Revision 273215362 of "Sex symbol" on enwiki

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[[Image:Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes trailer.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Marilyn Monroe]], quintessential American sex symbol, and one of the top ten film stars [[AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars|according to the AFI]]]]
A '''sex symbol''' is a [[celebrity|famous person]] of either gender, typically an [[actor]], [[musician]], [[Supermodel|model]],  [[teen idol]], or [[sports star]] who is found to be [[sexual attraction|sexually attractive]] by the public or by a substantial [[niche audience]]. The [[celebrity]] "star system"—the [[tabloid]] papers, [[paparazzi]], and gossip [[talk show]]s — 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 pararazzi with zoom lenses.

==Sources==
===Film===
The [[film industry]] played an important part in the rise of [[sex]] symbols by disseminating images of beautiful people around the world. The first{{Fact|date=May 2008}} sex symbols were Victorian actress and singer [[Lillian Russell]], Danish silent-film 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.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} [[Theda Bara]] and [[Pola Negri]], famed for their [[Vamp (woman)|vamp]] roles, were also early female sex symbols. [[Rudolph Valentino]] was cinema's first{{Fact|date=June 2008}} male sex symbol.

Film's ''[[Classical Hollywood cinema|Golden Age]]'' sex symbols include 1930s stars [[Marlene Dietrich]], [[Greta Garbo]], [[Jean Harlow]] ("The Platinum Blonde"), [[Joan Crawford]], [[Norma Shearer]], [[Mae West]] and [[Clark Gable]]. 40s and 50s icons [[Rita Hayworth]] (nicknamed "The Love Goddess"), [[Ava Gardner]], [[Jane Russell]], [[Betty Grable]], [[Bettie Page]] (in print and [[underground films]]), [[Lana Turner]], the three "[[Bombshell|Blond Bombshells]]": [[Marilyn Monroe]] (the most iconic sex symbol of Hollywood's Golden Age)- [[Jayne Mansfield]] - [[Mamie Van Doren]], [[Sophia Loren]], [[Gina Lollobrigida]], [[Brigitte Bardot]], [[Audrey Hepburn]], [[Kim Novak]], [[Elizabeth Taylor]], [[Marlon Brando]], [[James Dean]], [[Tony Curtis]], [[Rock Hudson]], [[Robert Mitchum]], [[Gregory Peck]] and [[Cary Grant]].       
 
Important 60s and 70s sex symbols included [[Ursula Andress]], [[Mark Hamill]], [[Ann-Margret]], [[Jacqueline Bisset]], [[Barbara Bouchet]], [[Jane Fonda]], [[Sharon Tate]], [[Goldie Hawn]], [[Raquel Welch]], [[Catherine Deneuve]], [[Nichelle Nichols]], [[Pam Grier]], [[Ali MacGraw]], [[Helen Mirren]],<ref name="abcnews_senior_sex_symbols">[http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=2816176&page=1 ABC News: Senior Sex Symbols steal the screen]</ref> [[Meryl Streep]]<ref name="abcnews_senior_sex_symbols" />, [[Sean Connery]], [[Steve McQueen]], [[Paul Newman]], [[Robert Redford]], [[Burt Reynolds]], [[Robert De Niro]] and [[John Travolta]].

In the 1980s, other signtificant sex symbols at one point or another during that period included [[Harrison Ford]], [[Val Kilmer]], [[Matt Dillon]], [[Charlie Sheen]], [[Bruce Willis]], muscle man [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], [[Tom Cruise]], [[Michelle Pfeiffer]], [[Mel Gibson]], [[Meg Ryan]], [[John Travolta]], [[Michael J. Fox]], [[Patrick Swayze]], [[Matthew Broderick]], [[Robert Downey Jr.]], [[Sean Penn]], [[Kathleen Turner]], & [[Carrie Fisher]].{{Fact|date=June 2008}}

As TV's influence grew during the last three decades there was a  shift{{Fact|date=May 2008}} to TV stars becoming more famous, [[Pamela Anderson]],<ref>[http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/article558362.ece The Sun: Pammi is telly's sexiest star]</ref> [[Tiffani-Amber Thiessen]], [[Carmen Electra]], [[Farrah Fawcett]], [[Lucy Liu]], [[Valerie Bertinelli]], [[Sarah Michelle Gellar]], [[Mila Kunis]]<ref>{{cite news|title=FHM Readers Name Scarlett Johansson World's Sexiest Woman; Actress Tops Voting in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006 Readers' Poll|work=[[Business Wire]]|date=2006-03-27|accessdate=2008-01-01}}</ref> and [[Don Johnson]], all became sex symbols through TV.

