With apologies to Maurice Chevalier — Thank heaven for gorgeous girls! We’ve gathered 50 of the most beautiful women, the sort of celebrities who brighten the day with their smiles… among other things.With so many beautiful women in this world, only a select few have something special that makes them rise above the rest. It’s often magical and something you can’t put a finger on.
The reader’s votes were adjusted according to certain criteria, which reflected editorial opinion on each woman’s beauty, personality and achievements over the past year. Some of our selections will receive whole-hearted agreement, others may come as a surprise, but no doubt you’ll enjoy viewing them as much as we enjoyed putting it together.
Number 50: Ashley Greene
Who’s number 50: Ashley Greene Where you’ve seen her: On the big screen as a good vamp in the Twilight series Why we love her: She’s the bubbly, optimistic vamp in the Twilight series — which is a nice change form the angst-fest we get from the rest of the fanged ones!
Number 49: Maggie Q
Who’s number 49: Actress and model Maggie QWhy you know her: She’s appeared in everything from action blockbusters (Live Free or Die Hard) to art-house fare ( New York, I Love You)
Why we love her: She’s passionate about PETA and was even responsible for making sure no real fur snuck onto the costumes for the Chinese film Three Kingdoms. Plus, check out her vegetarian recruiting poster!
Number 48: Holly Madison
Who’s number 48: Holly MadisonWhere you’ve seen her: On Hugh Hefner’s arm on the reality TV show “The Girls Next Door”
Why we love her: Hef’s former “Number 1 girlfriend” has survived her breakup with Mr Playboy himself — no mean feat in Hollywood!
Number 47: Danica Patrick
Who’s number 47: Danica PatrickWhere you’ve seen her: Going very, very fast around a racetrack
Why we love her: Patrick may be the best-known female auto racer in the world, and has the record high finish for a woman at the Indianapolis 500.
Number 46: Gina Carano
Who’s number 46: Gina CaranoWhy you’ve heard of her: She’s been referred to as “The face of Women’s Mixed Martial Arts”
Why we love her: Two words: American. Gladiators. Plus, she could beat the crap out of us with her hands tied behind her back, and we have to respect that.
Number 45: Leona Lewis
Who’s number 45: Leona LewisWhy you know her: She went from a singing competition to musical stardom
Why we love her: After winning X-Factor (the British equivalent of American Idol), Lewis proved her singing and songwriting chops with the albums Spirit and Echo. Even famously grumpy Simon Cowell is a fan!
Number 44: Katy Perry
Who’s number 44: Katy PerryWhy you know her: She kiss a girl, and she sang about it
Why we love her: The cheeky singer and songwriter knows how to make a splash, both with her music and on the red carpet.
Number 43: Gabrielle Union
Who’s number 43: Gabrielle UnionWhere you’ve seen her: On screens both big and small
Why we love her: We’ve adored Gabrielle since “Bring It On,” but our respect for her skyrocketed when she testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee, sharing her own horrific story of rape, in support of the Violence Against Women Act.
Number 42: Freida Pinto
Who’s number 42: Freida PintoWhere you’ve seen her: On the big screen in “Slumdog Millionaire”
Why we love her: Pinto burst onto the scene with “Slumdog Millionaire,” her first feature film. People magazine placed her on their “Most Beautiful People List” and “List of the World’s best Dressed Women.” We couldn’t agree more.
Number 41: Anna Ivanovic
Who’s number 41: Anna IvanovicWhere you’ve seen her: On the tennis courts
Why we love her: There are plenty of beautiful tennis players out there, but she’s the rare woman who combines athleticism with her looks — she won the French Open in 2008.
Number 40: Taylor Swift
Who’s number 40: Omnipresent singer Taylor SwiftWhere you know her from: Every single radio ever
Why we love her: She’s cute as a button and she weathered many a storm this year. Even Kayne West couldn’t disrupt her mojo for too long.
Number 39: Zoe Saldana
Who’s number 39: Zoe SaldanaWhere you’ve seen her: On the bridge of the starship Enterprise in the new “Star Trek” reboot
Why we love her: She’s Lt. Uhura 2.0! We’re geek enough to find that unbearably hot.
