Part of a (possibly offensive or at least cringe-worthy) ad says
"We have to go out accompanied and what is better than dating a beautiful exotic Latina woman here in Colombia, right?"
From a prescriptivist and etymological perspective, I assume "exotic" ought not to have any connotations of sexiness, since it's just derived from the Ancient Greek for foreign. And there's plenty of uses of "exotic" that have nothing to do with sexiness, for example cane toads being introduced to Australia from other countries.
But from a real world, descriptivist perspective, does "exotic" have any connotations of sexiness?
Wiktionary says that exotic means "Foreign, especially in an exciting way.". I suspect, but can't prove, that the main way a woman can be exciting to some men is by being sexy.
In at least American English (but probably not as much in Australian English), Exotic dancer is a euphemism for a stripper / pole dancer / belly dancer (I suspect some belly dancers would take issue with this!). William Safire notes the similarity between the words "exotic" and "erotic" (which is to do with sex), but notes that there isn't really such a phrase as "erotic dancer". I don't know whether "exotic dancer" has influenced what people interpret the word "exotic" by itself as meaning.
Does the word "exotic" have any connotations of sexiness?
Best Answer
It's all in the context, at least in the US. A nightclub promoting "exotic dancers" is most likely to have adult-oriented content and some connotation of appeal to "prurient interests". On a sign along the highway advertising an exhibit of animals native to other countries than the US, as "exotic animals", or used in connection to a store which sells aquariums and brightly colored non-native fish, and other fresh water and marine creatures, the word does not have those connotations. Other contexts may be more mixed. Some pieces of fine art from some cultures may be called "exotic" because of where and when they are from, but they may also include, or exhibit elements and themes that tend towards prurience.
And context also means that those who spend their time reading the Communications Research, or Natural Language and Linguistic Theory, or similar publications, and who don't happen to go it to certain parts of larger towns and cities, will be less exposed to the use of "exotic" with connotations suggesting prurience, than those who read alternative newspapers and who visit, or transit through those certain parts of town.