More recent silver screen icons are [[Denzel Washington]], [[Angelina Jolie]],<ref name="channel4_poll">[http://www.channel4.com/film/newsfeatures/microsites/S/sexsymbols/results/10-1.html Channel 4 Top 100 Sex Symbols internet poll]</ref>[[Demi Moore]], [[Scarlett Johansson]], [[Drew Barrymore]], [[Halle Berry]], [[Rebecca Romijn]], [[Keira Knightley]], [[Alicia Silverstone]], [[Jennifer Aniston]], [[Jennifer Lopez]], [[Jennifer Love Hewitt]], [[Jessica Alba]], [[Lindsay Lohan]], [[Cameron Diaz]], [[Johnny Depp]]<ref name="independent.ie" /> , [[Brad Pitt]], [[Orlando Bloom]], [[Will Smith]], [[George Clooney]], [[Leonardo DiCaprio]], [[Jason Schwartzman]], [[Colin Farrell]],<ref name="colin_farrell"> {{cite web | title=Company Magazine's 100 Sexiest Men of 2003 | work=Obtained 6th position | url=http://www.celebritiesworldwide.com/NameInNews.cfm?Year=2004&ContentID=326 | accessdate=2008-02-28 }} </ref> ,<ref>Listed on ''People'' Magazine, "50 Most Beautiful People", 2006-04-28.</ref><ref>"Hottest Bachelors of 2006.", ''People magazine'', (2005-11-10), [http://people.aol.com/people/galleries/0,19884,1201344_1127388,00.html "Ten Things to Love about Jake"]. Retrieved 2006-09-19.</ref><ref name="AlterElton_Hot_100_2007">Position #1 on Jenson, Michael. (2007-07-23), [http://www.afterelton.com/people/2007/7/hot100 "The AfterElton.com Hot 100 List"], ''AfterElton''. Polling of thousands of gay and bisexual men. Retrieved 2007-07-24.</ref><ref>[http://www.people.com/people/package/video/0,,20154290_20154496_20154498,00.html People Magazine's Top 50 Sexiest Man Alive of 2007] Ranked #8</ref>[[Matthew McConaughey]], [[Reese Witherspoon]], [[Matt Damon]], [[Jude Law]], [[Megan Fox]], [[Charlize Theron]], [[Christian Bale]], [[Ewan McGregor]], [[Brandon Routh]], [[Jake Gyllenhaal]],[[Heath Ledger]] and [[Hugh Jackman ]].<ref name="independent.ie">[http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/so-just-who-was-it-for-you-last-night-1055246.html So just who was it for you last night?] [[Irish Independent|Independent]], published 2007-08-10 </ref>

===Cartoons===
1930's cartoon character [[Betty Boop]] is known as the first and one of the most famous sex symbol on animated screen.<ref>[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/betty_boop_boop_oop_a_doop/ Betty Boop - Boop Oop a Doop (1986)] from [[Rotten Tomatoes]]</ref><ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9504E1DF1238F93AA25752C0A96E958260  Video World Is Smitten by a Gun-Toting, Tomb-Raiding Sex Symbol] from ''[[The New York Times]]''</ref> After [[Betty Boop]], [[List_of_Who_Framed_Roger_Rabbit_characters#Jessica_Rabbit|Jessica Rabbit]], who was voiced by  [[Kathleen Turner]], is widely considered as the next biggest animated sex symbol.<ref>[http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,314990,00.html THE LAST MOVIE STAR] from [[Entertainment Weekly]].</ref>

