Actors - It girl

	Actors - It girl

An It girl is a young woman famed for her good looks, charm and sexual magnetism, but in recent years has come to describe a young starlet who has recently broken into mainstream cinema.

The term was coined by British romance novelist and screenwriter Elinor Glyn to describe actress Clara Bow when she appeared with success in the Hollywood silent film It
in 1927. Based on Glyn's novella of the same title, the movie was planned as a special showcase for the popular Paramount Studios star. Owing to Glyn's widely publicized pronouncement, the term "It," a euphemism for sex-appeal, not only catapulted Bow to fame but became the nation's latest catch phrase, eventually entering the cultural lexicon.

Bow's film was turned into a musical called The It Girl in 2001, which opened at the York Theatre Company off-Broadway starring Jean Louisa Kelly .

Since 1927 the term has been used to refer to whoever was in vogue at the time, including Marianne Faithfull, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, and Goldie Hawn. The reign of an "It girl" usually lasts around a year, when they will either become a full-fledged celebrity or their popularity will fade. This term usually has a wide appeal, as compared to a teen idol, which is usually a niche audience.

Also see: It boy

List of women widely considered to be the Hollywood "It girl" of their respective years

1990s to present:

2005 - Rachel McAdams
(The Notebook
), Naomi Watts
(King Kong
)
2004 - Lindsay Lohan
(Mean Girls
)
2003 - Scarlett Johansson
(Lost in Translation), Paris Hilton (The Simple Life)
2002 - Maggie Gyllenhaal
(Secretary), Keira Knightley
(Bend It Like Beckham
)
2001 - Kirsten Dunst
(Bring It On)
2000 - Kate Hudson
(Almost Famous
), Lucy Liu
(Shanghai Noon
)
1999 - Angelina Jolie
(Girl, Interrupted), Natalie Portman
(Anywhere But Here
)
1998 - Cameron Diaz
(There's Something About Mary
), Drew Barrymore
(The Wedding Singer
)
1997 - Jennifer Love Hewitt
(Party of Five), Jennifer Lopez
(Selena)
1996 - Jennifer Aniston
(Friends), Neve Campbell
(Scream
)
1995 - Chloë Sevigny
(Kids
), Alicia Silverstone
(Clueless
)
1994 - Uma Thurman
(Pulp Fiction
), Sandra Bullock
(Speed)
1993 - Juliette Lewis
(Kalifornia
)
1992 - Pamela Anderson
(Baywatch)
1991 - Shannen Doherty
(Beverly Hills, 90210)
1990 - Julia Roberts
(Pretty Woman
)

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for It girl ]

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