A sex kitten is a woman [1] who exhibits a sexually provocative lifestyle or an abundant sexual aggression. The term originated around 1956 [2] [3] in articles in the British and American press and was originally used to describe French actress Brigitte Bardot. [4] [5] Sources[ who? ] believe Bardot's role in And God Created Woman was what inspired the term in the mid-1950s. [1]
The 1960s began the era of women embracing their sexuality after moving forward from the idea that women were very unlikely to experience pleasure during sexual activities. [6]
Mamie Van Doren was called a sex kitten due to starring in B-movies in the 1950s and 1960s, including Sex Kittens Go to College (1960), Teacher's Pet (1958), and Untamed Youth (1957). These films often had Van Doren playing seductive and provocative roles. In 1998, when Van Doren created her website, she described herself as “the first authentic kitten on Cyberspace" [7]
Ann-Margret was described as a sex kitten in the 1964 film Kitten with a Whip. [8] [9]
Eartha Kitt, singer of the 1953 Christmas hit "Santa Baby", was also deemed a sex kitten due to some of the lyrics in her song. [1]
The Associated Press stated that the version of Cornelia Wallace in the film George Wallace , portrayed by actress Angelina Jolie, was depicted as "a shallow sex kitten" and therefore Cornelia Wallace had criticism towards the portrayal. [10]
A sex kitten is not always youthful. [11] In various definitions, the sexual attractiveness of a woman is the primary factor of sex kittens, but that did not necessarily mean physical beauty. [1]
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot, often referred to by her initials B.B., is a French former actress, singer, and model as well as an animal rights activist. Famous for portraying characters with hedonistic lifestyles, she is one of the best known symbols of the sexual revolution. Although she withdrew from the entertainment industry in 1973, she remains a major pop culture icon. She has acted in 47 films, performed in several musicals, and recorded more than 60 songs. She was awarded the Legion of Honour in 1985.
Roger Vadim Plemiannikov was a French screenwriter, film director and producer, as well as an author, artist and occasional actor. His best-known works are visually lavish films with erotic qualities, such as And God Created Woman (1956), Blood and Roses (1960), The Game Is Over (1966), Barbarella (1968), and Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971).
Ann-Margret Olsson, credited as Ann-Margret, is a Swedish-American actress, singer, and dancer with a career spanning seven decades. Initially gaining notoriety in 1961 as a singer with a sultry, vibrant contralto voice, she quickly rose to Hollywood stardom.
And God Created Woman is a 1956 French romantic drama film directed by Roger Vadim in his directorial debut and starring Brigitte Bardot. Though not her first film, it is widely recognized as the vehicle that launched Bardot into the public spotlight and immediately created her "sex kitten" persona, making her an overnight sensation.
Mamie Van Doren is an American actress, singer, model, and sex symbol who rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s. A blonde bombshell, she is one of the "Three M's" along with Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, who were friends and contemporaries. In 1953, Van Doren, then named Joan Lucille Olander, signed a seven-year contract with Universal, which hoped that she would be their version of Marilyn Monroe. During her time at Universal, she starred in teen dramas, exploitation films, musical, and comedy films among other genres. She has married five times, and had intimate affairs with many other Hollywood actors. She was one of the leading sex symbols in the 1950s.
Blonde stereotypes are stereotypes of blonde-haired people. Sub-types of this stereotype include the "blonde bombshell" and the "dumb blonde". Blondes have historically been portrayed as physically attractive, though often perceived as less intelligent compared to their brunette counterparts. There are many blonde jokes made on these premises. However, research has shown that blonde women are not less intelligent than women with other hair colors.
The term bombshell is a forerunner to the term "sex symbol" used to describe popular women regarded as very attractive. The Online Etymology Dictionary by Douglas Harper attests the usage of the term in this meaning since 1942. Bombshell has a longer history in its other, more general figurative meaning of a "shattering or devastating thing or event" since 1860.
Ray Anthony is an American retired bandleader, trumpeter, songwriter and actor. He is the last living member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
George Wallace is a 1997 biographical television film, produced and directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Gary Sinise as George Wallace, the 45th governor of Alabama. The teleplay, written by Marshall Frady and Paul Monash, is based on the 1996 biography Wallace: The Classic Portrait of Alabama Governor George Wallace by Frady. Mare Winningham, Clarence Williams III, Joe Don Baker, Angelina Jolie, Terry Kinney, William Sanderson, Mark Rolston, Tracy Fraim, Skipp Sudduth, Ron Perkins, and Mark Valley also star.
Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women is a 1968 American science fiction film, one of two films whose footage was taken from the 1962 Soviet SF film Planeta Bur for producer Roger Corman. The original film was scripted by Alexander Kazantsev from his novel and directed by Pavel Klushantsev. This adaptation, made by Peter Bogdanovich, who chose not to have his name credited on the film, included new scenes added that starred Mamie Van Doren. The film apparently had at least a limited U.S. release through American International Pictures, but became better known via subsequent cable TV showings and home video sales. The film contains no footage from Planeta Bur that was not used in the earlier Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965).
Kitten with a Whip is a 1964 American crime drama film directed by Douglas Heyes, who co-wrote the screenplay with Whit Masterson, a pseudonym for writers Robert Allison “Bob” Wade and H. Bill Miller, who also wrote the novel on which the film is based under the name Wade Miller. The film stars John Forsythe, Ann-Margret, Peter Brown, Patricia Barry and Richard Anderson.
Pretty Maids All in a Row is a 1971 American sexploitation film that is part black comedy, part sex comedy and part murder mystery. Starring Rock Hudson, Angie Dickinson and Telly Savalas, it was released on April 28, 1971. Roger Vadim directed the film, and Gene Roddenberry produced and wrote the screenplay based on a 1968 novel by Francis Pollini.
Albert Zugsmith was an American film producer, film director and screenwriter who specialized in low-budget exploitation films through the 1950s and 1960s.
Cornelia Wallace was the First Lady of Alabama from 1971–1978 and the second wife of Democratic Governor George C. Wallace.
Sex Kittens Go to College is a 1960 American comedy film by Allied Artists Pictures, produced and directed by Albert Zugsmith and starring Mamie Van Doren, Tuesday Weld and Mijanou Bardot. The film was also released in its European print with an additional nine-minute dream sequence showcasing the robot Thinko with four striptease dancers.
Don Juan, or If Don Juan Were a Woman is a 1973 erotic drama film directed by Roger Vadim. The film stars Brigitte Bardot in her fifth film directed by Vadim. Bardot had achieved international stardom when Vadim directed her in the 1956 film And God Created Woman.
The Second Greatest Sex is a 1955 American western musical comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Jeanne Crain and George Nader. It is a Western version of the play Lysistrata by Aristophanes.
Marie-Jeanne Bardot, known professionally as Mijanou Bardot, is a French actress and writer. She starred in the 1960 film Sex Kittens Go to College with Mamie van Doren and Tuesday Weld.
A sex symbol or icon is a person or character widely considered sexually attractive and often synonymous with sexuality.
American actress Mamie Van Doren has been in 41 films from 1951 to 2012. Van Doren was discovered by Howard Hughes as Miss Eight Ball, and Hughes put Van Doren in 4 RKO movies, including Jet Pilot, His Kind of Woman, and Two Tickets to Broadway. These movies would have Van Doren playing minor roles, where she was often uncredited or credited as Joan Olander.