Number 38: Kelly Hu
Who’s number 38: Kelly HuWhere you’ve seen her: In everything from ass-kicking action movies to sweet sitcoms
Why we love her: We admit it: We have a weakness for action babes. Plus, Kelly is a mean poker player, even placing with the the top 200 in the World Series of Poker Ladies Tournament.
Number 37: Blake Lively
Who’s number 37: Blake LivelyWhy you know her: She’s the leggy blond on “Gossip Girl” and nearly every red carpet
Why we love her: Her Serena van der Woodsen is the resident wild child on the CW’s publicity-bait show, and she never fails to rise to the occasion.
Number 36: Camilla Belle
Who’s number 36: Camilla BelleWhere you’ve seen her: On the big screen and on the red carpet — on a Jonas Brother’s arm
Why we love her: She managed to make prehistoric humanity look pretty darn hot in “10,000 BC.”
Number 35: Aishwarya Rai
Who’s number 35: Aishwarya RaiWhere you’ve seen her: In Bollywood blockbusters and in international movie productions
Why we love her: Time magazine picked her as one of the world’s 100 most influential people in 2004, and Julia Roberts has called her the most beautiful woman in the world. Who are we to disagree?
Number 34: Kaley Cuoco
Who’s number 34: Kaley CuocoWhere you’ve seen her: On TV’s “The Big Bang Theory”
Why we love her: Cuoco’s sweet Penny on Big Bang is the quintessential girl-next-store who sparks a million geekish fantasies.
Number 33: Christina Hendricks
Who’s number 33: Christina HendricksWhere you’ve seen her: On TV’s “Mad Men”
Why we love her: her character on “Med Men,” Joan Holloway, may be single-handedly responsible for bringing curves back to Hollywood.
Number 32: Kate Beckinsale
Who’s number 32: Kate BeckinsaleWhere you’ve seen her: On the big screen
Why we love her: “Underworld.” You think “Twilight” has sexy vampires? Just wait til you see Kate as Selene fighting vaps, werewolves and anything else that gets in her way.
Number 31: Lucy Liu
Who’s number 31: Lucy LiuWhere you’ve seen her: On screens big (“Charlie’s Angels,” “Kill BIll”) and small (“Ally McBeal”)
Why we love her: Yes, she’s made some dubious film choices (“Code Name: The Cleaner” springs to mind…), but after “Kill Bill,” we’ll forgive her anything.
Number 30: Tricia Helfer
Who’s number 30: Tricia HelferWhere you’ve seen her: The SyFy series Battlestar Galactica
Why we love her: This statuesque stunner made the idea of humanity being overtaken by robots bent on our destruction sound… not so bad, actually.
Number 29: Christina Ricci
Who’s number 29: Christina RicciWhere you’ve seen her: On movie screens since 1990
Why we love her: Ricci is fearless about taking oddball roles — witness Wednesday Addams in “The Addams Family” and Rae in “Black Snake Moan.” Plus she embraced her amine eyes as Trixie in “Speed Racer.”
Number 28: Kim Kardashian
Who’s number 28: Kim KardashianWhere you’ve seen her: On her reality show and at every red carpet known to man
Why we love her: She’s a woman who knows what she wants (endless attention), and knows how to get it.
Number 27: Miranda Kerr
Who’s number 27: Miranda KerrWhere you’ve seen her: As a Victoria’s Secret Angel
Why we love her: She was the first Aussie model to be offered a contract with Victoria’s Secret, and she hasn’t slowed down since. Plus, she got naked to protect the cuddly Koala — who wouldn’t respect that?
Number 26: January Jones
Who’s number 26: January JonesWhere you’ve seen her: On “Mad Men” and on the red carpet
Why we love her: She’s Betty Draper.
Number 25: Alicia Keys
Who’s number 25: Alicia KeyesWhy you know her: You’ve heard one of her many Grammy-winning hits on the radio
Why we love her: For all those hits, for her acting, and most of all, for Keep a Child Alive — a charity she co-founded that provides medicines to families with HIV and AIDS in Africa.
Number 24: Zhang Ziyi
Who’s number 24: Zhang ZiyiWhere you’ve seen her: On the big screen
Why we love her: She kicked butt in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” enchanted in “Memoirs of a Geisha,” showed off her tap-dancing skills (no, really!) in “Princess Raccoon,” and was the youngest person ever to sit on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival. Plus, she survived “Rush Hour 2″ with her dignity intact!
