Top 20 Needlessly Sexualized Movie Characters

Top 20 Needlessly Sexualized Movie Characters

There’s . . . no need for that. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 20 Needlessly Sexualized Movie Characters.

For this list, we’ll be looking at both male and female film characters who were eroticized for no real reason outside of the mentality that sex sells.

#20: Ruby Roundhouse

“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” (2017)

Leading up to its release, this sequel/soft reboot was met with criticism over actress Karen Gillan’s outfit. With half a t-shirt and extra short short-shorts, it seemed like the filmmakers were going out of their way to accentuate Ruby Roundhouse’s body. Upon seeing the movie, however, skeptics realized that’s kind of the point. Ruby’s outfit is intended to poke fun at how scantily-clad female video game heroines are. Gillan actually said that the backlash was a positive thing, as it showed how people were becoming more aware. Since her sexualization is largely satirical, Ruby ranks fairly low on the list. Seeing how the character shined a significant spotlight on needless sexualization, though, this dance-fighting star is definitely worth discussing.

#19: Silk Spectre II

“Watchmen” (2009)

“Watchmen” may have a blue man who constantly walks around in the nude, but somehow it’s his girlfriend who comes off as the most overtly sexualized. Even by superheroine standards, Laurie Jupiter’s black and yellow leather ensemble feels like overkill, emphasizing her legs, behind, and hourglass figure. Granted, she still wears more than Doctor Manhattan… except when she doesn’t. The most infamous moment in Zack Snyder’s adaptation finds Spectre and Nite Owl aboard The Owlship igniting the flames of passion, quite literally. The scene is played in super slow-motion and the song “Hallelujah” only makes it feel more drawn-out. Night Owl is also pointlessly sexualized here, but let’s be honest. This moment primarily exists to see Spectre strip down.

#18: Leeloo

“The Fifth Element” (1997)

Sure, if we were building a woman, we may choose to model it after Milla Jovovich too, but this isn’t “Weird Science.” In this sci-fi action flick, Jovovich plays Leeloo, one of the Supreme Beings of the Universe. Her main two outfits consist of a series of bandages that reveals more skin than they cover and a crop top with tight pants and suspenders that wrap around the crotch. We get that you need a sexy female lead to play alongside Bruce Willis – but did her character really need to strip naked in front of everyone?

#17: Tinker Bell

“Peter Pan” (1953) & “Hook” (1991)

It seems like fairies have always been depicted as gorgeous females, but we think that may have started with Disney’s “Peter Pan”. Sure, like many of Disney’s female characters, Tinker Bell has an exaggerated hourglass figure, and that’s accentuated with big blue eyes and bright blonde hair. We draw the line at her skimpy green dress, however, in that it barely covers anything. While they may have slightly changed the look in “Hook,” Julia Roberts still reveals a ton of leg for what is supposed to be an innocent fairy.

#16: Christmas Jones

“The World Is Not Enough” (1999)

Bond girls are supposed to be sexy and are often overly sexualized. We get that. But “The World Is Not Enough” goes too far with Christmas Jones. She’s a nuclear physicist who is tasked with assisting Bond on his mission to prevent a nuclear meltdown. This character certainly could have provided more depth to the film than Bond girls of the past, that is, if she hadn’t been played by Denise Richards. Richards, who won a Razzie for her performance, claimed that she liked the role because the character was brainy…maybe they should have chosen an actress who actually fit that description and isn’t more known for being a “Wild Thing” instead.

#15: Loana

“One Million Years B.C.” (1966)

This adventure fantasy film had no intention of being historically accurate, as it portrayed dinosaurs living alongside humans. That may be more believable than the appearance and attire of Loana, however, played by the stunning Raquel Welch. Loana’s raggedy clothes barely held her breasts in place, and her beautiful hair and long legs make her look less like a cavewoman and more like a Victoria’s Secret model. If you asked today, barely anyone would remember the plot of the film, but the majority of people would be able to recognize the iconic pinup poster – we know Andy Dufresne would.

