History’s Biggest “It Girls” Throughout The Decades

Biggest era of popularity: 1950s/1960s
Famous for: Modeling, Acting
Est. Net Worth: $65 million* 

Actress Brigitte Bardot, often nicknamed “BB” after her initials, is an animal rights activist and former sex-symbol-slash-actress. The starlet was a bit of a scandal when she appeared on big screens during the 1950s and 1960s, often appearing in hedonistic roles.

Bridgette Bardot @u/FalstaffBeer/Reddit

And God Created Woman, Contempt, The Truth, Don Juan, The Legend of Frenchie King, Shalako, and more were all films that drew big crowds to the box office. Bardot had an extraordinary life, according to her biography, full of ups, downs, and trailblazing. 

Biggest era of popularity: 1960s/1970s
Famous for: Acting, Activism
Est. Net Worth: $200 million* 

Eighty-five-year-old actress and activist Jane Fonda has a net worth of $200 million. She is one of Hollywood’s most decorated stars, having won two Oscars, two BAFTAs, seven Golden Globes, and many other accolades.

Jane Fonda @aflashbak /Twitter

With two million followers on Instagram, Fonda is still very popular, even though she’s decades outside of her Barbarella days. Her acting career is still going strong, with recent projects like Grace and Frankie and 80 For Brady drawing in the fans.

Biggest era of popularity: 1970s/1980s
Famous for: Acting
Est. Net Worth: $50 million* 

Actress Faye Dunaway became a movie sensation after just three films, The Happening, Hurry Sundown, and, most notably, Bonnie and Clyde. After that, this ‘70s “it” girl was off to the races, as far as her career went.

Faye Dunaway ©Warner Bros.-Seven Arts/Wikimedia Commons

She was on movie posters all over the world, scoring roles in blockbuster hits like Mommie Dearest, Chinatown, The Thomas Crown Affair, and more. Dunaway, who has a net worth of $50 million, is still acting, appearing in hit movies like The Bye Bye Man, a horror-thriller you can stream on Netflix. 

Biggest era of popularity: 1950s/1960s
Famous for: Modeling, Acting
Est. Net Worth: $7 million* (Inflation-Adjusted) 

We couldn’t have a list of “it” girls without including one of the most famous “it” girls of all time: Marilyn Monroe. The actress and model was a popular sex symbol of the 1950s and 1960s, an emblem of a time when women were ditching the trappings of antiquated modesty.

Marilyn Monroe ©Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot, The Seven Year Itch, The Misfits, How To Marry A Millionaire, and more were just some of the blockbuster hits drawing people to the movies. Had she not passed away in 1962, Monroe likely would’ve still been filling up the seats in AMC and Cinemark theaters in the 1970s and 1980s, too.

Biggest era of popularity: 1960s
Famous for: Singing
Est. Net Worth: $80 million* 

Aretha Franklin holds the honor of being one of the greatest singers of all time, with singles like “Respect,” “I Say A Little Prayer,” “A Natural Woman,” “Chain of Fools,” and more topping the charts during the 1960s.

Aretha Franklin ©Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and she was able to become a hit music sensation because of her powerful, unmistakable voice. To this day, the songstress still rakes in millions of streams on Apple Music and Spotify, proving her star has never waned.

Biggest era of popularity: 1950s/1960s
Famous for: Acting, Modeling
Est. Net Worth: $600 million-$1 billion* 

Elizabeth Taylor is an icon. The legendary Hollywood actress was a huge box office draw in the 1950s and 1960s, starring in roles in films like Cleopatra, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Giant, National Velvet, and more. Throughout her career, she managed to amass a huge net worth.

Elizabeth Taylor @taylor_domain /Twitter

According to CBS News, this 1950s/1960s “it” girl’s fortune might have approached one billion dollars, thanks to her savvy business sense. As it turned out, Taylor wasn’t just a star actress with glamorous looks; she also had a penchant for investing.

Biggest era of popularity: 1960s/1970s/1980s
Famous for: Singing, Acting
Est. Net Worth: $400 million* 

Barbra Streisand is one of the most successful members of Hollywood, with a net worth of almost half a billion dollars. The singer and actress has had a career spanning over sixty years, and she’s managed to win a Grammy, Emmy, Tony, and Oscar—a rare quadruple feat.

Barbra Streisand @vintageeveryday/Pinterest

Streisand’s fame began in the sixties, and it continued through the seventies and eighties, thanks to her music and roles in movies like Funny Girl, A Star Is Born, Yentl, The Way We Were, and more. 

