuals also use the idiom as an insult to visually pleasing objects with little or no substance.
The term “eye candy” is considered part of modern slang, although its origins are debatable. While some sources cite the first instance of the expression being used in 1984, others state that the original usage was in 1978. Others believe it was a little-used derivative of the term “nose candy,” which referred to cocaine and was recorded for the first time in the 1930s. Regardless of origin, “eye candy” grew steadily throughout the 1980s and early 2000s, eventually becoming a part of modern colloquial English.
The expression alludes to the sensation people experience when they eat sweets, which are generally pleasant and often appetizing. People or objects considered “eye candy” evoke the same emotions in an aesthetic sense; their visual appeal is considered more inspiring than average. People who observe eye candy often report feeling happy, excited, and dazzled while at the same time wanting to see more.
Many people, however, use the association with candy to make derogatory comments. Candy is a superficially good food as it has little or no nutritional value to go with its pleasant taste. Similarly, “eye candy” is often used to refer to an attractive person or object that has few positive qualities other than appearance. The expression can therefore be used, for example, to insult a model with a bland personality, or a technological device with an elegant design, but limited functionality.
Few companies benefit from this negative idea of eye candy more than the entertainment industry. A movie can be criticized for being all spectacle with no substance, but end up being more profitable than more critically acclaimed movies. Movies with over-the-top action or extremely attractive people, for example, typically perform better than dramas with average-looking actors. This is probably because many people treat movies and television shows the same way they treat candy, as something to stimulate the senses without the need for added benefits.
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