The 50 Hottest Bikini Shots of All Time

Year: 1983
Photographer: Alan Hume

This comic-con favorite still has geeks everywhere begging their girlfriends to rock the metal bikini worn by Carrie Fisher when Princess Leia was enslaved by Jabba the Hutt. Be careful when asking your woman to be cool with this, though-Leia did end up choking Jabba with her own chains.

Year: 2008
Photographer: Simon Emmett

In years to come, Diaz's leggy photo for the men's mag's U.K. edition will inarguably earn "classic" status. At 35, the actress showed off her surf tan and toned body, proving that she most definitely wasn't past her prime.

Year: 1966
Photographer: Gert Andersen

Field's first television role was in the surfer-centric sitcom Gidget. Although the show didn't leave a lasting impression on viewers, being canceled after its first season, it did unofficially put a face to the song "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini."

Year: 1985
Photographer: Robert Elswit

In this quintessential '80s sex comedy, John Cusack hitchhikes across the country just to get laid by a beautiful blonde whom his friends have dubbed "The Sure Thing." As the titular character, Sheridan's image subsequently became the symbol of hope for boys in the '80s.

Year: 2005
Photographer: John Shearer

Since the VMAs were held in Miami, it makes sense that the Desperate Housewives star dressed appropriately for the weather. The actress, who had nothing to do with music in the first place, took to the stage in this show-stealing outfit to introduce someone. It might've been Mariah Carey. No one cared to remember what the award was even for; it's now known as "that time Eva Longoria wore a bikini onstage."

Year: 1987
Photographer: John G. Zimmerman

Although Porizkova wasn't the most financially successful model, she was still one of the most recognized. That was partly because her seashell bikini photo helped sell thousands of her calendars, giving people something immaculate to wake up to 365 days of the year.

Year: 1975
Photographer: Walter Iooss Jr.

At 20 years old, Brinkley popularized a swimsuit that seemed to be inspired by the string game Cat's Cradle. Undoubtedly, this image, considered extremely progressive during its time, still remains one-of-a-kind to this day.

Year: 2011
Photographer: Theo Van De Sande

So, you might have resisted the urge to fork over a few bucks to see Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston in Just Go With It at first. But there's no doubt in our minds that you were first in line at the ticket booth after seeing Brooklyn Decker's yellow-bikini scene in every commercial. Sure, it's cliché, but the movie's best part did raise Decker's profile in Hollywood and set her apart from the plethora of Sports Illustrated predecessors.

Year: 2008
Photographer: John Fraser

Probably the most unexpected pic on this list is the above shot of Helen Mirren. Yet, let's face it-she had dudes of all ages craning their heads to get a better look at a 62-year-old woman. The candid shot was an eye-opener to tabloids around the globe and made people reconsider their standards of sexiness.

Year: 2007
Photographer: Gavin Bond

2007 was a huge year for one of our favorite pop stars, Rihanna. She released a multi-award-winning album (Good Girl Gone Bad) that included several chart-topping hits (ella, ella, eh!), scored high-profile artist collaborations, and, above all, became one of our most fantasy-inducing features ever. Once this issue hit stands, dudes everywhere wanted to scrub themselves.

Year: 1992
Photographer: Theo Van De Sande

Dare we say it? OK, fine: Schawiiing! In this Saturday Night Live–derived cult comedy, Tia Carrere made a name for herself as Cassandra, the hard-rock vocalist, bassist, and Wayne's unlikely love interest, thanks to her exotic sex appeal illustrated by that electric blue bikini.

Year: 1941
Photographer: Robert Landry

Years before every woman in Hollywood was encouraged to show off more skin, Hayworth graced the cover of Life in a white bikini on the beach. The silver screen legend's easy elegance helped make it possible for women to walk around today in their swimsuits without it being considered "taboo."

Year: 2005
Photographer: Peggy Sirota

America: the beautiful, the bold, and the land represented all over the star-spangled, bikini-clad Jessica Simpson's chest. At the height of her career, the blonde bombshell boldly took to GQ to embody the model American citizen.

Year: 2000
Photographer: Bill Pope

Elizabeth Hurley made selling your soul to the devil more appealing than ever as she donned a seductive red suit for the bewitching comedy Bedazzled. The beautiful English model, at one point known mostly for her relationship with Hugh Grant, definitely made a name for herself outside of past high-profile relationships after this scene.

Year: 1992
Photographer: Ronald Huntzinger

This image was a cornerstone in Ms. Ireland's career because it was a ridiculously long time coming for the S.I. vet. After 13 consecutive appearances in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issues, she had finally earned a solo cover.

Year: 2003
Photographer: Russell Carpenter

Despite joining a cast of three female leads already sexy in their own right, Demi Moore's beach scene, in a black two-piece as the fallen Angel Madison Lee, became the film's most memorable moment. Having remained relatively low-key since the late '90s, the reinvigorated beauty surprised audiences with an over-40-year-old body so remarkable that it got tabloids everywhere speculating on its authenticity.

