25 Hot Women Who Give New Jersey A Good Name

Image via Complex Original

Hometown:  East Orange
Occupation: Rapper/Actress

Queen Latifah, who some folks back in Jersey may still know as Dana Owens, is a true trailblazer. She was one of the first female hip-hop artists to break through and achieve mainstream success, helping pave the way for the Lil’ Kims and Nicki Minajs of the world. All hail the Queen!

Hometown: Montclair
Occupation: Actress

Aside from having been nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Emmy, this former child actress recently became the National Spokesperson for RAINN, which is the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. To say that accepting and embracing that role is admirable would be an understatement. 

Hometown:  Wyckoff
Occupation: Actress

30 Rock 's Katrina Bowden is a Jersey girl. On the hilarious NBC series, Bowden plays the role of Cerie, Liz Lemon’s sexy yet incompetent assistant. And while her 30 Rock character is used sparingly more often than not, Katrina was smart enough to take that role, as small as it may be, and use it to springboard into a full-fledged film career. In Hold Your Breath, a horror film hitting theaters next week, Katrina takes center stage as the film’s star, not a supporting player.

Hometown:  Wyckoff
Occupation: News Anchor

New Jersey residents can take pride in the fact that Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum has thrived in the television news industry, which at times can still very much be a boy's club. Over the years, Martha’s interviewed such political dignitaries as David Axelrod, John McCain, and even her own hometown governor, Chris Christie.

Hometown:  Livingston
Occupation: Television Host/Actress/Author/Comedian

Chelsea Handler truly is a jack, er, jill of all trades. Not only is her late-night talk show, Chelsea Lately, such a hit that the E! network recently renewed it for another 150 episodes, but the controversial funny lady is also a best selling author, a wildly popular stand-up comic and an actress both on television and in film. Handler is a true New Jersey success story.

Hometown:  Toms River
Occupation: Actress

In Coyote Ugly, viewers were lucky enough to see a half-naked Piper Perabo gyrate her way across a bar top for the better part of two hours. After that film, Piper could have easily chosen similar roles. Actresses with lesser talent likely would have. However, Piper now plays a tough-as-nails CIA agent on the USA network’s Covert Affairs, a role which she received a 2010 Golden Globe nomination for, proving that Piper Perabo is more than just a pretty face.

Hometown: Bayonne
Occupation: Actress

At one point in the '60s, the Gidget star was one of the most popular box office draws in the entire world. New Jersey denizens can be proud to say that, though she eventually migrated to Hollywood, this silver screen legend was born and raised back in Jersey.

Hometown:  South Orange
Occupation: Musician

Lauryn Hill, who we first met as the female presence in The Fugees, is one of the most influential and well-respected female musicians alive today. This talented musician owns a total of eight Grammys, and actually took home the trophy for Album Of The Year two years in a row.

Hometown:  Maplewood
Occupation: Actress

Over the course of the last three decades, Elisabeth Shue has enjoyed a consistently thriving career in the film industry.  From The Karate Kid to Leaving Las Vegas to 2012’s House At the End Of The Street, Elisabeth’s success and longevity in such a cutthroat industry is impressive to say the least.

Hometown: West Deal
Occupation: Actress/Singer

While other Hollywood starlets like Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus and Amanda Bynes are routinely the subject of TMZ-covered controversies, this High School Musical star has managed to escape the wonderful world of Disney with a squeaky clean image. And it’s paid off. Ashley was recently cast as the lead in Scary Movie 5, which is set to premiere in 2013.

Hometown:  Paramus
Occupation: Television Host/Model

In an era when the network actually still played music videos, Daisy Fuentes broke barriers as MTV’s first Latina VJ. And though she hasn't appeared on the network in well over a decade, Daisy remains one of the most memorable MTV on-air personalities of all time.

Hometown: Jersey City
Occupation: Actress/Singer/Model

Any state should be psyched to have a bona fide triple threat on their roster of homegrown talent. The 31-year-old multitalented celebrity is just that. Christina’s a professional model, actress and singer/songwriter. Actually, she dances, too. Quadruple threat? Be proud, Jersey. 

