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Sex symbol

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Person or character widely regarded as sexually attractive
This article is about people. For graphic icons, seeGender symbol.
Marilyn Monroe on the front cover of theNew York Sunday News magazine (November 1952). TheBBC describes her as the "most enduring sex symbol" of Hollywood.[1]

Asex symbol or icon is a person or character widely consideredsexually attractive and oftensynonymous with sexuality.[2]

History

The termsex 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 duringWorld War II.[4] Sex symbols could be male as well as female: actors such as the romanticSessue Hayakawa and the athleticDouglas Fairbanks were popular in the 1910s and 1920s. Archetypal screen loverRudolph Valentino's death in 1926 caused mass hysteria among his female fans.[5][6]

Film industry

Silent film actorRudolph Valentino is regarded as the first screen sex symbol. His filmThe Sheik (1921), in which he portrays an Arabsheikh, established his reputation across the world as a major sex symbol.[7] Silent film actressTheda Bara was one ofHollywood's first sex symbols.[8] In the 1950s,Dorothy Dandridge's performance as the seductive Carmen inCarmen Jones made her Hollywood's first African-American sex symbol.[9] The "bad boy" image of the 1950s was epitomized by sex symbols such asJames Dean andMarlon Brando,[10] and women likeMarilyn Monroe,Jayne Mansfield,Mamie Van Doren and French superstarBrigitte Bardot were seen as the archetype of theblonde bombshell.[11] Other Hollywood actresses that were considered sex symbols includeElizabeth Taylor,Sophia Loren,Audrey Hepburn, andRaquel 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 thesexual revolution.[14]

Popular Asian stars such asSessue Hayakawa andBruce Lee were considered sex symbols in Hollywood.[15][16] In the late 1980s and 1990s, martial artist and actorJean-Claude Van Damme was considered a sex symbol.[17][18] Another popular sex symbol of the 1980s was actorJon-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 seriesBaywatch, further cementing her status as a sex symbol.[22] Similarly, co-starCarmen Electra also became a sex symbol following her fame onBaywatch.[23] Also in the 20th century, actors such asBrad Pitt were considered sex symbols.[24] In the 21st century, Hollywood stars such asTom Cruise,[25][26]Johnny Depp,[27]Denzel Washington,[28]Megan Fox,[29] andJessica Alba[30] have been described as sex symbols.

In theArab world,Hind Rostom was considered a sex symbol from a golden era ofEgyptian cinema.[31][32][33][34] In the late 1980s and early 1990s,Amy Yip was one of the leading sex symbols ofHong Kong cinema.[35] Also in the 1990s, actressEllen Chan was one of Hong Kong's most iconic sex symbols.[36] In Hispanic media, Mexican actorFernando Colunga is frequently referred as a sex symbol due to his telenovela roles in the 1990s.[37][38][39] InIndian cinema, stars such asSharmila Tagore,Zeenat Aman,Parveen Babi,Dimple Kapadia,Mallika Sherawat,Sridevi,Madhuri Dixit, andBipasha Basu were leading sex symbols.[40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48]

Music industry

Musicians such asShakira,Maluma, andMadonna have been described as sex symbols.[49][50]

Lebanese singerHaifa Wehbe is regarded as the biggest sex symbol inArabic pop.[51]

Hungarian pianistFranz Liszt was regarded as a celebrity and sex symbol in the 19th century.[52]

Sports

Theneutrality of this section isdisputed. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please do not remove this message untilconditions to do so are met.(January 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

In sports, many female athletes have become sex symbols.[53][54] Young males often prioritise female athletes' physiques over their performance.[55] Women are more likely to show more skin than men.[56] WithSports Illustrated (a magazine which had started issuing its annualSports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1964) being a main competition forESPN The Magazine, ESPN launchedThe Body Issue in 2009.The Body Issue caused controversies regarding perceivedsexual objectification.[57] Sex appeal of female athletes is often used to promote their sport. During aDan Patrick interview,Hope Solo expressed her concern over marketing of female athletes after she didThe Body Issue.[58]

Fictional sex symbols

See also:Tumblr Sexyman,Fictosexuality,Nijikon, andWaifu

Rotten Tomatoes states that the 1930s cartoon characterBetty Boop is "the first and most famous sex symbol on animated screen".[59]Jessica Rabbit (voiced byKathleen Turner) from the 1988 live-action/animation crossover filmWho Framed Roger Rabbit has been described as a sex symbol as well.[60] Video games have had several characters who are considered sex symbols, such asLara Croft,[61][62][63] who has had several appearances inmainstream media.