Year: 1964
Photographer: J. Frederick Smith

Babette March was the first cover model to ever grace the front of a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. She paved the way for us to feast our eyes on the likes of Brooklyn Decker, Tyra Banks, and Marisa Miller. That being said, March may have been the greatest thing to happen to print magazines since the implementation of color.

Year: 1998
Photographer: Jeffery L. Kimball

There is one person that makes Wild Things so memorable: Denise Richards. Whether she's making out with Neve Campbell in a pool or taking her daily swim, any mention of the film's name brings up an image of Richards in her blue one-piece bikini, as well as her lesbian scene with Campbell. Regardless of which comes to mind first, it can't be argued that Denise Richards made exploring your own sexuality easy with this movie.

Year: 2011
Photographer: Raphael Mazzucco

Empty that vodka from your flasks, because the only antifreeze you'll ever need is this image of Irina Shayk. In 2011, Shayk became the first-ever Russian model to grace a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover, shifting her claim to fame away from being Cristiano Ronaldo's girlfriend.

Year: 2004
Photographer: Mark Seliger

In 2004, LiLo's Vanity Fair photo shoot reintroduced her into society as a new, free-thinking young woman. The article not only went into depth about her fall-out with Disney, it also showed signs of her budding rebellious persona. In fact, Lohan's purple bikini photo could be considered the jumping-off point for her troubled and provocative reputation today.

Year: 1956
Photographer: Armand Thirard

And God Created Woman wasn't Bardot's first film, but it was the one that launched her identity as a "sex kitten." We have her to thank for popularizing bikini-style swimwear in her earlier work, as well as for perfecting the look in a film whose title already implied she was the exemplary female.

Year: 2005
Photographer: Shane Hurlbut

At the height of Alba's career, she starred in this barely mediocre action film, driven by gratuitous shots of the actress in swimwear (score). Although the film wasn't commercially successful, Alba's bikini body did solidify her reputation as one of the hottest women in Hollywood and inadvertently changed the meaning of going "into the blue" for its male viewers.

Year: 1994
Photographer: Walter Iooss Jr.

Now this is a true dream team. When we saw these three goddesses on the cover of Sports Illustrated back in 1994, we completely forgot about Jordan, Bird, and Magic. And just like wine, the issue-as well as Ireland, Macpherson, and Hunter themselves-gets better by the year.

Year: 1951
Photographer: Unknown

Five years after the bikini was (thankfully) introduced into women's fashion, Marilyn Monroe made this conservative suit famous. Even though you can't even see her belly button, the above image still made U.S. troops in Korea happy when she signed posters of herself wearing it for them.

Year: 2007
Photographer: Michael Thompson

Think of the great things that happened in the summer of 2007. You may have graduated college after seven years, had a romantic summer fling with a sultry Latin woman named Rosa, or scored an über kill streak in Call Of Duty. But none of those mattered the moment you saw Jessica Biel on the cover of GQ. Just like that, she shut down every critic who wondered why Justin Timberlake dumped Cameron Diaz for her.

Year: 2008
Photographer: James Dimmock

Tell us that a woman who's into nerdy stuff and penis jokes can't possibly be hot and we'll show you the above picture of Olivia Munn. This cover shot proves that geeky girls can represent in a sexy swimsuit and not just horn-rimmed glasses or a Princess Leia costume.

Year: 1996
Photographer: Guillermo Navarro

Worst-case scenario: You're stuck in a strip club that's inhabited by vampires and located in the middle of the desert. How that scenario improves: seeing Salma Hayek dancing seductively as she pours wine all over her semi-naked figure, which proved to be the best-case scenario for this cult classic.

Year: 1998
Photographer: Myers Robertson

Niki Taylor's name should be synonymous with the term "cover girl." Understandably, she was bound to be the subject of some of the most classic Sports Illustrated images of all time. Case in point: the fun-loving, snorkel-ready swimsuit that set her apart from those other string-bikini lookalikes.

Year: 2008
Photographer: Marc Om

Just like Fox's interview, in which she talked about everything from sex to Xanax, the Transformers starlet didn't hold back when it came to the photo shoot. In fact, that melting ice cube might've been the only cool part of her highly publicized and now unforgettable feature.

Year: 2008
Photographer: Raphael Mazzucco

If Helen of Troy's face launched thousands of ships, then Marisa Miller's mug would've initiated all-out nuclear warfare. As S.I.'s 2008 cover girl, the Santa Cruz, Calif., native was seemingly born for the beach mag's front page. We're not even sure if her outfit qualifies as a swimsuit; the only things she's wearing are a bikini bottom and your imagination, which after three years, you can stop publicly sharing now.

