Jaime Sommers. Supergirl. Sarah Walker. Niki Sanders. Sarah Corvus. All women who kick butt on a regular basis on network TV. None have captured my heart in the way that Buffy, Xena and Syd did, but the possibility is there. We love that these characters are more than beautifully buff bodies. They’re real people, with brains and personalities and problems – even dark sides. Other writers have analyzed why strong women are so popular with general audiences, but at AfterEllen.com, we prefer to focus on the women themselves. And their beautifully buff bodies. Fortunately, we can count on EW.com to have the right list at the right time. Last week’s Butt-Kicking Babes is just what the lesbians ordered. The inspired lineup includes the top 24 hard-hittin’ hotties of all time. Actually, it started with 22 – with Buffy and Sydney missing. Fan outcry forced revision of the list, and rightly so. Now most of our favorites are there – Ripley, The Bride, Starbuck, Trinity, Kate Austen – along with some great choices that are less obvious. Here are some highlights and choice quotes from EW’s notes.
No. 23 – Domino Harvey (Keira Knightley) in Domino
“Black leather jacket, dog tags, necklace with a domino as a pendant, bandolier, artfully ripped jeans.” No. 19 – Vienna (Joan Crawford) in Johnny Guitar
“Shootin’, brawlin’, eyebrow-archin’. All-black Western-wear, including britches.” (Johnny Guitar
is a movie to rent. Mercedes McCambridge versus Joan Crawford. I’m surprised the heat didn’t melt the film.) No. 18 – Eowyn (Miranda Otto) in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
“Full chainmail armor, spear, short sword and Hobbit in the back seat.” No. 15 – Varla (Tura Satana) in Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
“One of the baddest bad girls ever, Varla can out-drag-race any man and she can kill with a single karate chop to the back.” No. 12 – River Tam (Summer Glau) in Serenity
“[Battle gear] seems to be nothing more than a sundress. But it’s the sundress of death.” No. 11 – Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) in Alias
“Lingerie, short skirts, neon wigs: basically the deadliest hooker costumes you can imagine.” (I know I already mentioned Syd, but I had to use this picture.) No. 9 – Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) in Goldfinger
“With apologies to Halle Berry’s Jinx, Pussy Galore is the baddest Bond babe ever.” No. 6 – Coffy (Pam Grier) in Coffy
“Coffy’s creative weaponry includes a sawed-off shotgun, a syringe with a lethal dose of heroin, a broken wine bottle and an Afro packed with hidden razor blades.” No. 1 – Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
“Wicked with a stake, Buffy’s a gifted martial artist, stronger than the average bear and a world-class shopper.” Before you scour the rest of the list, I must note the most stunning omission. They aren’t kicking butt here, but this is definitely an action shot. Any other striking omissions? Who are your favorite butt-kicking babes?
