Let’s start where it all began, with the original “It Girl”. So let me present “my list” five actresses who still make my heart throb, and five leading men that still show all that a man can be. And what about Paul Neuman, Tony Curtis or Sean Connery? The classic list goes on and on. How could I not mention Jane Mansfield, Greta Garbo and Sophia Loren? Betty Grable’s pinup poster practically won World War II. Narrowing a list of Classic Hollywood Sex Symbols down to five women and five men was a daunting task. We no longer needed a symbol for sex we had sex on the screen!
But with the advent of the sex scene, the curtain went down on the classic Hollywood sex symbol. They dreamt of being up there on the screen in that powerful passionate moment just before lips touched, and they imagined as the scene slowly faded to black. The “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn” attitude of a gruff, handsome guy makes him the man women dream of.Īudiences held their breath as larger than life images looked into each other’s eyes. The suave, the debonair, the devil may care add dangerous delight to a 007. Dreamboat eyes that shine even before Technicolor. And what about that unique ability to size a man up with a chilling second take, cast a disinterested glance behind, and deliver a breathy invitation or a perfectly timed killer line.Īnd for the male counterpart, today it seems to be a requirement for him take off his shirt, reveal his muscular build, and sport a perfect six-pack. A soft shoulder, the bend of the elbow, an impatient hand on her waist.
Sex symbol for female movie#
Essayist Camille Paglia ventured: "The femme fatale …wields the sexual power that feminism cannot explain and has tried to destroy….Through stars like Taylor, we sense the world-disordering impact of legendary women like…Helen of Troy and Salome.What makes a Classic Hollywood Sex Symbol, that alluring nature which, for decades of movie making, made women swoon, and men drool? Though difficult to pin down exactly, whether female or male, both sexes can tell one when they see one.īut what exactly makes that girl the “It Girl”? Perhaps it’s the gentle curve of an actress’ hips and thighs, the radiant glow in her smoldering smile, that star-like twinkle in her eyes. Ĭreen vamp Theda Bara explained, "The reason good women like me…is that there is a little bit of vampire instinct in every woman." Late twentieth-century feminists argued over whether the notion of the femme fatale was implicitly misogynist.
As Kissinger himself once put it, sometimes "power is the greatest aphrodisiac." Even Adolf Hitler was regarded as a sex symbol in Nazi Germany. For example, powerful political figures such as Henry Kissinger or Donald Rumsfeld have often been admired as sex symbols. Sometimes sex symbols can even be people who are not physically attractive, but possess other qualities that make them desirable. Many "supermodels" of the fashion industry are also regarded as sex symbols. One of the first sex symbols was the Danish actress Asta Nielsen in the 1910s and 1920s.Īlthough movies are still important, sex symbols nowadays are often created by television in general and soap operas and music videos in particular. It disseminated images of beautiful people around the world, especially in the time of silent film, when there were no language barriers. The movie industry played an important part in the rise of sex symbols. Key photo: Sophia Loren eyeing Jayne Mansfield's breasts (ca.1957/58), photo by Joe Shere.Ī sex symbol is a famous person, male or female, who is found sexually attractive by the general audience. Theda Bara in a publicity shot for A Fool There Was (1915) - Frank Powell
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