Editing Anthony Perkins (section)

===Sex symbol and teen idol===
Perkins was relentlessly promoted by Paramount Pictures as a sex symbol and teen idol throughout his career, something Perkins saw as a sacrifice to his serious acting prospects. They forced him through a succession of romantic lead roles, whether they were beside relative unknowns such as Norma Moore and Elaine Aiken or powerhouses such as Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn. Although he was briefly depicted in drag in ''The Matchmaker'' with Shirley MacLaine, Perkins's image in these films was largely heterosexualized. Despite his 140-pound stature, Perkins delivered a shirtless performance in both ''Desire Under the Elms'' and ''Green Mansions.'' This compulsive and brash heterosexualization ended up being detrimental to Perkins's career, costing him the leads in both the 1959 film ''[[Some Like It Hot]]''{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=163}} and the 1961 film ''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]''.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=209}}

Even if the masculinity of Perkins's image was forced, his beauty was not. As friend Gwen Davis remembered, "He was intellectually dazzling, physically beautiful. At twenty-four, he was already Dorian Gray."{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=109}} Costar Joan Fickett spoke similarly of Perkins: "Tony had a quality that was fantastic{{nbsp}}... He was also a beautiful-looking young man."<ref>Winecoff 1996,pg. 96</ref> Even his post-Hollywood friends such as Melina Mercouri agreed: "He was the most intelligent and the most beautiful actor that I played with. He was extremely generous [and gorgeous], a gentleman."{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=231}}

Perkins's popularity as a teen idol was increased by the plentiful stories circulating about his active dating life. Although they ultimately ended up stumped as to how an attractive star such as Perkins could remain a bachelor, Perkins was constantly "losing his heart" to somebody, whether it was Natascia Mangano<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/photoplayjuldec100macf_12/page/n183/mode/1up|title=Has Tony Lost His Heart?|website=Photoplay|access-date=January 15, 2022}}</ref> or Elaine Aiken.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/modernscreen52unse/page/n656/mode/1up|title=The Day I Discovered My Heart|website=Modern Screen|date=February 1958 |access-date=January 15, 2022}}</ref> Perkins was often claimed to be "infatuated" with many of his leading women, whether they were married or not. Soon, Perkins's dating life became as prominent as his career, something Perkins was deeply irritated and annoyed by.

Another source of teenage frenzy around the young actor was his singing career. Although his highest-ranked single in the United States, "Moonlight Swim," peaked in the 20s on the ''Billboard'' charts, his albums were still popular with teenage fans. Many of his songs centered around forbidden romances, something an adoring fan could relate to since they might have seen a potential romance with Perkins, a "movie star," as forbidden. Many of the songs often described the love interest as young, with two ("The Prettiest Girl in School" and "When School Starts Again Next Year") explicitly stating that his "girlfriend" was young enough to still be in school. These singles came out shortly before the release of 1960's ''Tall Story'', where Perkins played a college student, amplifying the teenage frenzy tenfold.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3611783/norman-bates-musical-career-anthony-perkins/|title=More Than Norman Bates: The Musical Career of Anthony Perkins|last=Pajarillo|first=Xanthe|website=Bloody Disgusting|date=April 4, 2020 |access-date=January 19, 2022}}</ref>