#14: The Angels

“Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” (2003)

Look, we get it. Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, and Drew Barrymore are all-world beauties. If you put them in a property like “Charlie’s Angels,” there’s bound to be some fan service. Nevertheless, “Full Throttle” still comes off as forced in the sex department. We don’t think it’s a coincidence that half of the places the Angels go undercover require little to no clothing. There’s a beach where Diaz gets all wet in a white bikini, and a strip club where she has the clothes whipped right off her body. Sometimes there isn’t even an excuse. Demi Moore’s Madison just hangs around in her underwear, sporting a fur coat and a gun. You know, like all women do in their spare time!

#13: Lara Croft

“Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” (2001)

We place more of the blame on the video game industry than the filmmakers for this entry, but that doesn’t make them any less guilty. They had a chance to focus more on the intelligent and athletic side of the English archaeologist-adventurer, but instead cast Angelina Jolie and made her wear a skin-tight top and short-shorts. Jolie certainly has the acting chops to pull off a female action hero, but she was relegated to eye candy for this film.

#12: The T-X

“Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” (2003)

To be fair, getting naked is simply part of the time travel process in the “Terminator” universe. Long before the T-X showed up, the T-800 and the T-1000 had to strip down too. Here’s the thing, though. Once the male Terminators get their hands on some clothes, sex is no longer part of their identity. Carl even says in “Dark Fate” that his relationship with his wife isn’t physical. The T-X, meanwhile, feels like she was programmed to have sex appeal. Why else would Skynet have given her the ability to grow her breasts on a whim? Everything, from her voice, to her delivery, to the way she licks blood is oddly sensual. She thus seems less like a Terminator and more like a Fembot.

#11: Catwoman

“Catwoman” (2004)

From Julie Newmar to Michelle Pfeiffer, sex has always been a major facet of Catwoman’s personality. Even for a femme fatale, however, Halle Berry’s version overcompensates. Like Batman, Patience Phillips as Catwoman completely drapes herself in black to blend in with the night. This movie apparently forgot that because this outfit looks more like something out of Christian Grey’s S&M dungeon. Why would someone wear such a revealing ensemble if they’re trying to maintain a secret identity? We guess it doesn’t matter since Detective Tom Lone is too dense to figure out that his girlfriend is the half-naked vigilante prowling around town. It doesn’t help that Berry reads most of her lines as if this were an adult film parody as opposed to a legitimate Catwoman movie.

#10: The Invisible Woman

“Fantastic Four” (2005)

Unless you have a special suit, the power of invisibility often entails stripping to slip by unnoticed. This 2005 superhero movie takes full advantage of this, frequently coming up with new reasons for Sue Storm to take it all off, even though she eventually gets one of those special suits. On the Brooklyn Bridge, her new powers begin to malfunction, which results in a wardrobe malfunction. Sue’s later forced to abandon her clothes to escape a crowd and if you think this movie is above a shameless shower scene, clearly you haven’t been paying attention. It doesn’t get much better for Sue in the sequel where her clothes are flamed off. Why does this always happen to Sue? Well, we guess it’s obvious why...

#9: Jacob Black

“The Twilight Saga” (2008-12)

If you think it’s only women who are objectified in movies, we give you Jacob Black. Throughout the “Twilight Saga,” you’ll rarely find this six-packed hottie wearing anything other than a pair of jeans or shorts. We suppose this kind of makes sense since Jacob is a werewolf and if he did wear a shirt all the time, they’d just get ripped. Still, these movies will look for any excuse to showcase Jabob’s abs, whether he’s tending to Bella’s wounds or exposing his supernatural nature to Charlie. We wouldn’t be surprised if Jacob purposely went topless just to entice Bella and annoy Edward in the process. By the time Jacob tells Edward that he’s hotter, any form of subtlety has been thrown out the window.

#8: Neo & Trinity

“The Matrix Reloaded” (2003)

If you think the black leather garb that Trinity wears in the virtual world is risque, just wait until you see the real world’s dress code. When Zion was first mentioned in the original film, we all wanted to see more of the last human city. But an underground rave full of practically naked people wasn’t what we had in mind. While virtually all of Zion is needlessly sexualized in this over-three-minute sequence, Neo and Trinity come off as the most distracting. As everyone else gets jiggy with it, we continually cut to the couple gettin’ busy. Why did the filmmakers think this was essential to the story? Surely there’s some philosophical symbolism behind all the necking and gyrating… or maybe it’s just gratuitous.

