I ran into an article in the Daily Mail earlier today about the one, the only, Raquel Welch which was asking (rather stupidly, in my opinion) exactly how it was that one of the hottest women of the 1970s still manages to look so damn good (for a septuagenarian). Now obviously I don’t believe that bilge about “clean living and healthy eating” any more than you do- I have no doubt that there is a fair bit of, shall we say, assistance involved in maintaining Ms. Welch’s still-impressive looks. But her photos in that article reminded me of just how stunning some of the beauties of yesteryear really were.

So, on this unseasonably warm and rather pleasant Friday evening, enjoy a few photos of some of the most iconic sex symbols of previous generations, starting of course with…

Raquel Welch:

Sofia Loren – who once famously said, “Everything you see, I owe to spaghetti”:

Jayne Mansfield- who was VASTLY more intelligent than her public image might lead one to suspect:

And of course, Gina Lollobrigida:

Remember when “women with curves” looked like that, and actually had at least some style and class? Their modern day equivalents are the likes of… well, Kim Kardashian and Scarlett Johansson.

Compared to that, the superstar bombshells of the 1960 and 1970s were miles ahead of their modern-day equivalents.