In onlinefandoms, certain fictional characters may gain great popularity as sex symbols, particularly on the websiteTumblr. 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 offan art and are oftenshipped with other characters. Examples of Sexymen in Tumblr fandoms include the Once-ler as depicted in the2012Lorax film, as well asSans from the video gameUndertale.[64] Sans in particular is considered to be the most popular Sexyman, having beaten other characters such as Arataka Reigen from the mangaMob Psycho 100 in a poll that gained the attention ofToby Fox, the creator ofUndertale.[65]

Similarly, inotaku communities, characters fromanime ormanga that fans find sexually or romantically attractive are referred to as "waifus" (female) or "husbandos" (male).[66]

See also

References

  1. ^"BBC World Service – Witness, The Death of Marilyn Monroe". BBC. 2012. Retrieved30 December 2014.
  2. ^abPam 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"
  3. ^Williams, Gregory Paul (1990).The Story of Hollywood: An Illustrated History. B L Press.ISBN 978-0977629923.
  4. ^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.
  5. ^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. Retrieved12 December 2017.
  6. ^"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. RetrievedDecember 12, 2017.
  7. ^Ulaby, Neda (4 February 2008)."Valentino's Sheik: An 'Other' Made to Swoon Over".NPR. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  8. ^Saelee, Mike."Research Guides: Theda Bara: Topics in Chronicling America: Introduction".Research Guides at Library of Congress. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  9. ^Friedson, Kahmeela (2022-05-07)."Black on Silver Screen: Dorothy Dandridge, Hollywood's First Black Sex Symbol".RuggedAngel Productions. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  10. ^Weinberg, Thomas S.; Newmahr, Staci, eds. (2014).Selves, Symbols, and Sexualities: An Interactionist Anthology: An Interactionist Anthology. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.ISBN 978-1483323893.
  11. ^King, S. (2019).Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. Blurb.ISBN 978-1388059033.
  12. ^"Hollywood's Ultimate Sex Symbols | Barnebys Magazine".Barnebys.co.uk. 2023-04-12. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  13. ^"Raquel Welch was labeled a sex symbol. But she always knew she was much more than that".Los Angeles Times. 2023-02-16. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  14. ^Bourget, Jean-Loup (1998).Hollywood, la norme et la marge. Armand Colin.ISBN 978-2200341763.
  15. ^Li, Jennifer."A Japanese Man Was Hollywood's First Sex Symbol So Stop Emasculating Our Asian Leading Men".www.refinery29.com. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  16. ^"The Radical Way Bruce Lee Redefined Asian American Masculinity".HuffPost UK. 2019-07-30. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  17. ^"Jean-Claude Van Damme Gets "Raw" in JCVD".HuffPost. December 7, 2008.
  18. ^"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.
  19. ^"Richard Gere, Chris Atkins among 'Most Watchable Men'".UPI. 1983-12-16. Retrieved2024-08-20.
  20. ^Manning, Barbara (1984-06-19)."Sex-symbol role doesn't embarrass actor Hexum".Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved2024-12-30.
  21. ^Remington, Bob (1984-07-16)."Chekhov it isn't, cheeky it is".Edmonton Journal. Retrieved2024-08-20.
  22. ^"Pamela Anderson's life as sex symbol".NBC News. December 9, 2003. RetrievedFebruary 15, 2019.
  23. ^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. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  24. ^"Happy birthday Brad Pitt! Hollywood actor turns 60". 18 December 2023.
  25. ^"Jada: Tom's like a brother".Irish Examiner. 2004-08-24. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  26. ^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. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  27. ^Clark, Laura (2010-03-18)."'Sexiest Man Alive' Johnny Depp Scores Big With Unsexy Roles".TheWrap. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  28. ^Ramsay, Derek (2017-09-26)."Denzel Washington".Variety. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  29. ^"Hollywood's outrageous it girl".Los Angeles Times. 2009-09-23. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  30. ^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.
