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Angelina Jolie and Beyonce are arguably the most internationally marketable and recognizable female celebrities in their field. To anyone with eyes, it is clear that both of these women are blessed with two things that the world just cannot get enough of: talent and beauty, the perfect combination to conquer all! From the start, these ladies used their talent to climb the ranks to attain the level of success they are enjoying now. As they became more famous and successful, they also became sexier to the general public, which only made them even more successful… and sexier (who doesn’t love a successful woman?!)! It seems as if these ladies have a golden touch that becomes more powerful with time! In 2009 Beyonce and Angelina Jolie were ranked at #4 and #3 respectively on Forbes 100 Most Powerful and Influential Celebrities in the world! Success has never looked so hot!


Angelina Jolie has evolved steadily over time in front of our eyes. We watched her shed her “bad girl” persona and transform into an admirable woman. Along the way, she used her acting talents to become a household name and from that point reinvented her self , which would earn her the title of “The Sexiest Woman Alive”. Her passion for acting and her undeniable sexiness bring droves of men and women to the theaters, creating blockbuster after blockbuster and earning her several prestigious awards. This Goodwill Ambassador’s exotic image, which includes her notably full lips, has set the world on fire as many women try to emulate her and many men fantasize about her. This has not hurt her one bit as her paychecks continue to grow every year. Just last year Angelina made 15 million dollars just for her Wanted film alone, topping the actress salary’s list for a film and making 40 millions for the year total! Impressive!


Over the years Beyonce amassed a large amount of wealth and numerous accolades by sharing every ounce of talent she has with the rest of the world. As Beyonce grew from a teenager to a woman, we watched her talent grow, as well as her bank account. From CD’s and Movies to Perfume and Clothing, Beyonce has really made a name for her self and just about anything with her signature attached is almost certainly guaranteed to sell. To us spectators, Beyonce’s image may be just a look, but to her, it is a tool; a resource to be used as a rope to pull through the treacherous obstacles of Hollywood. Beyonce’s most distinct part of her image is her “bootyliciousness”; her butt (and the curves attached)! Her butt has “softly” landed her on numerous covers and advertisements that gave her more exposure to make it easier for her to sell anything with her face! The 2008 Billboard Woman of the year embracement of her curves has made her a respectable woman that young girls can look up to in the midst of “the skinny epidemic”. In 2008, Beyonce made a whopping 80 million dollars ranking her at #1 on Forbe’s Highest-Paid Celebs under 30!

"Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. This is the relation of women to themselves." Ways of Seeing by John Berger

So, Playboy is the place to go to find the ultimate sex symbols. Yes, Marilyn, and Kim K. have both posed and received a lot of criticism, both from people who agreed with them posing, and those who hated them for it. We think Playboy is a bit risque´but being who they are, everyone wants a piece of them. Kim held her ground and was not photographed completely naked in her spread. Even with her cover, it was tastefully done. Marilyn did however choose to get completely nude...
The advantages of this is they got to choose for themselves!! Women should not have to always be completely covered, forced to hide their figure, or made to tone down their sex appeal if they really don't want to. It should be up to us! No one can judge what you do except you. Take it or leave it ladies & gents.





In Women's Studies there's such a thing as the "male gaze" and to put it simply, it is the act of being a sepctacle and being judged by an audience who is perceived to be a heterosexual man..you know, those people who make the world go 'round. Feminist scholars believe it is this gaze that women are so conscious of and it is that gaze that creates representation. In other words, as women we are well aware that we are constantly being watched and judged for every little thing. The lens by which we are viewed is the eye of men and since we know this, we are always trying to please them...ever so subconsciously. That's really all Playboy is. Regular women do this all the time: always checking themselves in the mirror, wearing the dress that shows that much more cleavage,etc. Playboy is just a much larger scale. So, in a way, we've all fallen victim to this tragic truth. Women have a hard time winning. If we show too much we're a whore, but if we show nothing, we're perceived as being asexual & rigid....
What's a girl to do?!

Kimmie K.

