# Sex kitten

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A **sex kitten** is a woman[1] who exhibits a sexually provocative lifestyle or an abundant sexual aggression. The term originated around 1956[2][3] in articles in the British and American press and was originally used to describe French actress [Brigitte Bardot](/source/Brigitte_Bardot).[4][5] Sources[who?] believe Bardot's role in *[And God Created Woman](/source/And_God_Created_Woman_(1956_film))* (1956) was what inspired the term in the mid-1950s.[1]

The 1960s began the era of women embracing their sexuality after moving forward from the idea that women were very unlikely to experience pleasure during sexual activities.[6]

## Examples

[Mamie Van Doren](/source/Mamie_Van_Doren) was called a sex kitten due to starring in B-movies in the 1950s and 1960s, including *[Sex Kittens Go to College](/source/Sex_Kittens_Go_to_College)* (1960), [*Teacher's Pet*](/source/Teacher's_Pet_(1958_film)) (1958), and *[Untamed Youth](/source/Untamed_Youth)* (1957). These films often had Van Doren playing seductive and provocative roles. In 1998, when Van Doren created her Web site, she described herself as "the first authentic kitten on Cyberspace".[7]

[Ann-Margret](/source/Ann-Margret) was described as a sex kitten in the 1964 film *[Kitten with a Whip](/source/Kitten_with_a_Whip)*.[8][9]

[Eartha Kitt](/source/Eartha_Kitt), singer of the 1953 Christmas hit "Santa Baby", was also deemed a sex kitten due to some of the lyrics in her song.[1]

[Jane Fonda](/source/Jane_Fonda) was seen as a sex kitten in the 1960s, particularly due to her title role in the 1968 film *[Barbarella](/source/Barbarella_(film))*.[10]

[Ariana Grande](/source/Ariana_Grande) famously wore cat ears during her 2015 [Honeymoon Tour](/source/The_Honeymoon_Tour) for a sex kitten look.[11]

The [Associated Press](/source/Associated_Press) stated that the version of Cornelia Wallace in the film *[George Wallace](/source/George_Wallace_(film))*, portrayed by actress [Angelina Jolie](/source/Angelina_Jolie), was depicted as "a shallow sex kitten" and therefore Cornelia Wallace had criticism towards the portrayal.[12]

A sex kitten is not always youthful.[13] In various definitions, the sexual attractiveness of a woman is the primary factor of sex kittens, but that did not necessarily mean physical beauty.[1]

## References

1. Umphred, Neal (April 18, 2019). ["Where Have All the Sex Kittens Gone, Long Time Passing?"](https://medium.com/tell-it-like-it-was/where-have-all-the-sex-kittens-gone-long-time-passing-9d6d7c2224a5). *Medium*. Retrieved November 2, 2020.

1. ["28 Oct 1956, 13 - The Observer at Newspapers.com"](http://www.newspapers.com/image/258095761/?terms=%22sex%20kitten%22&match=1). *Newspapers.com*. Retrieved 2021-03-14.

1. ["13 Dec 1956, 21 - Los Angeles Evening Citizen News at Newspapers.com"](http://www.newspapers.com/image/683959669/?terms=%22sex%20kitten%22&match=1). *Newspapers.com*. Retrieved 2021-03-14.

1. ["Brigitte Bardot: her life and times so far – in pictures"](https://www.theguardian.com/film/gallery/2014/sep/20/brigitte-bardot-her-life-and-times-so-far-in-pictures)

1. ["LIFE With Brigitte Bardot: Rare and Classic Photos of the Original ‘Sex Kitten’"](https://time.com/3649602/life-with-brigitte-bardot-rare-and-classic-photos-of-the-original-sex-kitten/)

1. Meah, Angela; Hockey, Jenny; Robinson, Victoria (2011). "I'm a Sex Kitten, Aren't I...". *Australian Feminist Studies*. **26**: 57–71. [doi:10.1080/08164649.2010.546328](https://doi.org/10.1080/08164649.2010.546328). [S2CID 142947162](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:142947162)

1. ["Mamie Van Doren Home Page"](https://web.archive.org/web/19981212030742/http://www.mamievandoren.com/). 1998-12-12. Archived from [the original](http://www.mamievandoren.com/) on 1998-12-12. Retrieved 2024-06-25.

1. filmreference.com, *[Ann-Margret - Films as actress](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-A-Ba/Ann-Margret.html)*, retrieved March 28, 2008.

1. lovegoddess.info, *[ANN-MARGRET](http://www.lovegoddess.info/Ann-Margret%20revised.htm)*, retrieved March 28, 2008

1. Gladden, Chris (August 21, 1987). "Bardot defined "sex kitten". *The Roanoke Times*. p. 39.

1. ["Watch: Ariana Grande Teases Futuristic 'One Last Time' Video"](https://thatgrapejuice.net/2015/02/watch-ariana-grande-teases-futuristic-one-last-time-video/). *..::That Grape Juice.net::.. - Thirsty?*. 2015-02-12. Retrieved 2025-12-18.

1. ["Widow of late Gov. George Wallace dies at 69"](https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna28581908). [NBC News](/source/NBC_News). 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2022-06-08. - [Alternate version ("Cornelia Wallace, 69, First Lady of Alabama, Dies")](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/us/10wallace.html) at *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*, January 9, 2009. [Version ("Cornelia Wallace, 69, second wife of Alabama Gov. George Wallace") at](https://www.thehour.com/norwalk/article/Cornelia-Wallace-69-second-wife-of-Alabama-Gov-8264106.php) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230213104651/https://www.thehour.com/norwalk/article/Cornelia-Wallace-69-second-wife-of-Alabama-Gov-8264106.php) 2023-02-13 at the Wayback Machine *[The Hour](/source/The_Hour_(newspaper))* ([Norwalk, Connecticut](/source/Norwalk,_Connecticut)), January 8, 2009. [Alternate ("Former Alabama first lady Cornelia Wallace dies") at](https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2009/01/09/former-alabama-first-lady-cornelia/24166009007/) *[The Columbus Dispatch](/source/The_Columbus_Dispatch)*, January 8, 2009.

1. Kakutani, Michiko. ["Who Exactly Is This Sexagenarian Sex Kitten?"](https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A00E4DD1639F936A25750C0A960958260) *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. March 15, 1996.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sex kitten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_kitten) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_kitten?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.