A Meta Analysis of "Most Iconic Swimsuit" List Articles
16 Lists. 152 Women. 5 Men.
There are multiple lists on the internet of the most iconic swimsuits. This article is an examination of 16 of those lists that appeared as top Google results. The lists were:
1. The Most Iconic Swimsuit Moments in Movie History --Harpers Bazaar
2. 23 Bikinis That Changed Everything --Best Life
3. The Most Iconic Swimsuits of All Time --Marie Claire
4. The 17 Most Iconic Swimsuit Moments of All Time --Redbook
5. The 27 Most Iconic Swimsuit Moments Of All Time --Elle
6. 16 of the most iconic swimsuits of all time --Insider
7. Over 120 of the Most Iconic Bikini Moments in Movies --PopSugar
8. 18 Iconic Bikini Moments --Elle
9. MOST ICONIC SWIMSUIT MOMENTS FROM TV AND FILM --Wonderwall
10. Dive Into These 21 Chic Swimsuit Movie Moments --Vogue
11. The 8 Most Iconic Bikini Moments of All Time --Allure
12. 9 Most Memorable Swimsuits in TV and Film History, From Jean Harlow to Halle Berry --The Wrap
13. The Most Iconic Swimsuit Moments of All Time --Essence
14. The Most Iconic Swimsuit Moments in Pop Culture History --People
15. 4 most iconic bikini moments in movie history --In the Know
16. Top 20 Best-Ever Bikini Moments --Shape
Before even getting into the actual lists 2 things pop out. One is that while you might expect these kind of lists to be created for male consumption, all most all of them were written by publications geared towards women. The second is that they are all presented as lists of swimsuits generally or bikinis specifically. Of course by themselves the swimsuits are just bits of fabric, the real interest is in the women who are wearing them.
I went through the lists and gave women points based on how many lists they appeared in. For example Elizabeth Taylor was mentioned on 6 lists for her appearance in the 1960 movie Suddenly Last Summer, so she has 6 points.
Everyone could only get one point per list. Some lists had numerous repeat entries. For example the PopSugar list gave Blake Lively 7 entries for her appearance in the 2016 film The Shallows. Giving her a point for each would have completely skewed the results. Lively's score is 4.
Fame is no indication of high ranking on this list. Madonna, Rihanna, and Taylor Swift are all household names but each of them only has one point. This is because to have a high rank you generally had to appear in a swimsuit in a movie. One of the few non-actress to appear is Micheline Bernardini (3 points) who is generally credited as wearing the first bikini on on July 5, 1946 at the Piscine Molitor swimming pool complex in Paris. Her bikini, designed by Louis Réard, is supposedly small enough to fit in the match box she's holding or to be pulled through a wedding ring. Micheline was a 19 year old exotic dancer.
The movie 2002 Blue Crush was frequently cited on lists, but the actresses varied in how often lists mentioned them. From left to right: Mika Boorem 2, Michelle Rodriguez 4, Kate Bosworth 8, Sanoe Lake 3.
The youngest women to appear on lists were Sue Lyon (6 points) and Brooke Shields (4 points). They were both 14 when appearing in 1962's Lolita and 1980's The Blue Lagoon respectively.
The oldest woman to appear on lists was Sigourney Weaver (1 point) who was 52 when appearing in 2001's Heartbreakers next to Jennifer Love Hewitt (1 point). The second oldest woman to appear on lists was Jennifer Lopez (2 points), who was 49 when appearing in 2019's Hustlers
Ashley Graham is the only plus size model to appear on any list, getting 4 points for her appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Other women who received points from SI covers include Tyra Banks (2), Beyoncé (4) and Kate Upton (3).
While most of the lists exclusively listed women, a few men did make appearances. The top ranking man was Sacha Baron Cohen (3 points) for 2006's Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Other men listed included Daniel Craig (2 points), Dwayne Johnson (1 point), Zac Efron (1 point) and Elvis Presley (1 point). Ok, technically Jude Law and Burt Lancaster were listed also, but that was because they were in the photo with their co-stars Gwyneth Paltrow (5 points) and Deborah Kerr (4 points) respectively.
Neve Campbell has a distinction of earning a point without actually appearing in a swimsuit on any list. And the funny thing is, in the 1998 movie Wild Things she actually does appear in a swimsuit. Her co-star Denise Richards has 7 points.
To receive points a specific individuals have to be named. Hence no points were awarded to entries such as "Random Party Girls" in 2012's Project X.
Here are the top scoring women:
The 8 Pointers
Rachel McAdams in 2004's The Notebook.
Demi Moore in 2003's Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. At 41 she beat out her co-stars Cameron Diaz (4) Drew Barrymore (0) and Lucy Liu (0).
Kate Bosworth in 2002's Blue Crush.
