Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • 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 amp; 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
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Celebrity

    Bad Girls Throughout History

    Naughty by nature, these famous faces have proven how good it looks to be bad.

    By Mar Miranda
    Published 17 September 2010 In Features

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

    Eve
    (Image credit: Marie Claire)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Naughty by nature, these famous faces have proven how good it looks to be bad.

    Eve
    (Image credit: Marie Claire)

    Eve

    She started it all! By taking a bite out of the apple a serpent gave her and passing it on to Adam, she created original sin. Original sin, people. Subsequently, women throughout time have been blamed for being temptresses.

    Dita Von Teese
    (Image credit: Carlos Alvarez/Getty)

    Dita Von Teese

    The queen of burlesque helped make sex an art form. The 37-year-old fetish model adds a 1940s and '50s glamour to the job.

    Bonnie Parker
    (Image credit: Hulton Archive/Getty)

    Bonnie Parker

    The ultimate bad-girl bandit became infamous for being part of the 1930s outlaw duo Bonnie and Clyde. Heard of 'em?

    Cleopatra
    (Image credit: Hulton Archive/Getty)

    Cleopatra

    She not only ruled ancient Egypt, but she also conquered several of the world's most powerful men, including Julius Caesar and one of his successors, Mark Antony. Her legacy as a supreme seductress lives on in Western culture. Case in point: Elizabeth Taylor — a seductress in her own right — portrayed the queen in all her headdress glory.

    Elizabeth Taylor
    (Image credit: Hulton Archive/Getty)

    Elizabeth Taylor

    Speak of the devil! Aside from building a legendary career as an actress in Hollywood, she has also built a reputation for being a man-eater. She's been through eight husbands in her 78 years.

    Bettie Page
    (Image credit: Archive Photos/Getty)

    Bettie Page

    The curvaceous icon set her own style with her signature bangs. Oh, and she also made her mark by modeling bondage gear and sexy lingerie.

    Gia Carangi
    (Image credit: Andrea Blanch/Getty)

    Gia Carangi

    The bad-girl supermodel lived a fast and short life, dying at the age of 26 from AIDS in 1986. Carangi was a Studio 54 regular in the 1970s, but things started to go south for the party girl when she developed a heroin addiction. Her life story was chronicled in the 1998 film Gia by none other than fellow bad gal Angelina Jolie.

    Nancy Friday
    (Image credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty)

    Nancy Friday

    The author's seminal work, My Secret Garden, established — despite popular belief at the time — that, yes, women do have sexual fantasies. Shocker.

    Angelina Jolie
    (Image credit: Carlo Allegri/Getty)

    Angelina Jolie

    The A-list actress may have rebranded herself as a mother-of-all-children, UN-goodwill-ambassador type, but her past is undeniable. The 35-year-old snagged heartthrob Brad Pitt from America's sweetheart, Jennifer Aniston, and has played several badass protagonists, like Lara Croft in Tomb Raider and an assassin in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. She also, um, made out with her brother and carried a vial of Billy Bob Thornton's blood around her neck. You know, the usual.

    Mae West
    (Image credit: John Kobal Foundation/Getty)

    Mae West

    Although she is most famous for being a 1930s Hollywood sex symbol, she got a bad-girl start in her hometown of New York City. The actress and playwright was prosecuted on moral charges for a play she wrote, titled Sex. West was then sentenced to 10 days in jail for "corrupting the morals of youth." Oh, Mae!

    Joan Jett
    (Image credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty)

    Joan Jett

    The punk-rock star has given a voice to the struggles of the American middle class through her hard-rock jams with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. At 51, she has produced eight albums that have been certified platinum and gold.

    Pam Grier
    (Image credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty)

    Pam Grier

    The actress gave people plenty to talk about in the 1970s, when she starred in a string of films about women in prison and "blaxploitation" films such as Foxy Brown.

    Mary Quant
    (Image credit: Mike Prior/Getty)

    Mary Quant

    Inventor of the miniskirt, the British fashion designer proved that there were no lengths too short for women's clothing.

    Sally Bowles
    (Image credit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty)

    Sally Bowles

    The fictional character from the 1972 musical film Cabaret has taken on a life of her own. Played by Liza Minnelli (a bad girl in her own right), Bowles broaches a highly controversial subject in the production: abortion.

    Tallulah Bankhead
    (Image credit: John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images)

    Tallulah Bankhead

    Southern belle turned bad girl, the actress was just as famous for her risqué Hollywood roles as her Hollywood romances. Rumors about her sex life included names like Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, and Billie Holiday, among others.

    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.
    Mar Miranda
    Latest in Celebrity
    Jennifer Lopez wears a brown leotard with rare Nike sneakers, embracing Hailey Bieber#039;s jelly shoe sneaker hybrid trend.
    Celebrity Style Jennifer Lopez Is Embracing the Jelly Shoe Hybrid Trend
    Michelle Obama was spotted attending Celine Dion’s concert in Paris, where she made a stylish appearance in a Diotima dress and carried a Liffner bag
    Celebrity Style Michelle Obama Hops on Fall 2026's Suede Bag Trend
     
     
    Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana (1961 - 1997) and Prince Charles at Victoria Station, London, where they will welcome a state delegation from Nigeria, March 1989.
    Royals Why Queen Elizabeth "Was Furious" With Princess Diana
    King Charles wearing a crown at his coronation
    Royals Royal Fans Help "Fix" an "Embarrassing" King Charles Mistake
     
     
    Latest in Features
    women sweating and working out next to electrolyte powders
    Wellness Electrolyte Powders Are Everywhere—But Do You Really Need Them?
    A split image of author R.F. Kuang, resting her head on her hand while sitting with her shoulder propped on a restaurant booth table, next to the cover art for #039;Taipei Story.#039;
    Books R.F. Kuang Shares Her Favorite Reads About the “Hilarious Friction” of Learning a Language
     
     
    a grid design with three manicures and three bottles of nail polish
    Nails My Next Manicure Is Taking Its Cues From Stockholm Street Style
    a collage of sunglasses manicures on five sets of hands with three bottles of nail polish on colorful printed fabric
    Nails NYFW Nail Trends Are Off to a Shady Start
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    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.