Number 23: Rachel McAdams
Who’s number 23: Actress Rachel McAdamsWhy you know her: She stole the hearts of both Ryan Gosling and Owen Wilson in “The Notebook” and “Wedding Crashers,” respectively.
Why we love her: Have you seen her smile? It’s dazzling. We can’t wait to see her got toe-to-toe with Robert Downey Jr. in “Sherlock Holmes.”
Number 22: Paulina Rubio
Who’s number 22: Paulina RubioWhy you know her: She’s all over the Billboard Latin charts
Why we love her: We defy you to try to stop dancing to any of her hits.
Number 21: Keira Knightley
Who’s number 21: Keira KnightleyWhere you’ve seen her: Movie screens, red carpets, magazine covers, you name it.
Why we love her: “Bend It Like Beckham.” “Pirates of the Caribbean.” “Love Actually.” “Atonement.” “The Duchess.” Is there any role Keira can’t play?
Number 20: Rihanna
Who’s number 20: Pop diva RhiannaWhy you know her: She’s all over the radio, the fashion pages and the news
Why we love her: Not only is her music unstoppable, but her spirit is unquenchable: In the aftermath of an assault by then-boyfriend Chris Brown, she weathered the media firestorm with poise and grace.
Number 19: Mila Kunis
Who’s number 19: Mila KunisWhere you’ve seen her: On “That 70s Show” and in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”
Why we love her: Yes, she’s cute as a button. Yes, she’s super talented. But we really love her the most because 1) she’s the voice of Meg in “Family Guy,” and Family guy equals instant adoration, and 2) she’s admitted she’s a huge fan of “World of Warcraft.”
Number 18: Sienna Miller
Who’s number 18: Actress and fashion plate Sienna MillerWhere you’ve seen her: On movie screens (most recently in “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”) and in tabloid shots
Why we love her: She’s unafraid of fashion risks, she seems nearly unflappable, and… well, she looks like Sienna Miller!
Number 17: Natalie Portman
Who’s number 17: Natalie PortmanWhere you’ve seen her: All over the big screen
Why we love her: She’s a brilliant actress and damn fine to look at. But we love her the most for this SNL digital short.
Number 16: Stacy Keibler
Who’s number 16: Actress and former pro wrestler Stacey KeiblerWhere you know her from: The competitive arenas of wrestling and dance
Why we love her: It takes guts to leap into the wrestling ring — and then leap onto the dance floor of Dancing with the Stars. Plus, there are her nicknames: “The legs of the WWE” and “The Weapon of Mass Seduction”
Number 15: Heidi Klum
Who’s number 15: Heidi KlumWhere you’ve seen her: On runways, in magazines and hosting “Project Runway”
Why we love her: Klum has been stalking the catwalk since 1992, but she’s hardly just a pretty face (and smokin’ bod): She won a Peabody award for Project Runway, for which she is host and executive producer. That’s the first Peabody award to a reality show.
Number 14: Penelope Cruz
Who’s number 14: Penelope Cruz Where you’ve seen her: On the silver screen, including an Oscar-winning turn in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” Why we love her: Have you seen Vicky Cristina Barcelona? How about all her roles in Pedro Almodóvar’s films? How can you not love a woman with that sort of talent?
Number 13: Hayden Panettiere
Who’s lucky 13: Hayden Panettiere Why you know her: She’s the invulnerable cheerleader on “Heroes” Why we love her: Not only is Hayden ridiculously cute, she’s also willing to put her body on the line to stand up for what she believes in. She famously took to the water to try to disrupt a dolphin hunt in Japan, and has hand-delivered a letter of protest to the Norwegian Ambassador urging the country to end its whale hunts.
Number 12: Eva Mendes
Who’s number 12: Eva MendesWhere you’ve seen her: On movie screens in “Hitch,” “Ghost Rider” and “The Spirit”
Why we love her: She’s a gorgeous woman who refuses to fix what others may see as flaws — “I have the hugest overbite. It’s so big, my older brothers and sisters used to call me “Bugs”. I looked like a bottle opener. But I’ve never fixed my bite because it’s one of the things that makes me me. …My best feature is my big hips. I’ve got some nice childbearing hips, and I feel very proud of them. When I was younger I thought they were too big. I wanted to be slimmer. But now I totally embrace them.”
