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Marilyn Monroe, one of the most iconic and famous female sex symbols of all time. Photo: Howard Frank Archives

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A sex symbol is a famous and/or notable person, male or female, who is found sexually attractive by the general audience. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962), was a Golden Globe award winning Jewish-American actress, model and sex symbol. ... In a species that reproduces sexually, sexual attraction is an attraction to other members of the same species for sexual or erotic activity. ...

Sources

Film

The film industry played an important part in the rise of sex symbols. It disseminated images of beautiful people around the world, especially during film's silent era, when there were no language barriers. Cinema admissions in 1995 The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ...

The first sex symbols were Danish actress Asta Nielsen (nicknamed 'The Silent Muse'), and 'It Girl' Clara Bow in the 1910s and 1920s. Although not seen as a real sex symbol, Lillian Gish ('The First Lady of the Silent Screen') became the most popular actress of the era. Theda Bara and Pola Negri, famed for their vamp roles, were also early female sex symbols. Rudolph Valentino became the first male sex symbol. Asta Nielsen Asta Sofie Amalie Nielsen (September 11, 1883 - May 24, 1972), also known as Die Asta, was a Danish actress, mostly appearing in German silent films during the 1910s and 1920s. ... An It girl is a charming, sexy young woman, or one who has just broken into mainstream cinema. ... Clara Gordon Bow (July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress and sex symbol, best known for her silent film work in the 1920s. ... // The 1910s represent the culmination of European militarism which had its beginnings during the second half of the 19th Century. ... The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... Lillian Diana de Guiche (October 14, 1893 – February 27, 1993), was an Oscar-nominated American actress, better known as Lillian Gish. ... Theda Bara was the stage name of Theodosia Burr Goodman (July 29, 1885 - April 13, 1955), a silent film actress. ... Pola Negri Pola Negri [1] (December 31, 1894 - August 1, 1987) was a Polish film actress who achieved notoriety as a femme fatale in silent films between 1910s and 1930s. ... Vamp is a colloquial term applied to describe a particular type of femme fatale, popular in silent films. ... Rudolph Valentino (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926) was an Italian actor. ...

Film's Golden Age sex symbols include 1930s stars Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow (the 'Platinum Blonde'), Mae West and Clark Gable. 40's and 50's icons Brigitte Bardot, Diana Dors, Ava Gardner, Betty Grable, Rita Hayworth, Audrey Hepburn, Veronica Lake, Sophia Loren, Jayne Mansfield, Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak, Jane Russell, Elizabeth Taylor, Lana Turner, Mamie Van Doren, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Rock Hudson and Robert Mitchum. Classical Hollywood cinema designates both a visual and sound style for making motion pictures and a mode of production that arose in the Los Angeles film industry of the 1910s and 1920s. ... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known as the World Depression. ... Marlene Dietrich IPA: ; (December 27, 1901 – May 6, 1992) was a German-born American actress, singer, and entertainer. ... Greta redirects here. ... Jean Harlow (March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American film actress and sex symbol of the 1930s. ... MAE-West is a major Internet peering point located in San Jose, California. ... William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901 – November 16, 1960) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ... The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949. ... the first thing that was invented was the automatic DILDO. Education grew explosively because of a very strong demand for high school and college education. ... Brigitte Bardot (French IPA: ) (born September 28, 1934) is a BAFTA Awards-nominated French actress, former fashion model, singer, known nationalist, animal rights activist, and considered the embodiment of the 1950s and 1960s sex kitten. ... Diana Dors (October 23, 1931 – May 4, 1984) was an English actress and sex symbol. ... Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an Academy Award-nominated American film and television actress. ... Betty Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American dancer, singer, and actress. ... Rita Hayworth (October 17, 1918 – May 14, 1987), was an American actress of Spanish and Anglo-Irish descent who reached fame during the 1940s as the eras leading sex symbol. ... Audrey Hepburn (4 May 1929 - 20 January 1993) was an Academy Award and Tony Award winning Anglo-Dutch actress of film and theatre, Broadway stage performer, ballerina, fashion model, and humanitarian. ... Veronica Lake (14 November 1922[1] – 7 July 1973) was a popular American film actress and pin-up model who enjoyed both popular and critical acclaim, especially for her femme fatale roles in film noir with Alan Ladd during the 1940s. ... Sophia Loren (born September 20, 1934) is a motion picture and stage, Academy Award-winning actress, widely considered to be the most popular Italian actress. ... Jayne Mansfield (born Vera Jayne Palmer; April 19, 1933—29 June 1967) was an American actress working both on Broadway and in Hollywood. ... Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962), was a Golden Globe award winning Jewish-American actress, model and sex symbol. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... With Bob Hope in 1944. ... For other persons named Elizabeth Taylor, see Elizabeth Taylor (disambiguation). ... Lana Turner (February 8, 1921 – June 29, 1995) was an Academy award-nominated American film actress. ... Mamie Van Doren (born February 6, 1931 some sources say 1933) is an American actress and sex symbol. ... Marlon Brando, Jr. ... For the film, see James Dean (film). ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an Academy award nominated American film actor and singer. ...

