DOUBLE TAKES!!!

The many female icons of the past have paved the way for a new crop of rising stars. The success that the women mentioned previously (and others unnamed)have had led to a wave of future icons that have taken mental notes in order to find their own ladder to success. Many young stars began revamping their image to mimick one of many accomplished women as soon as they came of age, and from that point on, the comparisons between them and past icons are innumerable! [Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Actresses Megan Fox and Angelina Jolie, Actresses Marilyn Monroe and Lindsay Lohan, and Singers Ciara and Beyonce]




When asked about influences and inspirations, young stars commonly list the many women that have come before them. Multi-talented teen sensation/millionaire Miley Cyrus has already found an abundance of success, but that hasn't stopped her from wanting to obtain even more like her idol, Beyonce.

“I want to be like Beyonce. She is the ultimate woman. You look at her and you don’t think, I wonder what her personal life is like,” Miley revealed in the Dec/Jan issue of Seventeen.

Both Lindsay Lohan and Megan Fox have instilled the work of Marilyn Monroe in their minds and on their bodies! Megan Fox has a tattoo of Marilyn Monroe's face on her forearm, while Lindsay resorted to a very interesting quote of Marilyn Monroe's. The tattoo reads, "Everyone's a star and deserves the right to twinkle". This rings very true for all of the rising starlets that struggle to elongate their ladder to success. For some, the icons mentioned makes this goal easier... while others.... not so much. Nonetheless, the icons mentioned are all admirable for what they have accomplished and how they did it. It's true that sex sells, but so does talent, and together.... the sky is the limit, and for that, the ladder of success is never ending!

"Like a Millionaire....Like an Icon"

When discussing women on top, the list would not be complete without Madonna. Born in Bay City, Michigan, Madonna has been called the number one best selling female rock artist of the 20th century. She is known for her chart topping hits and ever changing image. From the early 80s as a rebel girl she produced her first self titled album, Madonna, and pretty soon she had changed her image to reflect "the darker, sexier side." That money maker attitude helped her produce her other 10 studio albums and sell 200 million copies worldwide. If Madonna isn't the epitome of a successful woman, I don't know who is...you go girl!

The Evolution of an Icon

Before & After...1992 v. 2002

Ms. Halle Berry





This one time first runner-up for the Miss USA pageant girl turned her acting career into gold after appearing in numerous big screen pictures. In 2001, Berry won an Academy Award as Best Actress for the film, Monster's Ball. The award made Berry the first African American woman to win an Oscar for Best Leading Actress...and it all came after she bared it all in the movie.

Click Thumbnails 4 Larger Pics!

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!