Sex symbol

A sex symbol or icon is a person or character widely considered sexually attractive and often synonymous with sexuality. The term sex symbol was first used between the 1910s and 1920s to describe the first emerging film stars of the era. Movie studios have relied heavily on the looks and sex appeal of their actors to be able to attract audiences. The use of this concept increased during World War II. In the 20th century, 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. In Hollywood, many film stars were seen as sex symbols, such as Errol Flynn, Gary Cooper, and Clark Gable. The "bad boy" image of the 1950s was epitomized by sex symbols such as James Dean and Marlon Brando and women like Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and French superstar Brigitte Bardot were seen as the archetype of the blonde bombshell. While until the 1950s, the sex symbol was just seen as a sexual ideal, in the 1960s it was seen as a symbol of the emancipation of bodies and sexuality with the sexual revolution. In sports, many female athletes have been become sex symbols. Young males often see female athlete's physiques then their performance. It's more likely women show more skin then men. With Sports Illustrated being a main competition for ESPN. ESPN launched the Body Issue in 2009. Body Issue both shown male and female athletes naked but it gotten some controversies with sexual objectification. Sex appeal of female athletes is often used to promote their sport. During a Dan Patrick interview Hope Solo have expressed her concern about the marketing about female athletes right after she did the Body Issue. With regard to fiction, Rotten Tomatoes states that the 1930s cartoon character Betty Boop is "the first and most famous sex symbol on animated screen".