The best and most beautiful things in life cannot be seen, not touched, but are felt in the heart. – Helen Keller
FHM magazine, both international and Philippine editions, dethroned my idol Angelina Jolie from their world’s 100 sexiest women roster in favor of actress Scarlett Johansson. After years of coming out with annual "women we love" issues, Esquire magazine in 2004 also joined the "sexiest" fray. And similar to FHM, Esquire this year dethroned her sublime sexiness Angelina in favor of another US actress and L’Oreal spokeswoman, Jessica Biel, who looks so ordinary to me. I guess physical sexiness, like political power or fashion, doesn’t last forever.
How do we define sexiest anyway? What are the most important criteria – physique (voluptuous or lean), face, hair, personality, the way she wears her clothes or the way she carries herself, her wit, her voice or her smile?
In the July 2006 issue of Summit Media’s FHM magazine, readers in the Philippines voted the following as the 10 sexiest women in the world (most of whom surprisingly need not pose nude or in risqué photos to capture the fancy of us guys):
1. Scarlett Johansson – FHM said Tom Cruise wanted her to co-star in Mission Impossible III, but she declined his offer. Despite New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2003 turning down her application to study there, she went on to sizzle in acting and became the 2006 topnotcher in a global FHM poll on sexiest women.
2. Katrina Halili – FHM’s choice of her as its latest calendar girl propelled her all the way to the top among local women in the magazine’s poll. She plays villain roles on several GMA-7 TV dramas.
3. Angel Locsin – This actress has proven that a woman doesn’t need to pose nude in order to be considered sexiest by us. I once discussed the state of the nation with her one evening at Mother Lily’s Imperial Palace Suites Hotel – no kidding, we talked economics and politics. This young woman is so sexy because she has brains.
4. Diana Zubiri – The sexy starlet in the local film Itlog. She is photogenic and is very busy with TV work.
5. Bianca King – This young beauty, seen in many TV commercials and shows, was born in Berlin to a Canadian dad and a Filipina mom.
6. Jennylyn Mercado – The first ultimate survivor of the Starstruck reality TV show, this beauty can sing and has two albums to prove it.
7. Cindy Kurleto – Austrian mestiza TV actress and model.
8. Iya Villania – ABS-CBN talent and commercial model.
9. Pauleen Luna – TV actress of GMA -7.
10. Bianca Gonzales – Commercial model and ABS-CBN talk show host.
I wouldn’t put bold starlets on the pedestal as "sexiest" just because they disrobe or pose nude. I exclude in my sexiest roster all those who have undergone cosmetic surgery, especially those whose doctored bodies look almost unnatural like that of American singer Britney Spears. Allow me to share my own personal list of the super-duper top 10 sexiest women on earth in 2006:
1. Maria Sharapova – This 19-year-old Russian tennis sensation, ex-Wimbledon champ and Motorola/Tag Heuer/Nike endorser is my biggest crush. How could the world’s showbiz stars and models even remotely compare to her dynamic sexiness? I admire her so much I’m tempted to take up tennis!
2. Angelina Jolie – I have demoted her supreme sexiness, because of this Oscar Award winner’s fatal mistake of having chosen that Hollywood brat Brad Pitt over me! I could someday probably forgive her due to the way she is using her fame for noble civic causes worldwide.
3. Charlize Theron – This South African actress is not only so stunningly beautiful, she’s also a talented Oscar Award winner.
4. Zhang Ziyi – This 27-year-old Chinese actress is not a classic beauty by oriental standards, but there’s just something indefinably sexy about the way she acts or does wushu in movies. I’m excited about her next Mandarin-language action/drama film Ye Yan or The Night Banquet in which she plays an empress.
5. Gong Li –This Chinese actress amazingly retains her elegant beauty forever.
6. Monica Bellucci – The first time I watched her in the movie Malena, I fell in love with this Italian actress and have since collected DVDs of all her films including the Matrix series. Cultured, talented and muy delicioso, Monica Bellucci is the best thing to come out of Italy.
7. Heart Evangelista – This actress and commercial model looks so good on TV and billboards. Heart is only No. 15 on the Philippines FHM list, but I would rank her No. 1 sexiest among Philippine showbiz celebrities.
8. Margarita "Margie" Moran Floirendo – Time can’t erase the beauty of this 1973 Miss Universe winner and Maryknoll College cum laude graduate. She is even more beautiful now, due to her Christian idealism and her numerous civic endeavors such as the Habitat for Humanity international movement (which has inspired the Philippine Catholic version in Gawad Kalinga).
9. Precious Lara Quigaman – This 2005 Miss International beauty queen is beautiful, but what really sets her apart are her brains, strong moral values, Christian ideals and her grit. She’s only No. 26 on the Philippines FHM list, but I consider her a classier and sexier woman than others.
10. Senator Pia Cayetano – This pretty, gutsy and sports-minded opposition legislator was two months ago elected as the first vice-president of the Women’s Parliamentarians of the International Parliamentary Union (IPU).