Important 60's and 70's sex symbols included Ann-Margret, Jacqueline Bisset, Barbara Bouchet, Jane Fonda, Pam Grier, Ali MacGraw, Sharon Tate, Raquel Welch, Sean Connery, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds, Arnold Schwarzenegger and John Travolta. The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... Ann-Margret Ann-Margret (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish-born actress and singer. ... Jacqueline Bisset (born Winifred Jacqueline Fraser-Bisset on 13 September 1944) is an English actress. ... Barbara Bouchet, born Barbara Goutscher on August 15, 1943 in Reichenberg, (now Liberec), Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic]. She has acted in more than 80 films and television episodes. ... Jane Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. ... Pamela Suzette Grier (born May 26, 1949) is an iconic American actress. ... Alice MacGraw (born April 1, 1938 in Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York) is an Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe award winning American actress. ... Sharon Marie Tate (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was a Golden Globe-nominated American actress. ... Jo Raquel Tejada (born September 5, 1940), best known by her stage name Raquel Welch, is an American actress who reached fame during the 1960s. ... Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is a retired Scottish actor and producer who is perhaps best known as the first actor to portray James Bond in cinema, starring in seven Bond films. ... Steve McQueen (March 24, 1930 – November 7, 1980) was an Academy Award-nominated American movie actor, nicknamed The King of Cool.[1] He was one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s due to a popular anti-hero persona. ... This article is about the American actor and race team owner. ... Robert Redford (born Charles Robert Redford, Jr. ... Burt Reynolds (born Burton Reynolds Jr. ... Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation IPA: ) (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian-born American bodybuilder, actor, and politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of the U.S. state of California. ... John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe Award-winning American actor, dancer, and singer. ...

As TV's influence grew during the last three decades there was a slight shift to TV stars becoming more famous, Pamela Anderson, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Carmen Electra, Farrah Fawcett, Jennifer Garner, and Don Johnson, all became sex symbols through TV. Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian/American[1] actress, sex symbol, glamour model, producer, TV personality, and author. ... Tiffani in FHM Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (born January 23, 1974 in Long Beach, California) is an American television and film actress. ... Tara Patrick redirects here. ... Farrah Fawcett (born February 2, 1947) is an American actress. ... Jennifer Anne Garner [1] (born April 17, 1972) is a Golden Globe Award- and SAG Award-winning and Emmy Award-nominated American film and television actress, and producer. ... Donald Wayne Don Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor well known for his fame in film and television. ...

More recent silver screen icons are Jessica Alba, Jennifer Aniston, Halle Berry, Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie, Jared Leto, Orlando Bloom, George Clooney,^[1] Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes, Harrison Ford, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jude Law,^[1] Clive Owen^[1] and Brad Pitt. Jessica Marie Alba (born April 28, 1981) is an American actress. ... Jennifer Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning American film and television actress, best known for her role as Rachel Green in the popular television sitcom Friends. ... Halle Maria Berry (IPA: ) (born August 14, 1966[1]) is an American actress. ... Scarlett Johansson (born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. ... Angelina Jolie (born June 4, 1975) is an American film actress, a former fashion model and a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. ... Jared Joseph Leto (born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. ... Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom[1] (born 13 January 1977) is an English actor. ... George Timothy Clooney (May 6, 1961) is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter who gained fame as one of the lead doctors in the long-running television drama, ER (1994–99), but is best known for his subsequent rise as an A-List movie star in contemporary American cinema. ... Tom Cruise (born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV on July 3, 1962) is an Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe Award-winning American actor and film producer. ... Johnny Depp (born John Christopher Depp II[2] on June 9, 1963, in Owensboro, Kentucky) is an Academy Award-nominated and SAG Awards-winning American actor and for his performances in the films Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Whats Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Ed Wood (1994... Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (born November 11 1974[1]) is a three-time Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor who garnered world wide fame for his role as Jack Dawson in Titanic. ... Colin James Farrell (born May 31, 1976) is an Irish actor who has appeared in several high-profile Hollywood films including Daredevil, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth and S.W.A.T.. // Farrell was born prematurely. ... Ralph Nathaniel Fiennes, (IPA: ), born 22 December 1962) is a Tony Award-winning, Academy Award-nominated and Genie Award-nominated British actor. ... For the silent film actor, see Harrison Ford (silent film actor). ... Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal[1] (born December 19, 1980) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor. ... David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an Academy Award-nominated English actor. ... Clive Owen (born October 3, 1964) is a Golden Globe and BAFTA winning critically acclaimed English actor, now a regular performer in Hollywood and independent American films. ... William Bradley Brad Pitt(born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. ...

Cartoons

1930's cartoon character Betty Boop was considered to be a sex symbol. [1] Betty Boop from the opening title sequence of the earliest entries in the Betty Boop Cartoons Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character appearing in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop series of films produced by Max Fleischer and released by Paramount Pictures. ...

