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Sex symbol
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A sex symbol is a famous person of either gender, typically an actor, musician, model, teen idol, or sports star who is found to be sexually attractive by the public or by a substantial niche audience. 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 zoom lenses.
film industry played an important part in the rise of sex symbols by disseminating images of beautiful people around the world.
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Encyclopedia
A sex symbol is a famous person of either gender, typically an actor, musician, model, teen idol, or sports star who is found to be sexually attractive by the public or by a substantial niche audience. 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 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 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. Theda Bara and Pola Negri, famed for their vamp roles, were also early female sex symbols. Rudolph Valentino was cinema's first male sex symbol.
Film's 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, Carmen Miranda (nicknamed "The Brazillian Bombshell") Jane Russell, Betty Grable, Bettie Page (in print and underground films), Lana Turner, the three "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, Mamie van Doren, Pam Grier, Ali MacGraw, Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep, Sean Connery, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds, Robert De Niro and John Travolta.
In the 1980s, other significant 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.
As TV's influence grew during the last three decades there was a shift to TV stars becoming more famous, Pamela Anderson, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Carmen Electra, Farrah Fawcett, Lucy Liu, Valerie Bertinelli, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mila Kunis and Don Johnson, all became sex symbols through TV.
More recent silver screen icons are Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie,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 , Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Will Smith, George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jason Schwartzman, Colin Farrell, ,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 .
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, Jessica Rabbit, who was voiced by Kathleen Turner, is widely considered as the next biggest animated sex symbol.
Music
Blues musicians were some of the first artists to become sex symbols. Rock n' roll and pop would follow later on. Some classic examples of former or older sex symbols are Prince, Madonna, The Bee Gees' Andy Gibb, Marvin Gaye,, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Grace Slick, Jim Morrison, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Nicks, Roger Daltrey, Debbie Harry, Steven Tyler, , Sting, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Tom Jones, Cher, Bruce Springsteen, and Rod Stewart set the stage for contemporary examples, such as Beyonce, Nick Carter, Nicole Scherzinger, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Fergie, Jennifer Lopez, Brandon Flowers, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, D'Angelo, Shakira, 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.
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 Anna Nicole Smith, Twiggy, Cindy Crawford, Elle Macpherson, Naomi Campbell, Cathy Ireland, Gisele Bündchen, Christy Turlington, Ana Beatriz Barros, Laetitia Casta, Adriana Lima., Alessandra Ambrosio, Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Kate Moss Male models: Tyson Beckford, Marcus Schenkenburg.
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:
- 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, 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.
- Nina Williams, voted "Hottest" Female Fighting Character Guinness World Records Gamers Edition 2008., and her sister Anna Williams
- Jill Valentine from the Resident Evil series.
- Christie Monteiro from the Tekken series.
- Kitana and Mileena, both from the Mortal Kombat game series.
- Cate Archer from the No One Lives Forever series.
- Ivy Valentine from the Soulcalibur series.
- Joanna Dark from the Perfect Dark series.
- Rouge the Bat from the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
Wrestlers
Several World Wrestling Entertainment wrestlers of both genders have earned a sex symbol status. These include Divas such as Trish Stratus and Stacy Keibler. Popular male sex symbols in the industry include Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Val Venis and John Cena.
See also
External links
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- , has a list of the most searched for female celebrities on Google
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