The 1946 Nobel Peace Prize may have been shared by Emily Greene Balch and John Raleigh Mott for their work with the underprivileged and suffering, but many contend Jacques Heim was the more deserving winner. His tireless work united an entire gender and shattered stuffy stereotypes that were suffocating the world. This selfless Frenchman blessed us with one of our most cherished inventions, contributing a product that continues to play an important role in our lives some 60 years later. And what was it that Heim did way back then? Why, he invented the bikini, of course!
In these days of declining public decency, the once-taboo bikini has become all too common, popping up miles from any beach and clinging to some downright un-bikini worthy women. But it wasn’t always like that; there was a time when only the truly daring or truly hot would sport a two-piece bathing suit. They had curves in all the right places, perfect skin to match and an air of confidence when waltzing around in next to nothing that completed the perfect package. Sure, one trip to the beach might bring about dozens of amazing beach bodies, but there are only a select few all-time greats. Here are our top 10.
Number 1
Bo Derek
Some men might toss about the mystical perfect 10 quite liberally these days, but deep inside we all know it is a rare standard to achieve. But when director Blake Edwards chose Bo Derek to play the lead in his film, and then named it 10, he hit the nail right on the head. Derek plays the stunning, perpetually bikini-wearing obsession of a middle-aged man. She prances around the sugary beaches of Mexico in a stunning array of bathing suits with magnificently braided hair, elevating what could have been an average comedy into an unforgettable pop culture phenomenon.
Number 2
Pamela Anderson
Thanks to the combined magic of Baywatch and slow-motion film, this curvy blonde bombshell will forever be linked to beaches and bathing suit lore. Pamela’s role as C.J. skyrocketed this Canuck beauty to fame (well, her heaving, silicone-enhanced breasts didn’t exactly hold her back either).
Numerous appearances in Playboy and a leaked sex tape have done nothing to temper her status as the pre-eminent sex symbol of our time. And even now, as she enters her 40s, this 36DDD-22-34 Barbie clone shows no signs of slowing down. She’s got films coming out in 2008, a big-time gig on the Vegas Strip and numerous charitable causes to support.
Number 3
Ursula Andress
Despite the fact that she appeared in nearly 50 films and TV shows, this talented Swiss bombshell is still best known for one (very titillating) scene. As the first ever Bond girl in 1962’s Dr. No, Andress wowed audiences as she slowly emerged from the Caribbean Sea in a scandalous white bikini, tossed back her wet hair and purred out a sultry calypso tune to a stunned Sean Connery.
That performance was enough for her to enter the Beach Body Hall of Fame. But then she went and posed nude in Playboy in 1965 and nearly earned the right to have that Hall of Fame named in her honor.
Number 4
Elle Macpherson
There must be something in vegemite or barbecued shrimp that makes very beautiful people, because Australia seems to be full of them. And none are hotter than this towering blonde beauty. Macpherson owes a lot of her fame to Sports Illustrated (although when you are over six feet tall and stunningly attractive fame will probably find you eventually). She has appeared on the cover of the seminal Swimsuit Edition a record four times.
Not content to ride the wave of lucrative endorsements that come with swimsuit fame, the freckled wonder (who garnered the nickname “The Body”) tried her hand at acting. And we’re not talking art house indie flicks either; her first role was in the 1994 nudity-saturated Sirens alongside Portia de Rossi. Ever the dedicated professional, she packed on 20 pounds for the role, swelling her breast size to a thumb-spraining 37D. Just when you thought she couldn’t fill out a bikini any better…
Number 5
Halle Berry
This Ohio-born beauty is the only gal on this prestigious list to also lay claim to the title “Oscar Winner.” She won that award for her work in 2001’s Monster’s Ball, but it was her work in the 2002 Bond flick, Die Another Day, that secured her a spot on this list. Halle played the quintessential Bond girl, Jinx, who burst from the foamy surf in the skimpiest of bikinis to greet the world’s smoothest spy in this otherwise rather tepid Bond film’s best moment.
And thanks to her inexplicable topless scene in the otherwise forgettable Swordfish, we despicable men don’t have to imagine what lies beneath that bikini anymore.
Number 6
Gabrielle Reece
If your career calls for a bikini as its uniform, you’d better have a good body. This tall American beach volleyball player most certainly does have the perfect bikini body, and luckily for us, she isn’t afraid to flaunt it off the court as well.
