Who could forget female icons of the 90s? They were all over television, in movies, and on magazine covers. These female celebrities captured our attention and made us want to be them! We looked up to these women for their strength, independence, and style. How many of these legends from the 1990s do you remember?
Sandra Bullock
With her classic, wholesome good looks and down-to-earth roles, Sandra Bullock rocketed to stardom in the 90s with starring roles in films like “Speed” and “While you were Sleeping.” As her popularity grew, Bullock took on nicknames like “America’s girlfriend” and “the girl next door.”
Jodie Foster
This Hollywood powerhouse, who catapulted to fame with “Taxi Driver” in 1976 and has since starred in a number of hit movies including the Academy Award-winning film “The Silence of the Lambs”. Today, Foster continues to make films and also directs.
Pamela Anderson
This Canadian-born beauty became a poster girl for female empowerment in the 90s, as she strutted down runways modeling lingerie or wearing motorcycle jackets in her Baywatch outfit. Since then, this actress has become an animal rights activist who promotes veganism through charity.
Julia Roberts
Another 90s female movie icon is Julia Roberts. One of the most successful actresses of all-time, Roberts came to prominence in “Pretty Woman,” and “The Pelican Brief.” Roberts continues to make movies and has also acted on Broadway, including in the 2006 revival of ‘Three Days of Rain.’
TLC
Formed in Atlanta, TLC was an R&B group that became famous in the 1990s. The band consisted of three female members: Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes (1990-2002), Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, and Crystal Jones. Their hits included “Waterfalls,” “Creep” and “No Scrubs” and helped define the sound of the decade.
Drew Barrymore
Though she got here start as a child actress in 1980s movies like E.T., Cat’s Eye, and Firestarter, Drew Barrymore went on to become a 90s icon. The actress and producer starred in films like Scream, Ever After: A Cinderella Story, and Charlie’s Angels.
Jennifer Love Hewitt
After her breakout role as Sarah Reeves on the long-running show “Party of Five,” Jennifer Love Hewitt became another female TV star to break out in Hollywood during the 1990s, landing roles in movies like Can’t Hardly Wait and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Christina Aguilera
A female powerhouse performer, this 1990s diva blew away audiences with hits like “Genie in a Bottle,” “What A Girl Wants” and “Lady Marmalade.” In more recent years, Aguilera has focused on curating music as a judge for The Voice, and released two albums.
Queen Latifah
This superstar of the ’90s left her mark in Hollywood with roles in both She’s All That and Set It Off, but she really got rolling with her entertainment careers as a beat boxer and then a successful rapper. Today, Queen Latifah is an award-winning female entrepreneur with her own production company.
Courtney Love
The lead singer and guitarist of the infamous grunge rock band Hole, this female icon’s career has been one wild ride from start to finish! After making a name for herself in Hollywood as both an actress and musician, she wrote about her life at length in her memoir, Dirty Blonde.
Gillian Anderson
Anderson stormed to fame in the 90s as agent Dana Scully on The X-Files. When the series ended in 2002, she quickly transitioned into a successful big screen career before later landing on another iconic series, The Fall. She reprised her role as Scully during two reboots of the X-Files, in both 2016 and 2018.
Madonna
Madonna’s story is one of pure dominance in the entertainment industry for more nearly four decades (so far!). Known as much for her music as her iconic style, Madonna has sold over 200 million records worldwide since debuting in 1983. Some of her 90s hits included “Vogue,” “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” and “Frozen.”
Tara Lipinski
Tara Lipinski is a figure skater who became the youngest person to win an Olympic Gold Medal in 1998. In 1999, she won her second consecutive World Championship title and was named female Athlete of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine for two years running.
(Like Female Icons of the 90s? Then you might like our article on Female Icons of the 80s, click here. Or how about Female Icons of the 70s, click here.)
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