Sex symbol



A sex symbol is a famous person of either gender, typically an actor, musician, model, teen idol, or sports star, known for their sex appeal. The celebrity "star system"—the tabloid papers, paparazzi, and gossip talk shows—play an important role in creating and sustaining the public perception of which stars are viewed as attractive. These media industries are in turn sustained by a strong public demand for sexually alluring photographs or footage of celebrities, including both posed, scantily-clad publicity shots for magazines like Maxim and unauthorized beach or nightclub photos taken by paparazzi with telephoto lenses.

Cartoons
1930's cartoon character Betty Boop is known as the first and one of the most famous sex symbol on animated screen. After Betty Boop, So White from Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs, Red, from Red Hot Riding Hood and her later derivative 'Jessica Rabbit, who was actually voiced by Kathleen Turner, is widely considered as the next biggest animated sex symbols. In Japanese anime there are sex symbols such as Faye Valentine (Cowboy Bebop), the female characters of Neon Genesis Evangelion ( Misato Katsuragi, Asuka Langley Soryu and  Rei Ayanami ) or Bulma of  Dragon Ball Series.



Music
Rock & roll and pop musicians were some of the first artists to become sex symbols. Some notable examples of musicians who became sex symbols include Elvis Presley, the members of Led Zeppelin The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, Jim Morrison, Sid Vicious, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Debbie Harry, Sting, Prince, Michael Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Billy Idol, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Christina Milian, Rihanna, Chris Isaak, Bette Midler, Beyoncé Knowles, Steven Tyler,  Britney Spears, Cher, Justin Timberlake,Shakira, Lady Gaga, and Christina Aguilera. 2D and Murdoc Niccals from the Gorillaz are also considered sex symbols.

Models
Many models and supermodels are widely known enough to be considered sex symbols. Some of today's sex symbols who have become famous as models include Marisa Miller, Christie Brinkley, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Elle Macpherson, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Milla Jovovich, Kathy Ireland, Stephanie Seymour, Tatjana Patitz, Gisele Bündchen, Christy Turlington, Ana Beatriz Barros, Laetitia Casta, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Heidi Klum.

Video games
Video games have had a few characters that are considered sex symbols, although their fame often does not extend into the mainstream. The most well-known example of this category would be Lara Croft, who has had several appearances in mainstream media. Nell McAndrew, who portrayed Lara from 1998 to 1999, appeared on Playboy on August 1999, although the magazine was prevented legally from displaying the name "Lara Croft" next to the model.

Other sex symbols with less notoriety in the mainstream include Rayne, the first video-game character that appeared in Playboy magazine, in the October 2004 U.S. edition as part of an article entitled Gaming Grows Up; and Nina Williams, voted "Hottest" Female Fighting Character Guinness World Records Gamers Edition 2008.

Film and television
The film and television industries have historically played an important role in the rise of sex symbols. The following list – which is by no means exhaustive – provides some examples of sex symbols who gained their status as such through exposure in film and television, and some examples of work where their appeal was shown best.

1920s and Earlier

 * Lillian Russell
 * Pola Negri
 * Asta Nielsen
 * Ramon Novarro
 * Clara Bow
 * Theda Bara
 * John Barrymore
 * Alla Nazimova
 * Douglas Fairbanks
 * Mata Hari
 * Mae Murray
 * Nita Naldi
 * Evelyn Nesbit
 * Gloria Swanson
 * Rudolph Valentino
 * Rudy Vallee
 * Lya de Putti
 * Valeska Suratt
 * Louise Brooks
 * Myrna Loy

1930s

 * Marlene Dietrich
 * Jean Harlow
 * Bette Davis
 * Joan Crawford
 * Mae West
 * Errol Flynn
 * Anna May Wong
 * Clark Gable
 * Greta Garbo
 * Cary Grant
 * Tallulah Bankhead
 * Dolores del Rio
 * Charles Boyer
 * Robert Taylor
 * Alice Faye
 * Vivien Leigh
 * Fay Wray
 * Maurice Chevalier
 * Claudette Colbert
 * Bing Crosby
 * Ginger Rogers

1940s

 * Rita Hayworth (Gilda)
 * Veronica Lake
 * Ava Gardner
 * Carmen Miranda
 * Betty Grable
 * Ann Sheridan
 * Olivia de Havilland
 * Cary Grant
 * Judy Garland
 * Hedy Lamarr
 * Lana Turner
 * Tyrone Power
 * Maria Felix
 * Frank Sinatra
 * Burt Lancaster
 * Gregory Peck
 * Gene Tierney
 * Jane Russell
 * Lena Horne
 * Lauren Bacall