Following a successful athletic career at Florida State University, the 6’2” beauty wore two hats: a model (being named one of Elle’s Five Most Beautiful Women in the World) and a professional volleyball player (winning the World Beach Volleyball Championship in 1997). But Gabrielle’s jet-setting lifestyle certainly didn’t cause her to let herself go, as her nude spread in a 2001issue of Playboy can certainly attest.
Number 7
Cheryl Tiegs
It takes a special someone to go from the backwoods of Minnesota to the front pages of magazines like Time, Elle and (most importantly) Sports Illustrated. But with a combination of hard work, determination and a stunning 5’10” frame, Cheryl Tiegs did just that. She first appeared on the cover of Glamour when she was just 17, but really burst on the scene with her work in SI’s Swimsuit Edition of 1970. The leisure-suit wearing, presumably moustachioed men of that era were blown away by the Midwestern girl’s natural charm (and drop-dead good looks) and issues flew off the shelves.
Business-savvy editors asked Tiegs to return again 14 times, including appearances on the covers in 1975 and 1983. But it was her appearance in 1978’s edition that garnered her the most attention. During the shoot, she retired for a quick dip in the ocean and emerged to a flurry of flashing cameras. She obliged the photographers for nearly an hour, only to find out later as she examined their prints that her white fishnet bikini was completely, wonderfully translucent.
Number 8
Brigitte Bardot
When pop culture pundits refer to you as the pioneering “sex kitten,” there is a pretty good chance you’re going to end up on a list like this. And after her work in …And God Created Woman, in which she prances around the South of France in a barely-there bikini, Brigitte Bardot most certainly does earn a spot.
This blonde bombshell hung out in St. Tropez when P. Diddy and J-Lo were still in Pampers and seduced countless men with her patented pouty, “come-hither” look. But it was her sensual confidence while dancing around in a bikini that made her a star. Even today, as she approaches 75 and spends her time campaigning for animal rights, you can still see that hint of mischievousness in her eyes that made her so irresistible back in the carefree ‘60s
Number 9
Jessica Alba
In today’s world of instant history, it’s common to see the latest flash-in-the-pan Hollywood starlet worm her way onto All-Time Hottest lists. But after watching Jessica Alba spend almost the entire 110 minutes of Into the Blue clad only in a bikini, it’s safe to say she belongs on this list. Heck, she already finished No. 1 in our 2006 Top 99 Women list.
This former army brat could swim before she could walk, so she is very comfortable in a bikini (although her svelte 5’6” frame might also help with that). She’s not as busty as some of the girls on this list (she admits to measurements of 34-24-34), but her radiant smile and glowing skin more than make up for it. Further proof of her bikini bombshell status came about after keen-eyed paparazzi spotted her frolicking about in a skimpy yellow two-piece down in Mexico. Not that we condone this horrible invasion of her privacy, but since they already took the photos, it would be a shame for them to just fade away unappreciated, right?
Number 10
Rachel Hunter
This stunning Kiwi first graced the Bible of Bikini Lore (Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Edition) back in 1989 at the tender age of 19. Talent scouts were drawn to her toned body and stunning 5’10” frame. Since then, her mile-long legs and glorious C-cups have appeared another six times, including 2004’s Edition when she was 35 years old (and mother to two kids, as well).
That same year, the former Mrs. Rod Stewart (she reportedly took home $66 million as part of their prenup) appeared nude in Playboy. Hef knows what beautiful is, and he doled out $1.8 million to finally get Rachel Hunter to shed the ubiquitous bikini once and for all.
The resulting pictorial proves that a bikini is certainly sexy, but you just can’t beat the natural wonder of a naked supermodel.
Sure, this stunning beauty (who is still maintaining a solid 8.5 ranking at the age of 51) went on to do other great work in films like Bolero and Tommy Boy. But it was her flawless work back in 1979 that earns her the No.1 spot on this coveted list.
swimsuit sirens
A lot of girls are quite self-conscious when it comes to disrobing at the beach and letting it all hang out. With the surgery-enhanced, airbrush-aided starlets filling their magazines, who can blame them? But the women on this list rose above that and flaunted what God gave them so wonderfully that they deserve special mention. They aren’t the most beautiful, or the bustiest — they just have a confidence and sunny disposition that makes them stand above the sunbathing masses, and we thank them for that.
