A sex symbol or icon is a person or character widely considered sexually attractive and often synonymous with sexuality. [ 2 ] The term sex symbol was first used in the 1910s and 1920s to describe the first emerging film stars. Movie studios have relied heavily on the looks and sex appeal of their actors to attract audiences. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] The use of this concept increased during World War II . [ 4 ] Sex symbols could be male as well as female: actors such as the romantic Sessue Hayakawa and the athletic Douglas Fairbanks were popular in the 1910s and 1920s. Archetypal screen lover Rudolph Valentino 's death in 1926 caused mass hysteria among his female fans. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] Silent film actor Rudolph Valentino is regarded as the first screen sex symbol. His film The Sheik (1921), in which he portrays an Arab sheikh , established his reputation across the world as a major sex symbol. [ 7 ] Silent film actress Theda Bara was one of Hollywood 's first sex symbols. [ 8 ] In the 1950s, Dorothy Dandridge 's performance as the seductive Carmen in Carmen Jones made her Hollywood's first African-American sex symbol. [ 9 ] The "bad boy" image of the 1950s was epitomized by sex symbols such as James Dean and Marlon Brando , [ 10 ] and women like Marilyn Monroe , Jayne Mansfield , Mamie Van Doren and French superstar Brigitte Bardot were seen as the archetype of the blonde bombshell . [ 11 ] Other Hollywood actresses that were considered sex symbols include Elizabeth Taylor , Sophia Loren , Audrey Hepburn , and Raquel Welch . [ 12 ] [ 13 ] Until the 1950s the sex symbol was seen as just a sexual ideal, but in the 1960s it was seen as a symbol of the emancipation of sexuality with the sexual revolution . [ 14 ] Popular Asian stars such as Sessue Hayakawa and Bruce Lee were considered sex symbols in Hollywood. [ 15 ] [ 16 ] In the late 1980s and 1990s, martial artist and actor Jean-Claude Van Damme was considered a sex symbol. [ 17 ] [ 18 ] Another popular sex symbol of the 1980s was actor Jon-Erik Hexum . [ 19 ] [ 20 ] [ 21 ] In the 1990s, Pamela Anderson gained international recognition for her starring role of "C.J." Parker on the action drama series Baywatch , further cementing her status as a sex symbol. [ 22 ] Similarly, co-star Carmen Electra also became a sex symbol following her fame on Baywatch . [ 23 ] Also in the 20th century, actors such as Brad Pitt were considered sex symbols. [ 24 ] In the 21st century, Hollywood stars such as Tom Cruise , [ 25 ] [ 26 ] Johnny Depp , [ 27 ] Denzel Washington , [ 28 ] Megan Fox , [ 29 ] and Jessica Alba [ 30 ] have been described as sex symbols. In the Arab world , Hind Rostom was considered a sex symbol from a golden era of Egyptian cinema . [ 31 ] [ 32 ] [ 33 ] [ 34 ] In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Amy Yip was one of the leading sex symbols of Hong Kong cinema . [ 35 ] Also in the 1990s, actress Ellen Chan was one of Hong Kong's most iconic sex symbols. [ 36 ] In Hispanic media, Mexican actor Fernando Colunga is frequently referred as a sex symbol due to his telenovela roles in the 1990s. [ 37 ] [ 38 ] [ 39 ] In Indian cinema , stars such as Sharmila Tagore , Zeenat Aman , Parveen Babi , Dimple Kapadia , Mallika Sherawat , Sridevi , Madhuri Dixit , and Bipasha Basu were leading sex symbols. [ 40 ] [ 41 ] [ 42 ] [ 43 ] [ 44 ] [ 45 ] [ 46 ] [ 47 ] [ 48 ] Musicians such as Sabrina Carpenter , Tina Turner , Mick Jagger , Shakira , Maluma , Beyoncé , and Madonna have been described as sex symbols. [ 49 ] [ 50 ] [ 51 ] [ 52 ] Lebanese singer Haifa Wehbe is regarded as the biggest sex symbol in Arabic pop . [ 53 ] Hungarian pianist Franz Liszt was regarded as a celebrity and sex symbol in the 19th century. [ 54 ] In sports, many female athletes have become sex symbols. [ 55 ] Young males often prioritise female