Ursula Andress and Halle Berry voted ultimate bikini goddesses
20-Aug-2009 • Actor News
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The James Bond girl, best known for her bikini-clad entrance in the film Dr No, topped a star-studded list including Dame Helen Mirren, Brigitte Bardot and Kelly Brook.
The survey of 1,000 women was conduced to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the bikini, since its entrance onto the fashion scene in the US.
The results suggest that women aspire to a curvy look rather than the slender figures of today's stick thin models.
Andress came top for her look in the first-ever Bond film alongside Sean Connery more than 45 years ago, followed by Brigitte Bardot who earned the nickname The Bikini Girl in the early sixties.
Helen Mirren's place was cemented by recent photos of her on holiday in her bikini where she showed age is no barrier to looking good in the outfit.
Andress's famous two-piece itself was also voted the most iconic bikini ever, while women also rated Jessica Alba's washboard stomach and Elle Macpherson's legs as the best of their kind.
Others in the list include Halle Berry for her Bond girl role in The World is Not Enough, which imitated the Dr No scene in which Andress emerges from the sea in a bikini.
Women also rated Kelly Brook's chest as looking the best in a bikini in the poll for the shaving product Gillette Venus Embrace
The rest of the top ten included Myleene Klass after her white bikini appearance in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here, and actress Megan Fox.
The bikini was invented in France in 1946 but took the world of beach fashion by storm after it started appearing in the US from 1949, becoming the outfit of choice for Hollywood starlets and actresses.
But despite its popularity, it is the one piece of clothing guaranteed to make women self conscious about their own body image, the poll showed.
It found 97 per cent of women dread the thought of revealing themselves in a bikini with 27 per cent citing cellulite as the reason and 22 per cent simply not being toned.
Around one in nine are worried about poor grooming, the research found.
Holly Chaves, stylist for Gillette Venus Embrace said: "The findings show that the number one factor enabling women to feel like a goddess in their bikini is inner confidence.
"However there are some other key tips to remember â women should not buy a bikini just because it is trendy but choose one that has a cut and style to suit their particular body shape â choosing the right one can take pounds off you.
Holly added: "The perfect bikini look is certainly timeless â Ursula Andress set the bar and four decades later, it is still the benchmark women look to.
"The full list suggests curves and an hourglass figure are not just appreciated by men but that it is women too who feel this is the kind of look they should aim for and not just try to be thin."
Top 10 "Bikini Goddesses" of all time:
1. Ursula Andress in Dr No
2. Kelly Brook in holiday photos
3. Brigitte Bardot as The Bikini Girl
4. Helen Mirren in holiday photos
5. Halle Berry in Die Another Day
6. Myleene Klass in I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here
7. Elle Macpherson on the Sports Illustrated cover
8. Megan Fox in general photographs
9. Gisele Bundchen in fashion shoots
10. Jessica Alba in magazine photos
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