1950s

 * Elvis Presley
 * Marilyn Monroe
 * Bettie Page
 * Gina Lollobrigida
 * Sophia Loren
 * Jayne Mansfield
 * Marlon Brando
 * Grace Kelly
 * James Dean
 * Rock Hudson
 * Mamie Van Doren
 * Susan Hayward
 * Sara Montiel
 * Diana Dors
 * Audrey Hepburn
 * Tony Curtis
 * Kim Novak
 * Dorothy Dandridge

1960s

 * Paul McCartney
 * John Lennon
 * Elizabeth Taylor
 * Ann-Margret
 * Ursula Andress
 * Brian Jones
 * Raquel Welch
 * Jane Fonda
 * Catherine Deneuve
 * Julie Christie
 * Paul Newman
 * Brigitte Bardot
 * Robert Redford
 * Clint Eastwood
 * Sean Connery
 * Warren Beatty
 * Claudia Cardinale
 * Jimi Hendrix
 * Virna Lisi
 * Natalie Wood
 * Uschi Obermaier
 * Mick Jagger
 * Jim Morrison
 * Edie Sedgwick

1970s

 * John Travolta
 * Farrah Fawcett
 * Diana Ross
 * Faye Dunaway
 * Pam Grier
 * David Cassidy
 * Steve McQueen
 * Ali MacGraw
 * Ryan O'Neal
 * Burt Reynolds
 * Jon Voight
 * Charlotte Rampling
 * Goldie Hawn
 * Lee Majors
 * Susan Sarandon
 * Catherine Bach
 * Kris Kristofferson
 * Candice Bergen
 * Lynda Carter
 * Sam Elliott
 * Jacqueline Bisset
 * Kazuki Tomokawa

1980s

 * Michael Jackson
 * Madonna
 * Kim Basinger
 * Christie Brinkley
 * Brooke Shields
 * Kathleen Turner
 * Harrison Ford
 * Daryl Hannah
 * Heather Thomas
 * Mickey Rourke
 * Patrick Swayze
 * Kelly LeBrock
 * Val Kilmer
 * Tom Cruise
 * Isabelle Adjani
 * Mel Gibson
 * Jon Bon Jovi
 * Melanie Griffith
 * Don Johnson
 * Rob Lowe
 * Nastassja Kinski
 * Michelle Pfeiffer
 * Tom Selleck
 * Michael Douglas
 * Kevin Costner
 * Richard Gere
 * Meg Ryan
 * Sigourney Weaver
 * Heather Locklear
 * David Bowie
 * Prince
 * Bruce Willis

1990s

 * Sharon Stone
 * Leonardo DiCaprio
 * Pamela Anderson
 * Cindy Crawford
 * Johnny Depp
 * Brad Pitt
 * Demi Moore
 * Julia Roberts
 * Keanu Reeves
 * Uma Thurman
 * Catherine Zeta-Jones
 * Gillian Anderson
 * David Duchovny
 * Jennifer Aniston
 * Naomi Campbell
 * Axl Rose
 * Alicia Silverstone
 * Mariah Carey
 * Juliette Binoche
 * Ricky Martin
 * Linda Fiorentino
 * Denzel Washington
 * Sandra Bullock
 * Antonio Banderas
 * Salma Hayek
 * Sarah Michelle Gellar
 * Nicole Kidman
 * Cameron Diaz
 * Kate Winslet
 * Vanessa Williams
 * Mark Wahlberg
 * Tyra Banks
 * Jennifer Love Hewitt
 * Lenny Kravitz
 * Denise Richards
 * Liv Tyler
 * Thalia
 * George Clooney
 * Enrique Iglesias

2000s

 * Angelina Jolie
 * Britney Spears
 * Christina Aguillera
 * Carmen Electra
 * Shakira
 * Megan Fox
 * Robbie Williams
 * Rihanna
 * Jennifer Lopez
 * Orlando Bloom
 * Viggo Mortensen
 * Beyonce Knowles
 * Hugh Jackman
 * Charlize Theron
 * Robert Pattinson
 * Halle Berry
 * Natalie Portman
 * Gisele Bündchen
 * David Beckham
 * Eva Longoria
 * Scarlett Johansson
 * Gerard Butler
 * Monica Bellucci
 * Josh Holloway
 * Katy Perry
 * Cristiano Ronaldo
 * Usher
 * Keira Knightley
 * Penelope Cruz
 * Eva Green
 * Jessica Alba
 * Taylor Lautner
 * Kate Beckinsale
 * Jude Law
 * Justin Timberlake
 * Naomi Watts
 * Ashton Kutcher
 * Jake Gyllenhaal
 * Miranda Kerr