  31. ^"Hollywood on the Nile".
  32. ^"Egyptian actress Hend Rostom dead at 82 - UPI.com".UPI. Retrieved2025-02-19.
  33. ^"'Clueless' broke down barriers and paved the way for today's comedies". 17 December 2019.
  34. ^"The Other Marilyn Monroe". 13 August 2012.
  35. ^"Former Hong Kong actress Amy Yip visits Malaysia for first time, opens boutique hotel in Penang".The Straits Times. October 2024. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  36. ^"'90s Sex Symbol Ellen Chan, 58, Reveals She's Still Single & Yearns To Get Married".8days. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  37. ^"Fernando Colunga es el hombre más sexy" [Fernando Colunga is the sexiest man].El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). September 18, 2010. RetrievedJune 11, 2023.
  38. ^"Fernando Colunga un galán madurito" [Fernando Colunga is a mature hunk].Quién (in Spanish). March 3, 2011. RetrievedJanuary 5, 2023.
  39. ^"¡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. RetrievedJanuary 5, 2025.
  40. ^"Sex symbol image doesn't last for long: Sharmila Tagore".The Indian Express. 2016-01-26. Retrieved2025-01-13.
  41. ^"Zeenat Aman: Bollywood's first 'sex symbol' who made 'foolish choices' in life and stayed unlucky in love".The Indian Express. 2023-11-19. Retrieved2025-01-13.
  42. ^"Parveen Babi, Bollywood's sensual seductress who died alone and forgotten at 50".The Indian Express. 2024-04-05. Retrieved2025-01-13.
  43. ^"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. Retrieved2025-01-13.
  44. ^"Sridevi turns into Bombay's biggest sex symbol".India Today. 1984-05-15. Retrieved2025-01-13.
  45. ^"Who is Rekha?".www.ndtv.com. Retrieved2025-01-13.
  46. ^"Madhuri Dixit: A winning combination of innocence and sex appeal".India Today. 1993-09-15. Retrieved2025-01-13.
  47. ^"When Bipasha Basu said being a 'sex symbol' was scary, uncomfortable: 'You're not an actress…'".The Indian Express. 2022-11-23. Retrieved2025-01-13.
  48. ^Suhasini Haidar (11 June 2003)."Sex now selling in Bollywood". CNN.Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved23 July 2010.
  49. ^"Shakira and Maluma Talk About Risqué Lyrics, Being a Sex Symbol".E! Online. 2018-04-19. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  50. ^"'Provocateur! Sex symbol! Opportunist!' Six generations of women on the power and passion of Madonna".The Guardian. 2023-10-11.ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  51. ^"Sexiest Arab singer Haifa says "I do" in Beirut".Al Arabiya English. 2009-04-24. Retrieved2025-01-29.
  52. ^"Franz Liszt As An Early Sex-Symbol Celebrity".Classic FM.
  53. ^"Women Athletes as Sex Symbols". 6 November 2014.
  54. ^Kane, Mary Jo (27 July 2011)."Sex Sells Sex, Not Women's Sports".The Nation.
  55. ^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.
  56. ^"Sports Magazine Covers Sexualize Female Athletes".Pacific Standard.
  57. ^"The ESPN Body Issue and The Illusion of Nudity-Based Empowerment". 7 July 2017.
  58. ^"Hope Solo Talks About Effect of Sex Appeal in Marketing Female Athletes". 24 August 2011.
  59. ^"Betty Boop: Boop Oop a Doop".Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved30 December 2014.
  60. ^"Amanda Knox Is Like Jessica Rabbit".Sky News. 27 September 2011.
  61. ^Barboza, David (19 January 1998)."Video World Is Smitten by a Gun-Toting, Tomb-Raiding Sex Symbol".The New York Times.
  62. ^"Channel 4 Top 100 Sex Symbols internet poll". Channel4.com. Retrieved18 May 2012.
  63. ^"Boom Raider".Telegraph. London. 24 June 2001. Archived fromthe original on 24 October 2008. Retrieved5 March 2008.
  64. ^Schmondiuk, Natalie (29 September 2022)."Tumblr Sexyman Explained".The Mary Sue. Retrieved20 March 2024.
  65. ^Hirun Cryer (9 September 2022)."Undertale's Sans wins Tumblr Sexyman poll, inspiring Toby Fox to write the event's lore".GamesRadar+. Retrieved20 March 2024.
  66. ^Orsini, Lauren."Why Adults Fall In Love With (And Spend Big Money On) Cartoon Characters".Forbes. Retrieved22 March 2024.

Further reading

  • Donna Leigh-Kile,Sex Symbols, Random House Inc, Aug 28, 1999,ISBN 188331951X
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