athletes' physiques over their performance. [ 56 ] Women are more likely to show more skin than men. [ 57 ] With Sports Illustrated (a magazine which had started issuing its annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1964) being a main competition for ESPN The Magazine , ESPN launched The Body Issue in 2009. The Body Issue caused controversies regarding perceived sexual objectification . [ 58 ] Sex appeal of female athletes is often used to promote their sport. During a Dan Patrick interview, Hope Solo expressed her concern over marketing of female athletes after she did The Body Issue . [ 59 ] Fictional sex symbols Rotten Tomatoes states that the 1930s cartoon character Betty Boop is "the first and most famous sex symbol on animated screen". [ 60 ] Jessica Rabbit (voiced by Kathleen Turner ) from the 1988 live-action/animation crossover film Who Framed Roger Rabbit has been described as a sex symbol as well. [ 61 ] Video games have had several characters who are considered sex symbols, such as Lara Croft , [ 62 ] [ 63 ] [ 64 ] who has had several appearances in mainstream media . In online fandoms , certain fictional characters may gain great popularity as sex symbols, particularly on the website Tumblr . On Tumblr, these characters are known as "Sexymen", and are notable for having substantially large followings. In addition, they are often the subject of large quantities of fan art and are often shipped with other characters. Examples of Sexymen in Tumblr fandoms include the Once-ler as depicted in the 2012 Lorax film , as well as Sans from the video game Undertale . [ 65 ] Sans in particular is considered to be the most popular Sexyman, having beaten other characters such as Arataka Reigen from the manga Mob Psycho 100 in a poll that gained the attention of Toby Fox , the creator of Undertale . [ 66 ] Similarly, in otaku communities, characters from anime or manga that fans find sexually or romantically attractive are referred to as " waifus " (female) or "husbandos" (male). [ 67 ] Bombshell (slang) Sexual objectification ↑ Roberts-Frenzel, Caren (2001). Rita Hayworth : A Photographic Retrospective . New York: H.N. Abrams. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-8109-1434-6 . 1 2 Pam Cook , "The trouble with sex: Diana Dors and the Blonde bombshell phenomenon", In: Bruce Babinigton (ed.), British Stars and Stardom: From Alma Taylor to Sean Connery , pp. 169–171 . Quote: "– the sex symbol is usually defined in terms of her excessive sexuality" ↑ Williams, Gregory Paul (1990). The Story of Hollywood: An Illustrated History . B L Press. ISBN 978-0977629923 . ↑ Flexner, Stuart Berg ; Soukhanov, Anne H. (1997). Speaking freely: a guided tour of American English from Plymouth Rock to Silicon Valley . Oxford University Press. p. 373 . ISBN 978-0-19-510692-3 . ↑ Hutchinson, Pamela (February 22, 2016). "Last of the red-hot myths: what gossip over Rudolph Valentino's sex life says about the silents" . The Guardian . Retrieved 12 December 2017 . ↑ "The Queen at 90: The key events of 1926, in pictures" . The Daily Telegraph . April 21, 2016. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022 . Retrieved December 12, 2017 . ↑ Ulaby, Neda (4 February 2008). "Valentino's Sheik: An 'Other' Made to Swoon Over" . NPR . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ Saelee, Mike. "Research Guides: Theda Bara: Topics in Chronicling America: Introduction" . Research Guides at Library of Congress . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ Friedson, Kahmeela (2022-05-07). "Black on Silver Screen: Dorothy Dandridge, Hollywood's First Black Sex Symbol" . RuggedAngel Productions . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ Weinberg, Thomas S.; Newmahr, Staci, eds. (2014). Selves, Symbols, and Sexualities: An Interactionist Anthology: An Interactionist Anthology . Los Angeles: Sage Publications. ISBN 978-1483323893 . ↑ King, S. (2019). Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield . Blurb. ISBN 978-1388059033 . ↑ "Hollywood's Ultimate Sex Symbols | Barnebys Magazine" . Barnebys.co.uk . 2023-04-12 . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ "Raquel Welch was labeled a sex symbol. But she always knew she was much more than that" . Los Angeles Times . 2023-02-16 . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ Bourget, Jean-Loup (1998). Hollywood, la norme et la marge . Armand Colin. ISBN 978-2200341763 . ↑ Li, Jennifer. "A Japanese Man Was Hollywood's First Sex Symbol So Stop Emasculating Our Asian Leading Men" . www.refinery29.com . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ "The Radical Way Bruce Lee Redefined Asian American Masculinity" . HuffPost UK . 2019-07-30 . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ "Jean-Claude Van Damme Gets "Raw" in JCVD" . HuffPost . December 7, 2008. ↑ "Former Sex Symbol Jean-Claude Van Damme Has Posted a Topless Pic of Him at 62 That Is Nothing but Hot" . Bright Side — Inspiration. Creativity. Wonder . September 28, 2023. ↑ "Richard Gere, Chris Atkins among 'Most Watchable Men' " . UPI . 1983-12-16 . Retrieved 2024-08-20 . ↑ Manning, Barbara (1984-06-19). "Sex-symbol role doesn't embarrass actor Hexum" . Akron Beacon Journal . Retrieved 2024-12-30 . ↑ Remington, Bob (1984-07-16). "Chekhov it isn't, cheeky it is" . Edmonton Journal . Retrieved 2024-08-20 . ↑ "Pamela Anderson's life as sex symbol" . NBC News . December 9, 2003 . Retrieved February 15, 2019 . ↑ Nolasco, Stephanie (22 November 2019). "Carmen Electra reflects on posing for Playboy, being a sex symbol: 'I'm not shy at all anymore' " . Fox News . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ "Happy birthday Brad Pitt! Hollywood actor turns 60" . 18 December 2023. ↑ "Jada: Tom's like a brother" . Irish Examiner . 2004-08-24 . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ Seemayer, Zach (5 August 2015). "Flashback: 23-Year-Old Tom Cruise Talks Life in the Spotlight in '85: 'It Doesn't Bother Me at All' " . Entertainment Tonight . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ Clark, Laura (2010-03-18). " 'Sexiest Man Alive' Johnny Depp Scores Big With Unsexy Roles" . TheWrap . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ Ramsay, Derek (2017-09-26). "Denzel Washington" . Variety . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ "Hollywood's outrageous it girl" . Los Angeles Times . 2009-09-23 . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ II, Richard J. Gray; Kaklamanidou, Betty (2011-09-07). The 21st Century Superhero: Essays on Gender, Genre and Globalization in Film . McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-8730-1 . ↑ "Hollywood on the Nile" . Rose Issa Projects . Retrieved 12 May 2026 . ↑ "Egyptian actress Hend Rostom dead at 82 - UPI.com" . UPI . Retrieved 2025-02-19 . ↑ " 'Clueless' broke down barriers and paved the way for today's comedies" . 17 December 2019.

↑ "The Other Marilyn Monroe" . 13 August 2012. ↑ "Former Hong Kong actress Amy Yip visits Malaysia for first time, opens boutique hotel in Penang" . The Straits Times . October 2024 . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ " '90s Sex Symbol Ellen Chan, 58, Reveals She's Still Single & Yearns To Get Married" . 8days . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ "Fernando Colunga es el hombre más sexy" [ Fernando Colunga is the sexiest man ] . El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). September 18, 2010 . Retrieved June 11, 2023 . ↑ "Fernando Colunga un galán madurito" [ Fernando Colunga is a mature hunk ] . Quién (in Spanish). March 3, 2011 . Retrieved January 5, 2023 . ↑ "¡Muy sexy!: mirá cómo está hoy Fernando Colunga de "María la del Barrio" " [ Very sexy!: See how Fernando Colunga from 'María la del Barrio' looks nowadays ] . Pronto Argentina (in Spanish). November 5, 2015 . Retrieved January 5, 2025 . ↑ "Sex symbol image doesn't last for long: Sharmila Tagore" . The Indian Express . 