20th century
| Name of the character | Year of creation | Details |
|---|---|---|
 Betty Boop | 1930s | With regard to fiction, Rotten Tomatoes states that the 1930s cartoon character Betty Boop is "the first and most famous sex symbol on animated screen". [2] |
| Wonder Woman | 1941 | In exploring the character's background in BDSM from their creator William Moulton Marston, Marc DiPaolo demonstrated how she is a "WWII veteran, a feminist icon, and a sex symbol" all throughout her "career". Wonder Woman stars in multiple films and is most commonly known for her red, white and blue one-piece, and her tall, sexy assertiveness. What many people don't know is that she is a big part of history in the comic and superhero world because of how her character influences real-life people of all ages, sexes, ethnicities, and races. "Marston created the comic book character Wonder Woman to be both strong and sexy, as a means of encouraging woman to emulate her unapologetic assertiveness." [3] Charlotte Howell notes in her essay titled "'Tricky' Connotations: Wonder Woman as DC's Brand Disruptor" that Wonder Woman is, "inherently disruptive to masculine superhero franchise branding because, according to her creator William Moulton Marston, she was intended to be 'psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who, [he] believe[d], should rule the world.'" [4] |
 Rosie the Riveter | 1943 | Following the popularity of the "We Can Do It!" poster developed by J. Howard Miller for Westinghouse Electric, Rosie the Riveter has emerged as both symbol of feminism and female empowerment, and to a lesser extent, a lesbian sex symbol, in the early 1980s. [5] Similar images of women war workers appeared in other countries such as Britain and Australia. The idea of Rosie the Riveter originated in a song written in 1942 by Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb. Images of women workers were widespread in the media as government posters, and commercial advertising was heavily used by the government to encourage women to volunteer for wartime service in factories. [6] In 1944, Rosie the Riveter became the subject and title of a propaganda film. The poster's popularity has been attributed to Rosie being depicted as "feminine-looking and attractive, bold but not too confrontational". [7] |
Honey Ryder | 1962 | In the James Bond film series, Honey Ryder is widely regarded as the first Bond girl, although she is not the first woman in the film to be with Bond (that distinction belongs to Sylvia Trench, while Miss Taro was Bond's first mission-related "conquest"). Her entrance in the film, emerging from the ocean in a white bikini, holding two large seashells, while the sun shines on her wet blonde hair, is considered a classic James Bond moment, establishing both the character and actress as a sex symbol. The bikini is a movie invention – in the corresponding scene of the original novel, the character Honeychile Rider emerges wearing her belt only. [8] [9] [10] |
| Loana the Fair One | 1966 | A publicity still of Loana the Fair One in One Million Years B.C. , portrayed by Raquel Welch wearing a fur bikini, became a best-selling poster and turned her and the character into an instant pin-up girl. [11] establishing both Loana and Welch as sex symbols. [12] [13] [14] [15] |
Poison Ivy | Ranked 21st in Comics Buyer's Guide 's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list. [16] | |
Princess Leia Organa | 1977 | Leia's slave costume when she is held captive by Jabba the Hutt at the beginning of Return of the Jedi — made of brass and dubbed Leia's "Metal Bikini" or "Gold Bikini" — immediately made the character (and Carrie Fisher) a "generational sex symbol" celebrated by pin-up posters, [17] [18] and later merchandising and cosplay. [19] [20] [21] [22] The outfit has gained a cult following of its own. [22] |
Jessica Rabbit | 1988 | Jessica Rabbit (voiced by Kathleen Turner) from the 1988 live-action/animation crossover film Who Framed Roger Rabbit has been described as representing "little less than the epitome of a sex symbol in the history of animation" [23] and "likely the most famous animated sex symbol of all time." [24] |
| Catwoman | 1992 | Premiere retrospectively lauded the character's depiction: "Arguably the outstanding villain of the Tim Burton era, Michelle Pfeiffer's deadly kitten with a whip brought sex to the normally neutered franchise. Her stitched-together, black patent leather costume, based on a sketch of Burton's, remains the character's most iconic look. And Michelle Pfeiffer overcomes Batman Returns' heavy-handed feminist dialogue to deliver a growling, fierce performance." [25] |
Dana Scully | 1993 | The character of Scully has become something of a sci-fi heroine due to her intelligence and resilience, frequently appearing on lists of important female science fiction characters, such as Total Sci-Fi Online's list of The 25 Women Who Shook Sci-Fi, where she came in fourth. [26] TV Squad named her the thirteenth greatest woman on television, [27] while the site also listed her among the most memorable female science fiction television characters. [28] She is also often cited as being an unlikely sex symbol, frequently being included in lists of sexy TV characters. [29] [30] She was listed in AfterEllen.com's Top 50 Favorite Female TV Characters. [31] The pairing Mulder/Scully was ranked number 15 on Sleuth Channel's poll of America's Top Sleuths. [32] The casting for Scully caused a conflict between Chris Carter and the Fox network. Carter had chosen 24-year-old Gillian Anderson, whom Carter felt was perfect for the role. [33] Of her audition, Carter said, "she came in and read the part with a seriousness and intensity that I knew the Scully character had to have and I knew [...] she was the right person for the part". [34] However, Fox executives had wanted a more glamorous "bombshell" for the part (in a 2008 interview Anderson stated that Pamela Anderson had actually been the network's first choice), [35] hoping that this would lead to the series involving a romantic element. This led Carter to insist that he did not want the roles of Mulder and Scully to become romantically involved. [33] Carter decided Scully would be the skeptic to play against established stereotypes; typically on television the quality was attributed to a male. [34] |
Ian Malcolm | A scene from the first Jurassic Park film where Malcolm appears shirtless has been widely noted by Jeff Goldblum as the primary reason the character was established as a sex symbol, with the pose serving as the subject of many tattoos, Internet memes, a Funko toy figure, as well as receiving a statue in Potters Fields Park in London. [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] | |
| Nina Williams | 1994 | Voted "Hottest" Female Fighting Character in Guinness World Records, Gamers Edition 2008. [42] |
Xena | 1995 | Xena has been referred to as a pop cultural phenomenon, sex symbol, and feminist and lesbian icon. [43] [44] The television series Xena: Warrior Princess , which employed pop culture references as a frequent humorous device, has itself become a frequent pop culture reference in video games, comics and television shows, and has been frequently parodied and spoofed. [45] |
Lara Croft | 1996 | The titular protagonist of the Tomb Raider series of video games, Lara Croft is considered one of the earliest sex symbols in the industry to achieve widespread mainstream media attention. [46] [47] The character's influence in the industry has been a point of contention among critics; viewpoints range from a positive agent of change in video games to a negative role model for young girls. [48] [49] [50] |
Lola Bunny | Lola has frequently been regarded as an animated sex symbol. [51] [52] | |
George | 1997 | George has frequently been regarded as a sex symbol. [53] [54] |