Music

Rock and roll music also played a part in the introduction of sex symbols to pop culture. Classic examples, such as The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Tom Jones, Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley, Prince, Grace Slick, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart and Steven Tyler set the stage for contemporary examples, such as Justin Timberlake, Marky Mark and LL Cool J. Popular sex symbols include: Ciara, Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, Natalie Bassingthwaighte Toni Braxton, Cher, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Shakira, Britney Spears and The Pussycat Dolls. Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Popular culture, or pop culture, is the vernacular (peoples) culture that prevails in a modern society. ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter. ... Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958), commonly known as MJ as well as the King of Pop, is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon whose successful career and controversial personal life have been a part of pop culture for the last three decades. ... Sir Michael Phillip Mick Jagger (born July 26, 1943) is an English rock musician, actor, songwriter, record and film producer and businessman. ... For other uses, see Tom Jones (disambiguation). ... For other persons named James or Jim Morrison, see James Morrison. ... “Elvis” redirects here. ... For another person sometimes known as The Artist, see Michael Haynes III. Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American funk musician. ... Grace Slick (born Grace Barnett Wing on October 30, 1939) is an American singer and songwriter, who was one of the lead singers of the rock groups Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, Starship, and as a solo artist, for nearly three decades, from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s. ... Springsteen redirects here. ... Roderick David Stewart, CBE (born January 10, 1945), is a singer and songwriter born and raised in London, England. ... Stephen Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948 in Yonkers, New York), better known as Steven Tyler (and often nicknamed The Demon of Screamin) is an American musician and songwriter. ... Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981[1]), sometimes known as JT, is an American pop and R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor. ... Mark Wahlberg and Singer/Actor Eric West pose together at MTV Video Music Awards September, 2000 Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971 in Dorchester, Massachusetts) is an American entertainer, and is now known primarily as an actor. ... LL Cool J (born James Todd Smith III on January 14, 1968 in New York, New York) is a legendary American hip hop artist and actor. ... Ciara (born Ciara Princess Harris on October 25, 1985 in Austin, Texas)(IPA pronunciation: [1])is a Grammy Award-winning American singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and occasional actress. ... This article is about the singer. ... Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (IPA pronunciation: [1]) (born September 4, 1981) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, music video director, actress, dancer, and fashion designer. ... Natalie Bassingthwaighte (born 1 September 1975 in Wollongong, Australia) is an Australian Gold Logie nominated actress and singer, best-known for playing the role of Izzy Hoyland in the soap opera Neighbours and being the lead vocalist of Rogue Traders. ... Toni Michelle Braxton (born October 7, 1968 in Severn, Maryland) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress who was popular during the 1990s. ... This article is about Cher, the entertainer. ... Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, record producer, dancer, activist, and pop icon. ... This article is about the American entertainer. ... Kylie Ann Minogue (IPA: [1]) (born May 28, 1968) is a Brit and Grammy award-winning Australian pop singer-songwriter and occasional actress. ... This article is about the musician. ... Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is a Grammy Award-winning[1] American pop singer, dancer, actress, author and songwriter. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Video Games

Video games have had a few "sex symbol" characters as well. Some examples of this category would be Lara Croft, Tifa Lockhart, Mona Sax, Cortana, Rayne, and Rikku. Lara Croft is a fictional British video game character and the heroine of the Tomb Raider series of video games, movies, and comic books. ... Tifa Lockhart ), is a female protagonist from Squaresofts blockbuster RPG, Final Fantasy VII designed by Tetsuya Nomura. ... Max Payne is a third-person shooter video game developed by the Finnish company Remedy Entertainment, produced by 3D Realms and published by Gathering of Developers in July, 2001 for Windows. ... Cortana is a fictional artificial intelligence in the Halo series of video games. ... Rayne as shown in during game-play in Bloodrayne. ... This article contains a trivia section. ...

Qualities

Sometimes sex symbols can be people who are not portrayed as beautiful or handsome, but possess other qualities that make them sexually attractive. These people are often highly articulate, inviting, and alluring; they usually have extraordinary communication skills as well, for example actor Christopher Walken (a talented singer and dancer). Christopher Walken (born March 31, 1943) is an Academy Award-winning American film and theatre actor. ...

Teen idols

Many teen idols are also sex symbols. In particular, boy bands are frequently regarded as sex symbols by adoring fans. Fans frequently focus their attention on a single member of the group, but the entire group is seen as a sex symbol by association. There is often a discrepancy between teen idols and sex symbols. However, where teen idols are sex symbols to the youth audience, "real" sex symbols also appeal to adults, and sometimes appeal to the teenage audience as well. For other uses, see Teen idol (disambiguation). ... A boy band is a type of pop group featuring three or more young male singers. ...

See also

People magazine, Sexiest Man Alive People (full name People Weekly) is a weekly American magazine of celebrity and human interest stories, published by Time Inc. ...

References

External links

• BBC: Men pip for the Posh type
• Google Zeitgeist, has a list of the most searched for female celebrities on Google