9 Female Icons That Redefined Sexuality Forever (4 of 5)

Sharon Stone

Released in 1992, Basic Instinct undeniably reshaped Sharon Stone’s career and how she was perceived by the public. The now-infamous scene in which her character, Catherine Tramell, crosses her legs became a lasting symbol of mystery, power, and provocation. Years later, Stone spoke openly about the circumstances surrounding the filming, explaining that she felt misled about how the scene would appear on screen and was reassured that nothing explicit would be visible.

Rather than opening doors, the film brought intense scrutiny and attention that often crossed into discomfort, limiting the kinds of roles she was offered afterward. Stone has also shared that the industry culture at the time placed inappropriate pressure on actors, including expectations that blurred professional boundaries in the name of on-screen “chemistry.” While the film made her a global star, she has reflected on how that sudden fame came with heavy personal costs, affecting her private life, career stability, and sense of security in ways few people fully understood at the time.

Britney Spears

From the very start of her career, Britney was framed by the industry as a carefully constructed mix of innocence and sexuality. Her 1998 “…Baby One More Time” video became iconic for that aesthetic, even though she was only 16 at the time. As she grew up in the spotlight, she was subjected to deeply intrusive and inappropriate questions, often from much older interviewers, that focused on her body and private life rather than her talent.

In later documentaries and her memoir The Woman in Me, Spears reflected on how frequently she was pressured to discuss things that should have remained personal, including her relationships and sexuality. Years of constant media scrutiny and paparazzi attention took a visible toll on her well-being. In 2008, she was placed under a conservatorship controlled by her father, a situation that lasted until 2021, when the #FreeBritney movement helped bring it to an end. Britney has since said that regaining her freedom was truly life-saving for her.