Pamela Anderson from 1989-2001 serries Baywatch. Anderson is the highest scoring actress from a TV show. And while the serries featured many other women in swimsuits; Yasmine Bleeth, Gena Lee Nolin, Brooke Burns, Erika Eleniak, Donna D'Errico, and Carmen Electra to name a few; none of them made an appearance on any list. Several people from the 2017 Baywatch movie did make the list though: Dwayne Johnson (1), Zac Efron (1), Alexandra Daddario (1) and Kelly Rohrbach (2). The next highest scoring woman from a TV serries was Sally Field (4) for the 1965-66 serries Gidget.
Marilyn Monroe is unusual in that her points didn't come from one particular movie. Different lists give her points for 1952's Clash by Night, 1953's How to Marry a Millionaire, 1962's Something's Got to Give and from various modeling shots.
The 10 Pointers
Carrie Fisher from 1983's Return of the Jedi. This is the only sci-fi film on any list, though you wouldn't actually want to go swimming in that getup.
Raquel Welch in 1966's One Million Years B.C. Raquel frequently had multiple entries on lists, other films mentioned included The Biggest Bundle of Them All, Bedazzled, and Fathom.
The 11 Pointers
Angelina Jolie in 2003's Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life. That's right, one of the top scores was from a sequel to a video game movie.
Phoebe Cates in 1982's Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
The 14 pointers.
Ursula Andress in 1963's Dr. No.
Halle Berry in 2002's Die Another Day. Halle also appears on lists for Race the Sun and Dark Tide.
Brigitte Bardot was 17 when she appeared in what is generally cited as the first film to include a bikini, 1952's... The Girl in the Bikini.
Here is the complete list:
14 points
Brigitte Bardot
Ursula Andress
Halle Berry
11 points
Phoebe Cates
Angelina Jolie
10 points
Raquel Welch
Carrie Fisher
8 points
Marilyn Monroe
Pamela Anderson
Kate Bosworth
Demi Moore
Rachel McAdams
7 points
Pam Grier
Salma Hayek
Denise Richards
Jessica Simpson
6 points
Elizabeth Taylor
Sue Lyon
Gloria Hendry
Farrah Fawcett
Bo Derek
Angela Bassett
5 points
Gwyneth Paltrow
Elizabeth Hurley
4 points
Deborah Kerr
Sally Field
Brooke Shields
Michelle Rodriguez
Cameron Diaz
Jessica Alba
Brooklyn Decker
Selena Gomez
Vanessa Hudgens
Blake Lively
Beyoncé
Ashley Graham
3 points
Virginie Ledoyen
Sanoe Lake
Ashley Benson
Rachel Korine
Kate Upton
Micheline Bernardini
Romy Schneider
Sacha Baron Cohen
2 points
Esther Williams
Annette Funicello
Honor Blackman
Jacqueline Bisset
Christina Ricci
Ludivine Sagnier
Anna Faris
Kristen Bell
Regina Hall
Taraji P. Henson
Gabrielle Union
La La Anthony
Meagan Good
Dakota Johnson
Margot Robbie
Reese Witherspoon
Nicollette Sheridan
Tyra Banks
Mika Boorem
Kelly Rohrbach
Natalie Wood
Jennifer Lopez
Daniel Craig
1 point
Jane Russell
Sophia Loren
Joan Blackman
Jayne Mansfield
Sharon Tate
Trina Parks
Izabella Scorupco
Keira Knightley
Léa Seydoux
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Lawrence
Kim Kardashian
Eliza Dushku
Neve Campbell*
Eva Mendes
Deborah Foreman
Devon Aoki
Sara Foster
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Vanessa Kirby
Aly Michalka
Ashley Scott
Uma Thurman
Arielle Kebbel
Chloe Sevigny
Sarah Paxton
Taryn Manning
Eva Amurri Martino
Amy Schumer
Madonna
Kelly Clarkson
Chelsea Dawn
Sigourney Weaver
Riley Steele
Kate Hudson
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Malin Akerman
Cody Horn
Shailene Woodley
Renee Zellweger
Tara Reid
Debra Messing
Kristin Davis
Kathryn McCormick
Shirley Eaton
Amanda Seyfried
Michelle Trachtenberg
Julianne Hough
Jane Fonda
Naomi Watts
Dania Ramirez
Anne Heche
Lake Bell
Sarah Jessica Parker
Rebecca Ferguson
Mila Kunis
Kirsten Dunst
Kristen Stewart
Penélope Cruz
Olivia Munn
Barbra Streisand
Alexandra Daddario
Oona Chaplin
Laurie Fortier
Claire Danes
Katharine McPhee
Darlanne Fluegel
Lisa Taylor
Alison Lohman
Audrey Hepburn
Faye Dunaway
Jayne Mansfield
Nancy Sinatra
Twiggy
Rita Hayworth
Elvis Presley
Jaclyn Smith
Brooke Shields
January Jones
Dwayne Johnson
Zac Efron
Constance Wu
Paris Hilton
Jean Harlow
Betty Grable
Jayne Kennedy
Eartha Kitt
Diahann Carroll
Rihanna
Taylor Swift
About the Creator
Buck Hardcastle
Viscount of Hyrkania and private cartographer to the house of Beifong.
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