A sex symbol is a famous person, male or female, who is found sexually attractive by the general audience. The term was first used circa 1911.

The movie industry played an important part in the rise of sex symbols. It disseminated images of beautiful people around the world, especially in the time of silent film, when there were no language barriers. One of the first sex symbols was the Danish actress Asta Nielsen in the 1910s and 1920s.

Although movies are still important, sex symbols nowadays are often created by television in general and soap operas and music videos in particular. Many "supermodels" of the fashion industry are also regarded as sex symbols.

Sometimes sex symbols can even be people who are not physically attractive, but possess other qualities that make them desirable. For example, powerful political figures such as Henry Kissinger or Donald Rumsfeld have often been admired as sex symbols. As Kissinger himself once put it, sometimes "power is the greatest aphrodisiac." Even Adolf Hitler was regarded as a sex symbol in Nazi Germany.

Compare teen idol.

Some female sex symbols:

Some male sex symbols:

Fictitious, animated, or virtual sex symbols have sometimes achieved popularity. Examples include Lara Croft, Betty Boop, Jessica Rabbit, and Aki Ross.

Alternately, "sex symbol" can refer to the two symbols used to represent the biological sex of an organism: ♀ for females, and ♂ for males.