Like Marilyn Monroe, Kim Kardashian broke into Hollywood on a rather scandalous note. After a sex tape leaked of her and a lover, her name (and a couple of other things) became a really big deal. She used the limelight to further enhance her brand, a brand she had already been working on, styling celebs. Today, Kim is all over the place! She and her family have a reality show on E!, she’s all over magazines, on everyone’s talk show, and has been the face of Candies and even Playboy. Last year, Kim released her work out DVD, she is the face of QuickTrim and she has a very popular boutique, Dash. So, even though she was originally known for her sex tape, she has turned her publicity into a very positive thing. She really ran with that momentum.
She’s beautiful, stylish and a business woman in her own right.
Here's a clip of Kim introducing her new Shoe Dazzle endeavor on E! The Daily 10. Take a look...




Gotta love it.

Marilyn Monroe- Not really blonde, but was she really dumb?

I have feelings too. I am still human. All I want is to be loved, for myself and for my talent.

Take for instance, Ms. Norma Jeane aka Marilyn Monroe. The Hollywood legend was born to a single mother who then sent her to live in various foster homes over the course of her teenage years. She was such a puzzle, beautiful yet tragic. She got her big break as a model and she shortly after turned blonde to appease her agency. Nude photos of herself leaked to the public and Monroe owned up to them, sending her career skyrocketing as she gained a sense of sympathy as well as attraction from her audience. She was the self- proclaimed Cinderella and right from the start, she knew how to use what she had to get what she wanted.
She pushed the envelope by taking the roles that other actresses turned down because of how scandalous it might have been. It certainly worked! She was a great actress who was not afraid to take a risk!
Nearly 50 years after her death in 1962, Monroe is still very relevant in today’s society and she arguably opened doors for other women to follow suit. She did not shy away from her sexuality and with her undeniably successful career she communicated a recipe for empowerment in a time during American culture when men dominated almost every aspect of mainstream life. If she did not mind posing for Playboy Magazine, what did it matter to anyone else?
She is most certainly a legend. Today, her face is postered up all over college dorm rooms, on t-shirts and even on umbrellas. Recently, Monroe was voted "Sexiest Woman of the Century" by People Magazine (1999), voted 4th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly & voted 2nd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine.

Va Va Va Voom!

Women who market their beauty while climbing to the top…what’s up with that?

A sex symbol becomes a thing. I just hate to be a thing.

-Marilyn Monroe

No matter what your history textbooks tell you, there have been a bizillion powerful women all throughout time. Doctors, politicians, teachers and entertainers alike, no field has been left untouched by a female’s charm. Sure, ladies all around the world have been oppressed and exploited for the sake of the progress of others, but there have been a group of “untouchables” who have used one of the main components of capitalism in the U.S. to maintain success.
Sex sells! This isn’t a new concept, and how can anyone be faulted for using this as a stepping stone to get where they’d like to be? Okay, these women can be thought to be perpetuating the very stereotypes and negative images in the media that virtually every woman is against, but a woman’s body is beautiful, and if done a certain way, these same images can be used to empower women instead of demean them.
These goddesses of Hollywood have used their beauty and charm along with much talent to get ahead in this male dominated world.

Please Note: all women are actually talented and do not rely solely on their good looks and hot bodies. Men may want them and women may want to be them, but when it gets down to it, these ladies are actresses, signers, and business women who are well- known for their craft as well as their looks (much like the life of a model). They can’t help being beautiful…And if men have exploited the female body for centuries for their own gratification, isn’t it our turn to take what’s rightfully ours and do with it what we will? Women should be able to be respected for being beautiful, because “sexy” and “slutty” are not synonymous. Money makes the world go ‘round and while the women we are going to introduce you to are undoubtedly successful, they are all very different types of women who walk that fine line between working within the system to move up even though it is the system that aims to exploit them. But, who is really getting played?? Before we judge these women for the way they look, maybe we should explore the "why" and give a girl a break!

The Lady Ladder was created mainly as a project for our Women Studies class. The content we wish to share can be very controversial but we encourage your feedback and opinions! These issues have been weaved into conversations for years and it most certainly won’t stop here. But with any good argument, some things are better left said! We want to hear from you.
We would also like you to view our blog as not only a written work, but also a work of art. EVERYTHING is as it is for a reason, so leave no picture, or comma unturned.
So sit back, relax and enjoy…


Signed,
The girls of WMST250