Year: 2001
Photographer: Stewart Shining

Hosting Mexico's Next Top Model is an appropriate job for a woman who made history as the first Chicana to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Who else would be a great judge of appearance than a woman who looked nearly flawless in one of the most coveted male magazines ever?

Year: 1996
Photographer: Walter Looss Jr.

In 1996, the good folks at Sports Illustrated gave their readers an instant collector's item by putting Tyra Banks alongside Argentinian beauty Valerie Mazza, both in cheetah-print bikinis. Undoubtedly, readers were dying to claw their outfits off.

Year: 1975
Photographer: Walter looss Jr.

Even before the likes of Marisa Miller and Brooklyn Decker graced the magazine's Swimsuit Edition covers, '70s-era bombshell Cheryl Tiegs reigned supreme. And, looking back at that green-bikini shot of Ms. Tiegs, it's still a buzzer-beating, grand-slamming touchdown to this day.

Year: 1943
Photographer: Frank Powolny

Betty Grable was already box-office gold in 1943 when she decided to give the boys at war a little something to look forward to. She became the number-one pinup girl during WWII in this iconic white swimsuit, showing off her famously insured $1,000,000 legs.

Year: 2003
Photographer: Walter Iooss, Jr.

Throughout her five years as a featured S.I. swimsuit model, the Czech model only landed on one front page, but it instantly became a collector's item. Despite looking like it was crocheted by her grandma, Nemcova's two-piece left eyes squinting for a peek at her barely hidden twin peaks.

Year: 2011
Photographer: Peter Menzies Jr.

While Jolie was already known for her acting chops, it was her role as Lara Croft that earned her the title of "international superstar." Tomb Raider wasn't well-received by critics, but Jolie still earned shining reviews for her performance and made the movie a box-office smash. With her jet-skiing scene, she proved that an action heroine doesn't have to evoke images of a female Rambo; they can be incredibly sexy and feminine.

Year: Circa 1995
Photographer: James Pergola

We're sure the makers of Baywatch like to think they had something to do with the series being considered "the most-watched TV show of all time," with 1.1 billion viewers. But we'd say about 1 billion of those watchers tuned in because of Pamela "C.J." Anderson alone. Her character has become so iconic that any reference to a lifeguard immediately brings to mind the image of the blonde bombshell running down the shore in her red bikini.

Year: 1962
Photographer: Ted Moore

To say Ursula Andress made a splash with her entrance in Dr. No would be an understatement. The scene in which she comes out of the Caribbean Sea in a white bikini, with a knife holster and giant shell in her hand, has arguably made Andress the most memorable Bond girl to date.

Year: 2002
Photographer: David Tattersall

As Bond girl Giacinda "Jinx" Johnson, Berry paid homage to Dr. No's Ursula Andress by meeting 007 in the same manner Andress did 40 years prior: by coming out of the sea in nothing but a sexy bikini. Turns out the recreation also had the same affect on Halle's legacy.

Year: 1990
Photographer: Unknown

In the early 1990s, Cindy Crawford was the quintessential all-American supermodel. By posing in a red-white-and-blue bikini, she made people throughout the nation wish they could pledge allegiance to her swimwear in person.

Year: 2007
Photographer: Cliff Watts

For Sports Illustrated's first and only "Music Issue," the mag paid homage to Beyoncé, making her both the first singer and first non-model to ever appear on a Sports Illustrated cover. Those historical details didn't go unnoticed to the public; the cover is still regarded as a benchmark in bikini history.

Year: 1966
Photographer: Wilkie Cooper

In a move that would surely have PETA up in arms, Raquel Welch made her sex-symbol debut in an animal-skin bikini. The response to her pinup-worthy look made One Million Years B.C. a certified box-office hit.

Year: 1979
Photographer: Frank Stanley

Once 10 was released in '79, Dudley Moore wasn't the only one obsessed with Bo Derek. That gold bikini turned her into an instant sex symbol. Hell, white suburban women even copied her cornrow hairstyle, and Derek's running-on-the-beach scene has been parodied numerous times.

Year: 1982
Photographer: Matthew Leonetti

If there was ever an iconic scene in 1980s cinema that served as a catalyst for millions of teenagers worldwide to go through puberty, this would be it. Phoebe Cates was sent by the powers above, riding through the sunshine like a unicorn and changing our lives forever with one simple red bikini.

Year: 1997
Photographer: Russell James

1997 was a phenomenal year for Tyra Banks. She received VH1's "Supermodel of the Year Award" and was the first African-American on the cover of GQ, the Victoria's Secret catalog, and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, in which she clearly showed off her two biggest talents.

Year: 1976
Photographer: Bruce McBroom

Farrah Fawcett donned a red swimsuit for a photo shoot before her debut on Charlie's Angels. The result: The above shot became the highest-selling poster of all time. The now-famous suit can be seen inside the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. A proud American historical artifact, indeed.