Hollywood Goddesses

Gloria Swanson

There are and have been, some great actresses in film. From Katherine Hepburn and Bette Davis to Meryl Streep and Frances McDormand. These are all talented Academy Award winning actresses. Yet, as far as looks go, I would describe all of them as average. I would even go so far as to say that Bette Davis was an outright ugly woman. Whereas these women are some of the best Hollywood actresses ever, they are not what I would call Hollywood Goddesses.

Hollywood Goddesses are those gorgeous woman that just radiate from the screen. Their beauty stays in your mind after you have left the theatre. Times have changed, but Hollywood has long supplied the world with beautiful woman to gawk at.

Even in silent films there were the screen goddesses. Mary Pickford the virgin. Theda Bara the vamp, who morally destroyed men with the promise of carnal pleasure. Clara Bow the flapper. She was the original party girl. Her image was of a girl who drank gin and got naked in the back seat of a Model T. In my opinion the greatest sex symbol of the silent films was Gloria Swanson. Not only was she beautiful, but she could play the flapper, the comedienne and the drama queen.

In the 1930s Jean Harlow took over for Clara Bow as the movie's favorite party girl. She often drank in her pictures and held her own against such heavy weight actors as James Cagney and Clark Gable. Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich were both big in the 30s. Both have cult followings yet neither ever appealed to me.

The 1940s saw movie stars become pinups. The picture of Betty Grable posing in high heels and shorts was the most famous pinup shot of the time. Rita Hayworth was also very big with servicemen. Many of her pictures had the war or servicemen as a backdrop. Veronica Lake, with her long blonde hair covering one eye became a fad at the time.

The 1950s had two American sex symbols and their two European counterparts. Marilyn Monroe is the third person in the blond trilogy. Harlow and Grable being the first and second. Monroe would incorporate Harlow's party girl image with Grable's musical comedy talents to create the greatest screen sex symbol. Another American sex symbol of the 50s was Grace Kelly. Her image was the polar opposite of Monroe's. She was the virgin to Monroe's slut. Their European counterparts were Bridget Bardot and Audrey Hepburn.

The 1960s had Annette Funicello in the role of the virgin. Jane Fonda stretched as a sex symbol, playing both the morally proper newlywed in Barefoot In The Park and the ever naked Barbarella. Raquel Welch though, would prove to be the biggest sex symbol of the decade. Her appeal was reminiscent of Rita Hayworth with more curves. Both women are of Latin descent made to appear Anglo. Both had striking results.

The 1970s had no major movie star goddess. Sure Raquel Welch would make some of her best movies in the 70s, but the big sex goddess would come from the small screen. Farrah Fawcet would prove, like Monroe, that blond hair, a friendly smile and some nipples could do wonders for your career. Her famous poster was everywhere, yet she never was able to make it big as a movie star.

The 1980s saw Bo Derek burst on the screen. The image of her running on the beach with cornrow hair in 10 is almost as famous as Monroe's skirt raising scene in The Seven Year Itch. Who can forget Derek's line to Dudley Moore; "You wanna fuck?" Kathleen Turner had one of the biggest careers of any woman in the 80s. She is mostly known for Romancing The Stone. It was her role in Body Heat and the much underrated Crimes Of Passion that show off her immense sex appeal. Another major sex symbol of the time would come from the small screen. This time it was from MTV. Madonna became the first major music video sex goddess. Her image was retro ala Monroe and yet at the same time she created her own image that was the most copied by girls around the world since Farrah Fawcett's hairdo.

In the 1990's the movie goddess went low maintenance. Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan and Sandra Bullock have all played characters that are independent and intellectual. Most of their movies involve their characters befriending the male lead until that one scene where for some reason she has to get all dressed up. Then the male friend all of a sudden looks at her and sees the girl next door is actually a goddess. Obviously, all of these actresses spend time at gyms and watch what they eat. So, these actresses being low maintenance is about as sincere as Theda Bara actualy being a vampire.

In the 2000's MTV would again supply the world with a sex goddess or two. Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson may have a hard time making it big in movies. They both began as new versions of Annette Funicello. Spears was a Mouseketeer and Simpson tried out for the same show. Both claimed to be innocent early in their careers. However, like Annette, their apeal seems to be more about their bust size than their talent.

Jennifer Lopez is the third part of the latin movie goddess trilogy. She has Rita Hayworth's rythm and Raquel Welch's curves. The big difference being that they rarely played their actual ethnic background. Lopez flaunts her's nearly as much as she does her famous ass.

Halle Berry is one of the most talented of all screen goddesses. She bounces expertly between action films and dramas. Her sunbathing scene in Swordfish is the best part of that movie. In Monster's Ball she plays a plain jane with little makeup. She still looked good. Berry proves that some women are more than a pretty face, but damn, what a pretty face she has.

Anglina Jolie

Angelina Jolie is one of the hotteset women in movies today! She can come across as the girl next door or as an exotic beauty. She can play a ditzy blonde or a tough assasin. The sexiest thing about Jolie is that she is fully aware of her sexuality and exploits it without ever coming across as slutty.

Elizabeth Taylor, in her youth, was a striking beauty. The scene of her in the surf of an Italian beach in a low cut bathing suit is hot. In the 50's she was the brunette answer to Monroe. What makes Taylor unique is that she became human. That is to say she grew old and fat in the public eye. Movie goddesses either fade out of the limelight or have some wonderful knack of holding their apeal for a long time. Sophia Loren is the hottest 60 year old in that scene in Grumpier Old Men where she walks into the bar to seduce Walter Mathau.

I am sure that I left out many beautiful women of the silver screen. These are but a few whose images have stayed with me. Movie goddesses are fantasy. These women may very well be completely different in real life. But I do not plan on actually meeting any of them. Their screen appearance is all they offer and all I desire.