===Music===
Blues musicians were some of the first artists to become sex symbols.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} Rock n' roll and pop would follow later on. Some classic examples of former or older sex symbols are [[Prince (musician)|Prince]], [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]], [[The Bee Gees]]' [[Andy Gibb]], [[Marvin Gaye]],<ref>[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-138011091.html Ebony magazine: The greatest African-American sex symbols] [[November 1]], [[2005]], retrieved [[March 21]], [[2008]]</ref>, [[The Beatles]], [[Elvis Presley]], [[Michael Jackson (entertainer)|Michael Jackson]], [[Mick Jagger]], [[Grace Slick]], [[Jim Morrison]], [[Bob Marley]], [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[Robert Plant]], [[Stevie Nicks]], [[Roger Daltrey]], [[Debbie Harry]], [[Steven Tyler]],<ref>Laura: "Jon Bon Jovi", page 73. Citadel Press, 2004</ref><ref>Awarded Sexiest Rock Star by [[People (magazine)| People]] magazine on 2000, 2002 and 2003</ref> , [[Sting (musician)|Sting]], [[Janet Jackson]], [[Mariah Carey]], [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]], [[Cher]], [[Bruce Springsteen]], and [[Rod Stewart]] set the stage for contemporary examples, such as [[Beyonce]], [[Nick_Carter_(musician)|Nick Carter]], [[Nicole Scherzinger]], [[Rihanna]], [[Britney Spears]], [[Fergie]], [[Jennifer Lopez]], [[Brandon Flowers]],  [[Christina Aguilera]],<ref name="new_albums">, [[Michael Jackson]][http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/09/04/060904crmu_music The New Yorker: Sex Symbols, New albums from Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake], [[November 1]], [[2005]], retrieved [[March 21]], [[2008]]</ref> [[Justin Timberlake]],<ref name="new_albums" /> [[D'Angelo]],<ref name=spin>[http://digital.spin.com/spin/200808/?pg=68 Spin magazine - August 2008 - Body & Soul article by David Peisner <small>(pgs. 64-72)</small>]. www.spin.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-09.</ref> [[Shakira]], [[Khia]], [[Tila Tequila]], [[Tarkan]], [[Uhm Jung-hwa]], [[Harisu]], [[Usher (entertainer)|Usher]], [[Shania Twain]], [[Ciara]], [[Alicia Keys]], [[Lil Kim]], [[Kylie Minogue]], [[Paris Hilton]], [[Jonathan Scott-Taylor]]. A few music groups are referred to as sex symbols. Such as [[Pussycat Dolls]], [[Danity Kane]], [[Destiny's Child]], and [[TLC (band)|TLC]].

===Models===
[[Image:GiseleBundchen.jpg|thumb|right|Model [[Gisele Bündchen]]]]
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 [[Anna Nicole Smith]], [[Twiggy]], [[Cindy Crawford]], [[Elle Macpherson]], [[Naomi Campbell]], [[Cathy Ireland]], [[Gisele Bündchen]],<ref name="victorias_secret_tour">[http://www.palmbeachpost.com/accent/content/accent/epaper/2004/11/16/1116angels.html PalmBeachPost.com: Victoria's secret Angels Across America Tour]</ref><ref name="FHM 100 Sexiest Women in The World 2007 List">[http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=131905 FHM 100 Sexiest Women in The World 2007 List - Shoryuken<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[Christy Turlington]], [[Ana Beatriz Barros]], [[Laetitia Casta]], [[Adriana Lima]].<ref name="victorias_secret_tour" />, [[Alessandra Ambrosio]]<ref name="victorias_secret_tour" />, [[Heidi Klum]]<ref name="victorias_secret_tour" />, [[Tyra Banks]]<ref name="victorias_secret_tour" />, [[Kate Moss]]<ref>[http://www.dailystarsunday.co.uk/sexiest/13/ Daily Star Sunday: Sexiest women]</ref><ref>[http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article23796.ece Kate drops out of 100 sexiest]</ref> Male models: [[Tyson Beckford]], [[Marcus Schenkenburg]].<ref>named "Man of the Year" in 1995 by the [[cable television]] music channel [[VH1]], as well as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' magazine</ref>

