THE HOTTEST POP CULTURE ICONS
PART TWO: THE 70S

The idealism of the 60s faded quickly as the 70s ushered in an era of aggressive feminine sexuality. As early 70s television struggled to maintain a shred of whole-milk innocence, the silver screen became a virtual stomping ground for wet and wild women, who wrangled everything (and everyone) from James Bond to small town Texas.

Because of the wide variety of hot pop culture icons of the 1970s, I honor my five favorites here.

Susan Dey
Come on get horny


Though she openly harbors an intense hatred for The Partridge Family, Susan Dey never looked hotter than when playing budding feminist/harmonic rocker Laurie Partridge on this lesser 1970s show (see next entry for the real deal). Her early morning beauty is perhaps one of the few to combine the aforementioned innocence with budding sex appeal. And she could play a mean keyboard.

Because of her sexual dichotomy and top 40 appeal, Susan Dey is one of the hottest pop culture icons of the 1970s.

Maureen McCormick
"All day long at school I hear how great Marcia is at this, or how wonderful Marcia did that..."


Juliet. Cheerleader. Older sister. Attic bedroom competitor. And above all, lustful object of affection for every mid-teen in the 1970s. Statistically, Maureen McCormick received more fan mail than anyone else on ABC during the latter years of The Brady Bunch. All three Brady boys admit to having had a crush on their oldest counterpart. Davy Jones and Desi Arnaz, Jr. dropped by the squeaky clean household to pay their respects.

If The Brady Bunch was merely an exercise in white bread pragmatic family lessons and virtues, then Maureen McCormick was the Marcia whose face launched 1,000 footballs.

Because of her groovy blue eyes and far out golden locks, Maureen McCormick is one of the hottest pop culture icons of the 1970s.

Caroline Munro
James Bond bitch by day, Sci Fi sex goddess by night


You've probably never seen The Golden Voyage of Sinbad or Captain Kronos. In fact, given my readership demographic, I doubt you've even seen the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. Don't worry. I've seen them all, and that's how I'm familiar with the sweat-inducing, jaw-dropping hotness of Caroline Munro. As one of the few 007 baddies whose character died before the chance to get busy with Bond, Munro made waves with a mere 8 minutes of screen time. She has perhaps the largest cult following of any James Bond girl. And she's really, really, curvy in all the right places.

Because of her licence to kill and ability to travel through time, Caroline Munro is one of the hottest pop culture icons of the 1970s.

Cybill Shepherd
Briefly hot, but hot enough


In the film The Last Picture Show, Jacy Farrow is a teenage sexual predator who mistreats men merely because she's bored with small town life in Texas. Played with unflinching conceit by Cybill Shepherd, she is a staple of feminist theory when discussing the evolution of female sexuality on film. And though I see Shepherd as little more than a washed-up actress with a whole boatload of unjustified ego, she was gorgeous and captivating in Picture Show.

Because of her short time as a sex symbol, Cybill Shepherd is one of the hottest pop culture icons of the 1970s.

Raquel Welch
Sexy, sexy, sexy


Let's be honest. Raquel Welch never staked a claim as a grand dame among thespians. And though that's the goal of every beautiful actress, Raquel had what not even the modern day beauty queens of Hollywood have...massive, amazing sex appeal that takes a mere bat of the eyelash to summon. I could name maybe two of her films. I've scarcely seen her act. But she amassed an army of iconic sexual images during her modeling days, thus the world knows Raquel Welch.

Because her stare could turn men to stone...literally...Raquel Welch is one of the hottest pop culture icons of the 1970s.