2016-01-26 . Retrieved 2025-01-13 . ↑ "Zeenat Aman: Bollywood's first 'sex symbol' who made 'foolish choices' in life and stayed unlucky in love" . The Indian Express . 2023-11-19 . Retrieved 2025-01-13 . ↑ "Parveen Babi, Bollywood's sensual seductress who died alone and forgotten at 50" . The Indian Express . 2024-04-05 . Retrieved 2025-01-13 . ↑ "Dimple Kapadia 56, she is a national sex symbol, Kapadia was keen to avoid being stereotyped and expand her range of acting roles" . photogallery.indiatimes.com . Retrieved 2025-01-13 . ↑ "Sridevi turns into Bombay's biggest sex symbol" . India Today . 1984-05-15 . Retrieved 2025-01-13 . ↑ "Who is Rekha?" . www.ndtv.com . Retrieved 2025-01-13 . ↑ "Madhuri Dixit: A winning combination of innocence and sex appeal" . India Today . 1993-09-15 . Retrieved 2025-01-13 . ↑ "When Bipasha Basu said being a 'sex symbol' was scary, uncomfortable: 'You're not an actress…' " . The Indian Express . 2022-11-23 . Retrieved 2025-01-13 . ↑ Suhasini Haidar (11 June 2003). "Sex now selling in Bollywood" . CNN. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018 . Retrieved 23 July 2010 . ↑ Talbert, Bob (1971-09-19). "Why Tina Is Embarrassed At Being a Sex Symbol" . Detroit Free Press . p. 24 . Retrieved 2026-01-21 . ↑ Felton, David (1975-10-09). "Mick Jagger Calls on Me" . Rolling Stone . Retrieved 2026-01-21 . ↑ "Shakira and Maluma Talk About Risqué Lyrics, Being a Sex Symbol" . E! Online . 2018-04-19 . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ " 'Provocateur! Sex symbol! Opportunist!' Six generations of women on the power and passion of Madonna" . The Guardian . 2023-10-11. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ "Sexiest Arab singer Haifa says " I do " in Beirut" . Al Arabiya English . 2009-04-24 . Retrieved 2025-01-29 . ↑ "Franz Liszt As An Early Sex-Symbol Celebrity" . Classic FM . ↑ Kane, Mary Jo (27 July 2011). "Sex Sells Sex, Not Women's Sports" . The Nation . ↑ Daniels, Elizabeth A.; Wartena, Heidi (2011). "Athlete or Sex Symbol: What Boys Think of Media Representations of Female Athletes" . Sex Roles . 65 ( 7– 8): 566– 579. doi : 10.1007/s11199-011-9959-7 . S2CID 144467684 . ↑ "Sports Magazine Covers Sexualize Female Athletes" . Pacific Standard . ↑ "The ESPN Body Issue and The Illusion of Nudity-Based Empowerment" . 7 July 2017. ↑ "Hope Solo Talks About Effect of Sex Appeal in Marketing Female Athletes" . 24 August 2011. ↑ "Betty Boop: Boop Oop a Doop" . Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 30 December 2014 . ↑ "Amanda Knox Is Like Jessica Rabbit" . Sky News . 27 September 2011. ↑ Barboza, David (19 January 1998). "Video World Is Smitten by a Gun-Toting, Tomb-Raiding Sex Symbol" . The New York Times . ↑ "Channel 4 Top 100 Sex Symbols internet poll" . Channel4.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2009 . Retrieved 18 May 2012 . ↑ "Boom Raider" . Telegraph . London. 24 June 2001. Archived from the original on 24 October 2008 . Retrieved 5 March 2008 . ↑ Schmondiuk, Natalie (29 September 2022). "Tumblr Sexyman Explained" . The Mary Sue . Retrieved 20 March 2024 . ↑ Hirun Cryer (9 September 2022). "Undertale's Sans wins Tumblr Sexyman poll, inspiring Toby Fox to write the event's lore" . GamesRadar+ . Retrieved 20 March 2024 . ↑ Orsini, Lauren. "Why Adults Fall In Love With (And Spend Big Money On) Cartoon Characters" . Forbes . Retrieved 22 March 2024 . Further reading Donna Leigh-Kile, Sex Symbols , Random House Inc, Aug 28, 1999, ISBN 188331951X 1910s neologisms Celebrity fandom Sexual attraction Sexuality and society Sexuality in popular culture Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages CS1 Spanish-language sources (es) Wikipedia neutral point of view disputes from January 2025 All Wikipedia neutral point of view disputes