Hometown: Delran
Occupation: Professional Soccer Player

After kicking ass and taking home a gold medal across the pond at the London Olympics this past summer, women’s soccer player Carli Lloyd certainly gives her home state of New Jersey a good name. 

Hometown:  Stratford
Occupation: Television Host

New Jerseyans can certainly be proud that the always-adorable Kelly Ripa at one point called the Garden State home. Aside from hosting Live! With Kelly & Michael, this mother of three lends a sizable portion of her time to charitable causes. Last year, she spearheaded a campaign for The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund that raised over $3.5 million, and she’s also an outspoken advocate for MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Hometown:  Hoboken
Occupation: News Anchor

Every morning millions of people tune into The Today Show. And in between all the celebrity interviews, cooking segments and Al Roker's weather forecast, Natalie, a beautiful North Jersey resident, brings the world its hard-hitting news.

Hometown: Haworth
Occupation: Model/Actress

Brooke Shields is arguably the most successful model-turned-actress in history. Over the course of her career, aside from looking simply stunning in front of the camera, Brooke’s also been an outspoken advocate for several women’s issues. In 2005, she penned a book, Down Came The Rain, that discusses her experience with postpartum depression. The motivation behind the memoir was to bring a greater public awareness to the subject.

More recently, Brooke became a spokeswoman for Tupperware’s Chain Of Confidence SMART Girls campaign, a program that teaches girls to nurture their mental and physical well-being. What’s not to be proud of?

Hometown:  Fair Haven
Occupation: Model

Jacquelyn Jablonski, who was offered her first professional modeling contract by Ford at just 15-years-old, stepped away from the business to focus on school in 2008. Then, after returning to the runway in 2009, Jacquelyn proceeded to quickly land some of the biggest campaigns in the industry (namely one for Hermes and Givenchy), proving that she’s the perfect mix of beauty and brains.

Hometown:  Point Pleasant
Occupation: Actress

After having been nominated for a Golden Globe at just 12-years-old, this former child star has gone on to make NJ proud. Kirsten’s appeared in such critically acclaimed films as Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Marie Antoinette and Melancholia. And aside from banging out blockbuster after blockbuster, the former Spider-Man star often finds time to work with charities; Stand Up To Cancer, Teletón and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation to name a few.

Hometown:  Tenafly
Occupation: Actress

Unbeknownst to most, Jersey’s own Lea Michele, the star of Fox’s mega-hit Glee, dedicates a sizable portion of her time to a number of different charitable pursuits. Lea actively works with PETA, the Human Rights Campaign, the Twin Towers Orphan Fund and the Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation. Who’d have thought that this sexy songbird really is as good of a girl as the character she plays?

Hometown: Edison
Occupation: Actress

Who wouldn’t be proud to say that Susan freakin’ Sarandon came from their hometown? This timelessly attractive Academy Award winning Hollywood icon is one of the coolest women in the business. Aside from being incredibly hot, impossibly charming and wildly talented, she’s in the New Jersey Hall of Fame!

Hometown: Newark
Occupation: Musician/Actress

Whitney Houston will always been known as one of the most talented vocalist in the history of modern music. New Jersey residents can always take pride in the fact that this incomparably talented star was born and raised in their home state. In February, Houston was laid to rest in Fairview Cemetery, in Westfield, New Jersey.

Hometown:  Summit, New Jersey
Occupation: Actress

Meryl Streep is known the world over as one of the most talented actresses of all time. The 17-time Academy Award nominee is Hollywood royalty, and it all started in the same state that helped popularize the term "smush."

Hometown:  Hawthorne
Occupation: Singer/Actress

Debbie Harry, who’s always been as sexy as she is cool, is a certified rock legend. As the frontwoman of Blondie, Debbie earned her rightful place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Harry is a cultural icon, and was a true pioneer of the new wave and punk scene of the '70s and '80s.

Hometown: Millburn
Occupation: Actress

Anne Hathaway isn't just a constant presence in the biggest films in Hollywood (from the Oscar-nominated Rachel Getting Married to The Dark Knight Rises to the upcoming Les Miserables), she's also one of today's most outspoken gay rights advocates. Hathaway routinely makes speeches to rally people to support equal rights and gay marriage.