For the past decade or so, it seems that Hollywood has had one ideal body type — very, very slim. Sure, some starlets had a bit of curves, but in general, the average celebrity was teeny tiny. If a celebrity wanted designers to lend them gowns, they had to be a certain size.
Lately, that ideal has been changing. Women want to see celebrities who represent a variety of body sizes, not just size zero. They want to see celebrities who have curves — and though it may seem like a radical departure from the idealized body in Hollywood, it’s actually kind of a throwback. Back a few decades ago, it wasn’t super slim starlets who had everyone’s hearts racing — it was women with the perfect hourglass figures. Sure, they had the help of certain shaping garments like girdles, but in general, celebrities were allowed to be a bit more shapely
We have to admit — we totally dig that the hourglass physique is coming back in style, because there’s something so gorgeous about it. So, in honour of the trend, we’ve gathered 16 of the steamiest hourglass figures, past and present — and they’re not afraid to wear things that cling to their curves and show them off to perfection.
15. Christina Hendricks, who made everyone jealous by rocking her hourglass figure in ’60s outfits
When Mad Men debuted, the world became obsessed with vintage everything — mid-century modern furniture, old-school advertising, and those absolutely stunning costumes. While all of the women on the show looked phenomenal in their vintage attire, there was one in particular who rocked it even better than most — Christina Hendricks. The fiery redhead has a classic hourglass figure that was made for that kind of clothing, and she particularly rocked the clingier styles that hugged her curves. Even today, on the red carpet, she often picks gowns that have a bit of an old Hollywood vibe because of how they flatter her curves. Hey, if you’ve got it, flaunt it, right? We imagine she learned a trick or two from her years on the show about making vintage fashion work, and she’s absolutely gorgeous in it.
14. Sofia Vergara, whose hourglass shape is practically a second character on Modern Family
When Sofia Vergara burst onto the scene as the bombshell Gloria Pritchett on Modern Family, the world pretty much immediately fell in love. She’s a slim woman, yes, but she’s got absolutely crazy curves — and the show’s costume designers knows exactly how to play them up. However, Vergara herself has learned to totally embrace her hourglass physique — you’ll rarely spot her on the red carpet in something other than a figure-hugging gown that shows off her assets. It’s all about working what you’ve got — and she definitely works it! She’s tackling a lot of comedy roles lately, but we can’t help but hope that someday she decides to star in a flick set in a different time period — she’d look amazing all dolled up, old Hollywood glamour style with vintage clothing.
13. Kate Winslet, who proves English roses can be curvy and not delicate
Kate Winslet has been in the industry for quite some time now, and as her star has risen, she’s used her fame and influence to speak out for issues in the industry that she feels strongly about. She’s a huge advocate for magazines not retouching photographs and creating unrealistic beauty standards, and she’s also been outspoken about the fact that she’s definitely considered a larger actress, at least by Hollywood’s standards. However, we’re pretty sure anyone would agree that her hourglass physique is absolutely incredible. She obviously takes good care of herself, and we totally love the fact that she didn’t bend to the pressure of Hollywood and starve herself to a size zero. This is her body type, and she’s embraced it — and consequently, inspired countless fans around the world to embrace their own bodies as well.
12. Sophia Loren, the exotic actress who set the world ablaze
It seems that, during the 1950s and 1960s, nearly every European nation had some kind of bombshell figure — France had Brigitte Bardot, and Italy had Sophia Loren. While she would have been considered far too curvy by the standards that Hollywood had a decade or so ago, back when she first broke into the entertainment industry, her body was basically the ideal. She had an elegance about her, she had a sensuality, and she had a certain exotic vibe to her look that audiences around the world absolutely adored. While in the past thirty years or so, she’s really only appeared in a film every year or two, when she feels like it, back in the 1950s she was almost ridiculously prolific — so there are plenty of projects documenting her hourglass physique in her prime for audiences today to check out.
11. Jennifer Lopez, who basically brought curves back in style
An hourglass physique may be the hot trend now, but back when Jennifer Lopez was starting out, that definitely wasn’t the case. She was a curvy Latina woman in a sea of svelte pop stars, and she definitely stuck out like a sore thumb. However, Lopez knew that she had something special, and she was determined to be herself — at her natural shape. So, even though countless producers and insiders likely told her she needed to slim down to be successful, she kept her hourglass physique, and now it’s become one of her trademarks. Not to mention, the woman seems to be getting younger every year and just defying the entire aging process, so she’s obviously doing something right! Perhaps we all need to just embrace our natural body types a bit more often!
10. Marilyn Monroe, the icon who proves that men truly do love curves
Marilyn Monroe is without question one of icons of Hollywood — her career was relatively short, given how tragically young she passed away, but she made quite the splash in her years in the industry. She’s often cited as proof that the world doesn’t only love stick thin starlets — back when she was rising to fame, the public absolutely adored her curvaceous hourglass figure. Many have since cited that her size would be almost considered overweight by today’s Hollywood standards, but if you check out any picture of her you can see how ridiculous that is — she looks absolutely stunning! She was known more for her style on screen than off screen, but we can’t help but wonder if she would have become a style icon had she lived into her 40s and 50s.
9. Scarlett Johansson, who is kind of a modern day Marilyn Monroe
Women like Scarlett Johansson prove just how insane the entertainment industry is nowadays. She’s absolutely teeny, but in comparison to all the other blonde starlets, she had crazy curves — so she’s become known for her hourglass physique. She has fans around the world who absolutely love her curves and wouldn’t have her any other way, so it just goes to prove that there’s room for every kind of body type in Hollywood. With her blonde locks, sultry hair, and style of dressing that highlights her assets, Johansson is kind of a throwback to an earlier era in Hollywood, which we love. Sure, she still looks stylish by modern day standards — but she’s got a bit of that vintage vixen in her. She’s another star who we’d love to see tackle a period piece where she could get fully glammed up, vintage style.
