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

(Image credit: Rights unknown)

published 12 October 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.