Number 11: Malin Akerman
Who’s number 11: Malin AckermanWhere you’ve seen her: On the big screen
Why we love her: This year she’s been in a comics-based action flick (“Watchmen”), a comedy (“Couples Retreat”) and a rom-com (“The Proposal.”) Not bad for a year’s work!
Number 10: Marissa Miller
Who’s number 10: Marissa Miller Where you’ve seen her: On the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and on the Victoria’s Secret catwalk Why we love her: Her Sports Illustrated cover spurred record sales, and prompted Maxim to say “she represents the return of the great American supermodel.” But Miller doesn’t let the attention go to her head: “I get a kick out of it, but it would be stupid to let it go to my head,” she told Maxim. “It’s modeling — I didn’t find the cure for cancer.”
Number 9: Shakira
Who’s number 9: ShakiraWhy you know her: Her hips don’t lie — and neither do her multiple music awards
Why we love her: Her music alone would be enough to make us happy. Add in her tireless work for children’s welfare and education and we’re smitten.
Number 8: Charlize Theron
Who’s number 8: Charlize TheronWhy you know her: She’s an Academy-Award-winning actress.
Why we love her: Her Oscar-winning performance in “Monster” was called “one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema” by critic Roger Ebert. Plus she’s passionately committed to helping the people of her native South Africa — her foundation provides health services for some of the poorest regions of the country.
Number 7: Bar Rafaeli
Who’s number 7: Bar RafaeliWhere you’ve seen her: On countless magazine covers – including the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.
Why we love her: The leggy beauty was the first Israeli model to appear in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, and she’s been on covers ever since.
Number 6: Jessica Alba
Who’s number 6: Jessica AlbaWhere you’ve seen her: All over movie screens
Why we love her: Ever since “Dark Angel,” she’s known how to kick ass and take names. Plus she’s committed to her charity work, even offering to work for free if producer Bob Weinstein would make a hefty donation to Amfar.
Number 5: Salma Hayek
Who’s number 5: Salma HayekWhere you know her from: Plenty of roles on screens both big and small
Why we love her: She’s not only gorgeous, but she’s funny as hell (did you catch her on 30 Rock?), passionate about improving lives (she’s an anti-domestic violence advocate), and smart as a whip. Who wouldn’t love her?
Number 4: Megan Fox
Who’s number 4: Megan FoxWhy you know her: She’s the go-to geek-bait hot babe, and has appeared on countless magazine covers
Why we love her: This quote from The Times of London, when the reporter asked her if she considered herself a role model: “It depends on what your idea of a role model is. If your idea of a role model is somebody who’s gonna preach to your kids that sex before marriage is wrong and cursing is wrong and women should be this and be that, then I’m not a role model. But if you want your girls to feel strong and intelligent and be outspoken and fight for what they think is right, then I want to be that type of role model, yeah.”
Number 3: Beyonce
Who’s number 3: BeyonceWhere you know her from: Music, movies, awards shows…. where haven’t you seen her?
Why we love her: So many reasons, but mostly because “Single Ladies” is a song we’re almost glad will be stuck in our heads for the rest of our lives.
Number 2: Adriana Lima
Who’s number 2: Adriana LimaWhy you know her: She’s one of the hottest Victoria’s Secret angels
Why we love her: She’s one of the hottest Victoria’s Secret angels… and so much more! She’s deeply committed to her Catholic faith, often bringing a bible to read backstage at fashion shows. And contrary to the stories you hear about models gone wild, Adriana publicly talked about saving herself for marriage. She’s now married to Serbian Marko Jarić, and gave birth to daughter this year.
Number 1: Scarlett Johansson
Who’s number 1: Scarlett JohanssonWhy you know her: She broke big with Lost in Translation and hasn’t slowed down since.
Why we love her: She’s a star who doesn’t starve herself, doesn’t advertise her personal business, and stays out of the tabloids. Plus, she’s about to kick Iron Man’s butt as the Black Widow!
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