Biggest era of popularity: 1950s/1960s
Famous for: Acting, Modeling
Est. Net Worth: $55 million* 

To this day, Audrey Hepburn is still an “it” girl, as people synonymize the British actress’ name with class, elegance, and dignity. Hepburn rose to fame in the 1950s with roles in Charade, Sabrina, and Funny Face.

Audrey Hepburn @trailerchan5879/Youtube

Her career only continued at its heights in the 1960s, with roles in movies like Roman Holiday, Breakfast and Tiffany’s, and more. The film and fashion icon would become the American Film Institute’s third-greatest female onscreen legend from Hollywood’s Classical era, and she has remained a fashion inspiration even now, in 2023.

Biggest era of popularity: 1970s
Famous for: Singing
Est. Net Worth: $80 million* 

Musician Carly Simon was all over the radio in the seventies, thanks to her hit singles like “Nobody Does It Better,” “Anticipation,” “That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be,” and, of course, “You’re So Vain.”

Carly Simon @carlysimonhq/Instagram

Simon has sold almost ten million albums throughout your career, and her net worth is around $80 million. As time has gone on, the singer has added being a memoirist and children’s author to her impressive resume.

Biggest era of popularity: 1970s/1980s
Famous for: Acting, Singing, Theater Acting
Est. Net Worth: $50 million* 

Reportedly, Liza Minnelli has a net worth of $50 million, thanks to her contributions to the worlds of theater, film, and television. The seventy-seven-year-old actress is the daughter of Judy Garland, and her career has outpaced even that of her famous mother.

Liza Minnelli @dailymail/Pinterest

Minnelli became famous in movies like 1972’s Cabaret because of her commanding voice and stage presence. She is one of very few people to win a Tony, Oscar, Grammy, and non-competitive Emmy. 

Biggest era of popularity: 1970s
Famous for: Acting
Est. Net Worth: $6 million* 

Pam Grier was a total 1970s “it” girl, and she was also a trailblazer. Director Quentin Tarantino has described her as the first-ever female action star, as Grier became famous for her roles in the movies Foxy Brown, Coffy, Above the Law, The Big Bird Cage, The Big Doll House, Jackie Brown, and more.

Pam Grier @r/TwoXChromosomes/Reddit

Grier has a net worth of $6 million, according to reports. Though the seventy-six-year-old has slowed down her acting career over the past couple of decades, her trailblazing in Hollywood will never be forgotten.

Biggest era of popularity: 1970s/1980s
Famous for: Modeling, Acting
Est. Net Worth: $40 million* 

You couldn’t go to the movies in the seventies or eighties without running into a project that featured Farrah Fawcett. The actress was on movie posters everywhere, thanks to her stunning good looks and roles in blockbuster hits.

Farrah Fawcett ©ABC Television/Wikimedia Commons

Fawcett graced the screen in movies and on shows like Charlie’s Angels, The Burning Bed, Cannonball Run, The Six Million Dollar Man, Saturn, Logan’s Run, and more. People loved her all-American style of acting, and she became synonymous with the glitz and glamor of 1970s/1980s Hollywood.

Biggest era of popularity: 1990s
Famous for: Modeling, Acting
Est. Net Worth: $20 million* 

Pamela Anderson became famous in the late 1980s when she was discovered at age twenty-two at a football game. She was minding her own business in the stands when a camera spotted her wearing a Labatt’s Beer shirt.

Pamela Anderson Baywatch @PamelaAndersonOnlineSite / Facebook.com

She was so pretty that the brewing company asked her to model for them. After that, her career took off, and Anderson was able to parlay that chance discovery into a role on the hit series Baywatch, on which she played stunner C.J. Parker.

Biggest era of popularity: 1970s/1980s
Famous for: Singing, Acting
Est. Net Worth: $60 million* 

After reading this, we wouldn’t be surprised if you have “You’re the One I Want,” “Physical,” or “Xanadu” stuck in your head. Olivia Newton-John was the “it” girl of the 1970s and 1980s, becoming a face on movie posters around the world with her starring role in Grease.

Olivia Newton John ©Bert Verhoeff/Wikimedia Commons

Born in the U.K., Olivia Newton-John was a chart-topper, winning four Grammys and having fifteen top-ten singles throughout her career (five of those were number ones). Alas, Newton-John passed in 2022 due to a long, hard-fought battle against breast cancer.