#7: Ginger Knowles

“Swordfish” (2001)

This entry makes our list for one main reason – Halle Berry’s topless scene. Sure, we’re assuming audiences weren’t complaining that they got to see Halle Berry topless, but was this really the movie she should have done it in? The scene seems out of place with the rest of the film, an action crime thriller about a computer hacker, and critics complained that the moment was only added to give “Swordfish” more buzz. At least she was paid an extra $500,000.

#6: Princess Leia Organa

“Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi” (1983)

Princess Leia was without doubt everyone’s fantasy girl when the original “Star Wars” trilogy hit the theaters, but for the first two films, George Lucas focused more on developing her character than exploiting her feminine image. Of course, he couldn’t hold out forever, and we were given the famous gold bikini outfit in “Return of the Jedi”. While this answered the prayers of every fan boy, it felt like a cheap exploit of a strong female character, one the film didn’t really need.

#5: Lola Bunny

“Space Jam” (1996)

Just because you don’t have an obvious female lead in a film doesn’t mean you need to turn a side character into an object of sexual desire - especially if that character is a bunny. We’re looking at you, “Space Jam.” Lola Bunny is sexualized for absolutely no reason in this flick, as she wears incredibly short shorts and a crop-top that hangs off her body. Surely that can’t meet the uniform standards in the basketball rulebook. Plus…she’s a bunny!! What really makes it awkward is how everyone, including Michael Jordan, checks her out...

#4: Mikaela Banes

“Transformers” (2007)

We get it; Megan Fox is hot. She also plays a character that is supposed to be in high school, which makes her sexualization highly problematic in this film. While Michael Bay similarly over-sexualizes Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”, at least her character was of legal age. Did Mikaela Banes serve any purpose other than being teenaged eye-candy for the audience? Remember that the next time you look at the poster on your wall of her leaning over the car hood.

#3: Johnny

“The Room” (2003)

Usually, when a man is objectified, it’s to show off his bulging biceps and ripped chest, among other things. Tommy Wiseau isn’t exactly what we’d call a sex symbol, though. Regardless, the writer/director/producer/star behind “The Room” felt it was necessary to play up his character’s … um, “sex life.” The film features multiple intimate moments between Johnny and his girlfriend Lisa. At least we think they’re supposed to be intimate. You don’t need to take a sex-ed class to know that this isn’t how fornicating works. Not only do these scenes go on forever, but Johnny shows us his butt for good measure. We’d ask what purpose this serves, but we could ask the same question about every scene in the movie.

#2: Harley Quinn

“Suicide Squad” (2016)

“Suicide Squad” basically could’ve been called “Fan Service: The Movie and the Exploitation of One Harley Quinn.” Forget about that old harlequin outfit Harley used to wear in the ‘90s. She’s going full fan service for her live-action film debut, sporting a torn-up t-shirt, fishnets, and something resembling shorts. To the movie’s credit, we could totally see Harley wearing an ensemble like this, especially if she wanted to get freaky with Mr. J on date night. Considering that she’s being sent on a suicide mission, however, this outfit is beyond impractical, even for a crazy person like Harley.




Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Helen Tasker
“True Lies” (1994)



Dr. Carol Marcus
“Star Trek Into Darkness” (2013)



Akasha
“Queen of the Damned” (2002)

#1: The Cats

“Cats” (2019)

When “Cats” came out, we were prepared for the painful puns and eye-gouging CGI. However, not even the trailers could prepare us for how bizarrely sexual the movie turned out. We’re not sure what’s weirder: the cats who don’t wear anything or the ones who wear clothes… only to remove them. The most explicitly frisky character in the picture would have to be Rum Tum Tugger, who moves like a male go-go dancer you’d hire for your friend’s bachelorette party. Speaking of curious cats, Taylor Swift’s seductive Bombalurina is. . . uh, quite something. Whether this was all intentional or not, the only way that they could’ve made this movie naughtier is if they released the so-called “#ButtholeCut.” Don’t ask...