Christie Brinkley

Known in the ‘70s for: Her modeling work for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
Modeling legend Christie Brinkley became one of the very first swimsuit models in the industry when she made her first magazine cover in 1979 while clad in only a high-waisted bikini swimsuit. She managed to work the bathing suits she was often photographed in and appear incredibly seductive while wearing them, and like entrusting the rest of your life into the hands of insurance companies, she even signed a contract with cosmetics brand CoverGirl (that ended after nearly 30 years). Besides these career highlights, Brinkley got to land on the front page of several noteworthy magazines such as Glamour and Rolling Stone.

Carly Simon

Known in the ‘70s for: Performing the hit songs “You’re So Vain” and “Nobody Does It Better”
Musical icon Carly Simon was regarded as a top sex icon together with Linda Ronstadt back in the ‘70s. She released her first hit song That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It in 1971, and you’re going to have to give her credit for that song from those old Heinz Ketchup commercials because that’s her song Anticipation you’re hearing. Her career highlight was the release of her 1973 hit You’re So Vain which many have speculated could be a spiteful take on any one of Simon’s old lovers Mick Jagger or Warren Beaty, though she has never said anything about it until today.

Catherine Bach

Known in the ‘70s for: Portraying the role of Daisy Duke in the TV series Dukes of Hazzard
Even though the producers and casting directors of the action-comedy TV series Dukes of Hazzard were going for someone who bore some resemblance to Dolly Parton, the cheery brunette Catherine Bach got the part instead of on the spot. She took her own wardrobe to the set on the first day of shooting and fashioned for herself a T-shirt, cut-off denim shorts, and high heels which soon cemented its place in the history of pop culture. A poster of the show featuring this impromptu ensemble sold tons of copies everywhere, and it does not take a lawyer long to see why.

Lindsay Wagner

Known in the ‘70s for: Portraying the role of Jaime Sommers in the TV series The Bionic Woman
Hollywood starlet Lindsay Wagner started her career under the spotlight working as a model in LA. She may have been beautiful, but the blond-haired darling’s modeling career was getting her nowhere and was far from the superstar life that she was meant for. Wagner went on to sign a contract agreement with Universal Studios in 1971, and she later took on her first lead role in the 1973 movie Two People. In 1975, she then took on the part of Jaime Sommers in the science fiction TV show The Bionic Woman to which she owes the credit for her Emmy Award.

Raquel Welch

Known in the ‘70s for: Being recognized as the “Most Desired Woman” of the ‘70s by Playboy
Raquel Welch sported a fur bikini in the publicity posters for the 1966 film One Million BC, placing herself in the history of pop culture as one of the world’s legendary sex symbols at the time. Like carefully planned investment money that continues to grow, she looked even better a few years later when she starred in the 1970 movie Myra Breckinridge which has been apparently difficult to watch, if not for Welch playing the lead. Playboy magazine recognized her as the “Most Desired Woman” of the decade simply because she was being herself while she was clad in bikinis and similarly skimpy ensembles.

Debbie Harry

Known in the ‘70s for: Leading the band Blondie as its frontwoman
Debbie Harry is the Betty Boop of the decade’s punk and new wave setting. Prior to her time with the band Blondie, she worked as a go-go dancer and as a Playboy Bunny at the New York Playboy club, so she knows a thing or two about channeling her own devilish allure. Harry and the band Blondie were there at the start of the excitable New York cool that arose from the dull soft rock and corny disco flooring that characterized the decade. The group performed at Max’s Kansas City and CBGB where bands like Talking Heads and Television have also played.

Jane Seymour

Known in the ‘70s for: Portraying the role of a Bond girl in the James Bond film Live and Let Die (1973)
Jane Seymour came into this world as Joyce Penelope Wilhelmina Frankenberg, but she later came up with her stage name from one of Henry VIII’s wives. In spite of this, many fans credit her for her portrayal of Bond girl Solitaire in the James Bond film Live and Let Die (1973), who is still one of the most beloved Bond girls until today. Seymour didn’t only stop as a Bond girl; like she made her way through the decade as a sex icon who made appearances in the Sinbad movie series and the 1978 TV series Battlestar Galactica.

Lynda Carter

Known in the ‘70s for: Portraying the starring role in the TV show Wonder Woman
Brunette bombshell Lynda Carter belongs in this list, and there’s no denying that a jet-setting princess of the Amazon clad in a patronizing and glorified swimsuit is a sex symbol that not even a lawyer can contest against. We may never see her with her jet, but she does carry with her the powerful lasso of truth. Carter may have started her career in the public eye as the victor of the Miss World USA pageant in 1972, but to her fans and devoted Wonder Woman audiences worldwide, she is and always will be the epitome of the “Wonder Woman” character.

Cheryl Tiegs

Known in the ‘70s for: Her modeling work for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
Cover girl Cheryl Tiegs had landed on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue three times—in 1970, 1975, and 1983—and has one of the most popular bikini photos from the ‘70s, specifically 1978, which is her donning a pink bikini. The blonde bombshell had been gracing the covers of many publications for a while now, and the publications weren’t only for men; she made herself a key investment in the modeling industry by landing on the cover of Glamour at the age of 17 and had gone on to continue working with Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Time, and People.

Jacqueline Bisset

Known in the ‘70s for: Playing the lead role in the films The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), and The Deep (1977)
Dark-haired vixen Jacqueline Bisset is most popularly known for her portrayal of the character Miss Goodthighs in the Bond film parody Casino Royale (1967). The bright-eyed beauty further built her career on her performance as Steve McQueen’s girlfriend in the film Bullit (1968), but American viewers paid her better attention in the film The Deep (1977) where she dove underwater in a barely-there outfit that consisted of only a thin white T-shirt and a bikini bottom. Her dip in the pool helped contribute to the movie’s success at the box office better than a series of money loans ever could.