===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]],<ref name="channel4_poll" /><ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2001/06/24/do10.xml "Boom Raider"] Telegraph retrieved [[5 March]] [[2008]]</ref> 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.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/395003.stm Lara saved from Playboy]</ref>

Other sex symbols with less notoriety in the mainstream include:

*[[Mai Shiranui]], from the [[SNK]] game [[King of Fighters]].
*[[Morrigan Aensland]], from the [[Capcom]] game [[Darkstalkers]].
*[[Chun Li]], from the Capcom game [[Street Fighter]].
*[[Cammy]], from the Capcom game [[Street Fighter]].
*[[Tifa Lockhart]], who starred on the hugely popular [[Final Fantasy VII]]. 
*[[Rayne (Bloodrayne)|Rayne]], the first video-game character that appeared in [[Playboy]] magazine, in the October 2004 [[United States|U.S.]] edition as part of an article entitled Gaming Grows Up.<ref>[http://www.actiontrip.com/features/atstop10videogamechicks.phtml AT's Top 10 Video Game Chicks] Actiontrip. Retrieved on [[December 2]], [[2007]]</ref> 
*[[Nina Williams]], voted "Hottest" Female Fighting Character Guinness World Records Gamers Edition 2008.<ref>Guinness World Records Gamers Edition 2008 pg.81 (bottom-right) ISBN 978-1-904994-20-6</ref>
*[[Jill Valentine]] from the [[Resident Evil]] series.
*[[Cate Archer]] from the [[No One Lives Forever]] series.
*[[Ivy Valentine]] from the [[Soulcalibur]] series.
*[[Joanna Dark]] from the [[Perfect Dark]] series.

===Wrestlers===
[[Image:Orton 05.jpg|thumb|right|Wrestler [[Randy Orton]]]]
Several [[World Wrestling Entertainment]] wrestlers of both genders have earned a sex symbol status. These include [[WWE Divas|Divas]] such as [[Trish Stratus]] and [[Stacy Keibler]]. Popular male sex symbols in the industry include [[Randy Orton]], [[Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson]], [[Val Venis]] and [[John Cena]].

===Teen idols===
Many [[teen idol]]s are also sex symbols. In particular, [[boy band]]s 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{{Fact|date=May 2008}}.
Some examples of boy bands are [[Backstreet Boys]] and [[N Sync]].
Examples of teen idols are [[Brad Pitt]], [[David Beckham]], [[Rihanna]], [[Chris Brown (singer)|Chris Brown]], [[Leighton Meester]], [[Chace Crawford]] and [[Shia LaBeouf]], [[Jesse McCartney]], [[Zac Efron]], [[Ashley Tisdale]], [[Vanessa Hudgens]] and [[Blake Lively]].<ref>[http://www.timewarner.com/corp/newsroom/pr/0,20812,666183,00.html Time Warner: Ricky Martin Is A Hit With AOL Audience Mojo'ng Mike Myers Up Next] June 1999, retrieved [[March 17]], [[2008]]</ref><ref>"He's the perfect mass-market sex symbol for a simple reason: Martin projects no inner life that might distract fans from the malleable boy-toy fantasy." --Jim Farber of Daily News ([[October 29]], [[1999]]), reviewing Martin's concert at Madison Square Garden, retrieved from [http://www.inbaseline.com/person.aspx?view=NotesNQuotes&person_id=31643] on [[March 17]], [[2008]]</ref>

==See also==
* [[People (magazine)|''People'' magazine]], Sexiest Man Alive
* [[Sex kitten]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/482293.stm BBC: Men pip for the Posh type]
* [http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html Google Zeitgeist], has a list of the most searched for female celebrities on [[Google]]

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[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:Marketing]]
[[Category:Mass media]]
[[Category:Popular culture]]
[[Category:Sexuality and society]]
[[Category:Sociology]]
[[Category:Symbolism]]

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