8. Bettie Page, the vintage queen with a body anyone would kill to have
Sometimes, it can be hard to believe that Bettie Page rose to superstardom around the same time as the blonde bombshells in the entertainment industry because she had such a different look. Page is often known as the original pin-up queen because of her distinctive style. Her popularity went through its ups and downs (where she was essentially forgotten by the industry for a while, and then brought back to stardom thanks to a revival in her later years), but pin-up and vintage fashion is bigger now than it ever has been, and women are looking back to Page for style inspiration, hair and beauty inspiration and more. She’s an absolute icon, and that hourglass physique is totally insane — I mean, just about any outfit would look fabulous on those curves!
7. Dita von Teese, a modern day vintage queen
Dita von Teese has carved a very, very specific niche for herself in Hollywood. Not only is she another proud hourglass babe, she’s also basically a vintage Hollywood celebrity reincarnated. Everything about her is vintage-influenced, from her choice in clothing to her hair and make-up choices to her nail polish shades — and we totally love her distinct style. Dita is very, very petite, but she still manages to maintain an hourglass physique — and she often plays it up by squeezing into vintage shaping garments and vintage clothing designed specifically to tailor to that hourglass look. Honestly, we’re not sure why she’s not a more mainstream style icon — her personal style is absolutely fabulous, and so unique! We’re always thrilled to see what she’ll rock next on the red carpet because it’s sure to be stunning.
6. Elizabeth Taylor, a legit queen who was never afraid to flaunt what she had
Before there were stick thin supermodels and waifish starlets, there were women with hourglass figures like Elizabeth Taylor. And, given that the woman had literally seven husbands, and so many admirers we can’t even count, it just proves that all body types are beautiful. Taylor was known for her larger than life attitude, and hey — when you look that good, why not be a bit of a diva about it? When it comes to style, she was primarily known for her absolutely insane, over the top jewellery collection — Taylor was a woman who loved to sparkle, and definitely loved her diamonds and gems — but she also always made sure to dress in a way that flattered her curves. Sure, some of it was the style at the time — but most of the reason was that she knew what she had, and how to show it off.
5. Beyonce, whose curves Jay Z must be grateful for every day
It can be tough to remember just how long Beyonce has been in the industry because of how long she keeps reinventing herself. Back when she was the central figure in girl group Destiny’s Child, she was definitely curvy, but the group costumes she wore didn’t always show that off very well. As she transformed into a solo star and got a stylist who wasn’t her mother (sorry, Mama Knowles), her overall style has evolved in a major way — and a lot of it involves drawing attention to that incredible hourglass figure. I mean, when she showed up in this sheer, bejewelled dress that showed off every single curve on her body? She basically stopped traffic — it was a major fashion moment, and proved just how obsessed the world is with a good hourglass bod.
4. Jayne Mansfield, the original blonde
Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe have a lot of similarities — both were known for being blonde bombshells, both had incredible hourglass physiques, and both died tragically young (although Mansfield passed in a car accident). It’s not hard to see why Hollywood fell in love with Mansfield — she’s absolutely stunning! She dressed in a way that totally showcased her curves, and honestly, we would wear just about any of the pieces she wore back in the 1950s today — they still totally work. Her whittled waist likely was helped by the shaping garments popular at the time, but still — that’s a pretty va-va-voom silhouette that most women today would absolutely kill to have. It’s too bad she passed at such a young age — we have a feeling she would have been a red carpet superstar throughout her career.
3. Salma Hayek, who is dictionary definition of a curvy Latina
Salma Hayek is a proud Latina woman, and she’s an expert at flaunting her hourglass curves. When she first started in the industry, before she became the household name she is today, she was probably told by countless sources that she needed to slim down a bit more to fit the Hollywood ideal. Luckily, she didn’t listen to anyone, and just focused on finding roles that could showcase her skills (and yes, sometimes, showcase her assets). She’s been in everything from comedies to dramas to period pieces now, and she’s at a point in her career where she can kind of just pick and choose the roles she feels like doing, which is pretty amazing. And, we’re always thrilled to see what she rocks on the red carpet, because she is definitely a woman who knows how to show off her hourglass physique.
2. Brigitte Bardot, the French bombshell who made curves très chic
Brigitte Bardot is a legit icon who was one of the most gorgeous women in the entire universe back in the 1950s and 1960s. From her signature pout to her often messy blonde hair to her cat eye liner, she had a certain look — and it totally worked for her. While she played around with her beauty a bit, she stayed pretty consistent when it came to her wardrobe — whether she was wearing a dress or a skirt or pants, she always made sure to pick pieces that showcased her hourglass physique. I mean, just take this dress, for example. She’s not about to just rock a shift dress that conceals her teeny tiny waist — she wants to make sure the dress clings to every single curve. We have a feeling that modern hourglass ladies like Kim Kardashian would love to raid Bardot’s closet.
1. Nicki Minaj, whose assets are legendary
Nicki Minaj’s curves are absolutely legendary. I mean, when she started to catapult to superstardom, people around the world endlessly speculated about whether or not her curves were natural or implants. That’s how you know you’ve got some major assets! And, to top it all off, she’s managed to maintain an absolutely minuscule waist — which means she’s got that coveted hourglass figure that so many want. That’s not an easy feat, trust us. And, she’s definitely not afraid of showing those curves off — while you’re more likely to find her in a stage outfit than a red carpet gown, regardless of what she rocks, she makes sure her curves are on full display. I mean, that’s a major part of her brand at this point — why not flaunt what you’ve got?
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