Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Reformation x Alexa Chung
    • Frosted Lips
    • Being Black at Bravo
    • Fall Movies
    • Slouchy Handbags
    1. Culture

    The Evolution of the Bond Girl: From Coy Coquette to Ball-Busting Badass

    They may have the obligatory good looks, but there's always more than meets the eye.

    By Lauren Valenti
    Published 12 October 2015 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    The Evolution of the Bond Girl: From Coy Coquette to Ball-Busting Badass
    (Image credit: Rights unknown)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Bond girls—they may have the obligatory good looks, but there's always more than meets the eye. Whether fighting the good fight or being unapologetically evil, these high-stakes enigmas have evolved right before our very eyes. (As, of course, have their costumes.) Here, a look back at 25 of the most memorable Bond girls to date—plus the three new Bond girls of Spectre.

    Ursula Andress in Dr. No, 1962
    (Image credit: Rights unknown)

    Ursula Andress in Dr. No, 1962

    The Swiss-born beauty played Honey Ryder and donned the most famous bikini of all time: a white cotton number with bottoms outfitted with a British Army belt, brass knuckles, and a knife holder. The swimsuit was such a sensation it caused sales of bikinis to skyrocket.

    Daniela Bianchi in From Russia with Love, 1963
    (Image credit: Rights unknown)

    Daniela Bianchi in From Russia with Love, 1963

    The first runner up in 1960's Miss Universe pageant, she studied ballet for right years and was a professional model. In the film (Sean Connery's favorite of the series), she played a Bolshevik corporal sent to entrap James Bond.

    Honor Blackman in Goldfinger, 1964
    (Image credit: Rights unknown)

    Honor Blackman in Goldfinger, 1964

    Blackman, who also starred in The Avengers, played Pussy Galore, who was a total badass and was said to be inspired by the love of James Bond writer Ian Fleming's life. "Pussy Galore was a career woman–a pilot who had her own air force, which was very impressive. She was never a bimbo," Blackman told the TV Times at 80-years-old.

    Léa Seydoux in Spectre, 2015
    (Image credit: Rights unknown)

    Léa Seydoux in Spectre, 2015

    In the forthcoming Spectre film, Seydoux plays Dr. Madeleine Swann, a psychologist working at a medical clinic in the Australian Alps. " I don't consider myself a Bond girl. I think I'm not really the stereotyped Bond girl. I feel quite different. You can't be like, 'Oh, James.' You have to find something else. She's not a fighter, she's a doctor. She fights in another way," she said in an interview.

    Monica Bellucci in Spectre, 2015
    (Image credit: Rights unknown)

    Monica Bellucci in Spectre, 2015

    In the film, 51-year-old Bellucci plays mob widow Lucia Sciarra and says the film is "in some way revolutionary" in its treatment of women. Considering that the average age of Bond's love interest was around 29, we whole-heartedly agree.

    Stephanie Sigman in Spectre, 2015
    (Image credit: Rights unknown)

    Stephanie Sigman in Spectre, 2015

    Sigman, who plays the elusive Estrella is the first Mexican actress to play a Bond girl. "I'm a very proud Latina and a very proud Mexican, so it feels great," she told us when we chatted with her last month. "That's who I am. The fact that I get to show them my country, and that the whole world is going to see it and it looks absolutely beautiful feels amazing. There's no other way I could have done it.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Lauren Valenti
    Social Links Navigation
    Beauty Editor

    Lauren Valenti is Vogue’s former senior beauty editor. Her work has also appeared on ELLE.com, MarieClaire.com, and in In Style. She graduated with a liberal arts degree from Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts, with a concentration on Culture and Media Studies and a minor in Journalism.

    Read more
    celebrity leather looks at Burberry's Spring 2027 fashion show at London Fashion Week
    Celebrity Style Leather Looks Are the Cool-Girl Uniform at Burberry's London Fashion Week Show
    By Meguire Hennes
    Dakota Johnson arrived at the 'Verity' premiere in London, wearing an ivory lace naked dress and Fleur du Mal lingerie
    Celebrity Style Dakota Johnson Is Back in Her Naked Dress Era
    By Meguire Hennes
     
     
    Daisy Edgar-Jones debuted a naked dress at the 'Sense and Sensibility' premiere in Australia
    Celebrity Style Daisy Edgar-Jones's Naked Dress Ditches 'Sense and Sensibility' Method Styling
    By Meguire Hennes
    Daisy Edgar-Jones's beige Chloé bodysuit blends lingerie dressing with her 'Sense and Sensibility' press tour
    Celebrity Style Daisy Edgar-Jones Gives Lingerie Dressing a 'Sense and Sensibility' Twist
    By Meguire Hennes
     
     
    Latest in Culture
    florence pugh as cathy ames wearing a choker and green dress off her shoulder in netflix's east of eden
    TV shows Over 70 Years Later, Cathy Ames From 'East of Eden' Is Still Too Complex for Audiences
    A split image of author Deesha Philyaw's portrait, next to the cover art for her novel 'The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman'
    Books Deesha Philyaw Wrote the Black Church Satire She Needed to Read
     
     
    Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames waring a black gown sunglasses and hat as she walks down a street and a man with a bicycle follows her in netflix's east of eden
    TV shows The Major Changes Between Netflix's 'East of Eden' and the Book—Including Cathy's Role
    Actress Maleah Joi Moon wears a red gown and shawl while posing in a museum at Netflix's 'A Different World' premiere.
    TV shows The Lessons Maleah Joi Moon Learned From 'A Different World'
     
     
    Latest in Features
    agent nateur supplement on a conveyor belt
    Wellness Uh Oh—Another Beauty Lab Went Rogue with a Brand's Proprietary Ingredient
    women wearing eyeliner next to anastasia beverly hills dramaline eyeliner and squiggles of pink
    Makeup This $22 Eyeliner Lasted Me Through a 16-Hour Wedding, 85-Degree Heat, and Many, Many Tears
     
     
    florence pugh as cathy ames wearing a choker and green dress off her shoulder in netflix's east of eden
    TV shows Over 70 Years Later, Cathy Ames From 'East of Eden' Is Still Too Complex for Audiences
    A woman wearing glasses and an off-white colored hoodie next to a lipstick bullet.
    Makeup I'm Happy to Report That Frosted Lips Are So Back
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.