I’ve always loved bad girls. Confident, unashamedly sexual, drinking, smoking girls with over the top glamorous looks who don’t care if others might describe them as gaudy or tawdry.

The classic bad girl wears leopard print, lurex, fishnets, tight trousers and sweaters, hoop earrings and high heeled mules, all of my favourites! They also wear a confident, superior look on their faces, perhaps a red lipstick sneer or a sharp raised eyebrow.

This is pretty much everything I aspire to and the majority of my role models and inspirations growing up were typical bad girls, often of the cartoon variety like Jessica Rabbit (just drawn that way), the girl in that movie Cool World (I don’t remember anything else about this movie but the girl made a big impact on me), some femme fatale in a noir inspired detective cartoon about fish (anyone remember this?) and the showgirl bird in Rock-A-Doodle.

Anyway, have a ton of bad girl pictures.

Jayne Mansfield, always a top bad girl!

Source: Vintagegal

Source: LIFE Archive

Source: LIFE Archive

Another of my favourite bad girls, Joan Collins, always wearing the most perfect outfits.

So very Rizzo in Grease, another of my big childhood inspirations.

I love this picture so much.

Source: Pictosh

Source: Film Noir Photos

Diana Dors always looks the epitome of badness, though I haven’t seen any of her movies, yet.

Source: Vintagegal

Coolest of the cool, Jane Russell.

Source: Dr. Macro

Source: Dr. Macro

The very statuesque Julie Newmar.

Brigitte Bardot in a perfect bad girl outfit.

These pictures from the LIFE Archive were the inspiration behind this post. That girl is just so cool. Photographed by Loomis Dean in 1949.

The guy in the middle isn’t half bad looking either.

Lizabeth Scott.

Anita Ekberg.

Famous stripper Lilly Christine.

Rita Hayworth as bad girl Gilda.

Source: Dr. Macro

Ann Sheridan.

Master of bad girl roles, Barbara Stanwyck, as one of the ultimate bad girls in Double Indemnity.

I’m not very well versed in Elvis movies so I don’t know where this is from, but I love that girl.

Alexis Smith looking amazing. Source: screengoddess

Ultimate beauty Hedy Lamarr with whip and amazing raised eyebrow. My own eyebrows are relatively stationary so I envy this trait immensely. Source: Amy Jeanne

Anne Francis.

Chelo Alonso.

Can’t leave Marlene out of this post.

Shirley Houser. Perfect eyebrows.

Joan Vohs. Source: Film Noir Photos

Burlesque dancer Marcia Edgington looking like the perfect cartoon bad girl. Source: Vintage Burlesque Photos

One of my favourite Playboy centrefolds, September 1955. The tight trousers, no top look is so good, and it’s such a sexy picture. The girl is Anne Fleming.

Burlesque dancer Shiva. Source: Vintage Burlesque Photos

Unidentified fetish mag girl. I love this look.

Tura Satana, truly the baddest of the bad (look her up if you don’t believe me!). Look at those white claws.

Three unidentified bad girls showing off their great bras.

Unnaturally gorgeous Edwige Fenech.

Cyndi Lauper being a very bad school girl.

One of the ultimate 80s bad girls, Madonna.

Susan in Desperately Seeking Susan is one of my biggest role models of all time, she’s everything I’d like to be.

With Debi Mazar in the Papa Don’t Preach video. Debi’s outfit here is perfection.

I love this photo. It doesn’t get much better than a high cut leopard print swimsuit, fishnets and studded belt.

Elvira in her ultimate bad girl car.

Of course Poison Ivy has to be in this post. One of my biggest style inspirations, and top bad girl.

Wanda Woodward in Cry Baby was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, influences on my sense of style and what I find attractive in a woman from a very young age. Along with Rizzo and post makeover Sandy from Grease. I remember seeing the film at a friend’s house when I was about 10, and drawing a girl just like her first thing when I got home (sitting in a vet’s waiting room with a cat on her lap if I remember correctly).

Beautiful Drew Barrymore in the 90s.

Gorgeous Sherilyn Fenn.

And finally, not exactly in keeping with the rest style wise, but certainly in spirit. I didn’t see Gone With the Wind until I was about 13, but since then Scarlett has been one of my biggest role models. Spoiled and selfish (and all the more charming for it!) but also strong and completely in charge. I love her so much and identify quite strongly with her although I don’t have her determination and strength. She is also the undisputed master of the raised eyebrow.