When it comes to the ranks of the world’s billionaires, the fairer sex is still very much the rarer sex. In 2008, Forbes counted 99 female billionaires, 16 more than last year, but still representing slightly less than 9% of the world’s 1,125 billionaires. Just making it into the ranks of this uber-exclusive club is enough to turn these women into some of the most envied people in the world.

But while there is much to desire about their well-funded lifestyles–shopping sprees, luxury getaways and personal assistants to name a few–it isn’t just their bank accounts that make us covetous. Many of these notable women have influential careers, respected philanthropies and admirable ambition. Those honorable traits plus extraordinary wealth make these fascinating women especially worthy of our admiration–and envy. In honor of these women, we selected the dozen we’d most like to be, or at least meet.

Only 10 women billionaires are self made, having built their vast fortunes themselves. Of those, we’ve picked four to highlight. Oprah Winfrey, the unparalleled queen of daytime television, rose from hardscrabble beginnings in rural Mississippi to become one of the most respected media personalities in U.S. history. Oprah’s power as a tastemaker has helped her amass an estimated $2.5 billion personal fortune.

In Pictures: The World’s Billionaire Women
Another bootstrapping pop icon billionaire is J.K. Rowling, author of the beloved Harry Potter series. Once a single mother dependent on Welfare, she hit it big when her spirited stories about the boy wizard captured generations of readers around the globe. She is among the most successful authors of all time.

And there is Meg Whitman, the former president and chief of eBay (nasdaq: EBAY - news - people ). She oversaw the popular auction site through a decade of digital booms and busts and is now one of the most influential women in Silicon Valley. She recently stepped down from her post and is national co-chair of John McCain’s presidential campaign.

Only 43 years old, Chinese property developer Zhang Xin runs SOHO China with her husband and power couple counterpart Pan Shiyi. The Beijing builder is renowned for its original designs. A true rags-to-riches story, Xin was reportedly forced to work in Hong Kong factories when she was just 14. Now she is one of a growing number of women entrepreneurs revolutionizing China’s business culture.

Even some women who inherited fortunes have chosen to stay active in business, with impressive success. Spanish sisters, Alicia and Esther Koplowitz took over their late father’s multi-million dollar construction business back in 1989, though they eventually split up to do their own thing. Esther heads the family’s $13 billion (sales) construction group while Alicia is working on setting up Spain’s first hedge fund. The stylish duo are members of Spanish nobility, to boot.

A few lucky members of the lady billionaires club won’t be needing to spend any of their money on anti-wrinkle creams–at least not for a while. Three of these women have years to go before crow’s feet set in. Take 26-year-old Yang Huiyan, who became China’s richest person when she inherited a 58% stake in her father’s real estate company, Country Garden.

Thirty-one-year-old Turkish billionaire Begumhan Dogan Faralyali is a member of one of the country’s richest media families. She began her career as a consultant with Arthur Andersen but recently returned to the family company to head up its communications department. Lebanon’s Hind Hariri, daughter of slain Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, is just 24. An avowed fashionista, she is the world’s youngest woman billionaire.

Whether it be beauty, power, brains or all of the above, these 12 billionaires all have admirable assets beyond what even money can buy.

Now Read the List: World’s Billionaire Women

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Those honorable traits plus extraordinary wealth make these fascinating women especially worthy of our admiration–and envy. In honor of these women, we selected the dozen we’d most like to be, or at least meet.

Liliane Bettencourt
$22.9 billion

France

Daughter of L’Oreal founder Eugene Schueller, a man who is said to have a checkered past with wartime ties to the Nazi regime, Liliane is the world’s richest woman, thanks to her controlling stake in the cosmetics giant. She has held the stock for more than four decades. She became a widow last November when her 88-year-old husband, Andre Bettencourt, died. Her Bettencourt Schueller Foundation supports medical, cultural and humanitarian endeavors in France and developing countries.
Begunham Dogan Faralyali
$1 billion

Turkey

Daughter of Turkey’s richest media-mogul family. Began her career as an Arthur Andersen consultant in New York and later advised Europe’s leading media and technology firms. A Stanford M.B.A., she got her undergrad degree from the prestigious London School of Economics.
Cristina Green
$8.4 billion

United Kingdom

Glamorous wife of retailing billionaire Philip Green whose stable of brands includes Topshop and British Home Stores. Known for playing hostess at star-studded galas the couple throw at their mansion in Monaco. Recently started designing for hubby’s Home Store concept. (Husband and wife share the $8.4 billion fortune.)
Hind Hariri
$1.1 billion

Lebanon

Daughter of late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, inherited a stake in family’s construction, media and banking holdings. At age 24, she is the youngest female billionaire and the second-youngest billionaire in the world. Fashionista is reported to frequent Paris fashion shows and reportedly favors the designer Chanel.
Heidi Horten
$3.7 billion

Austria

Austria’s “merry widow” inherited an estimated $1 billion fortune from late husband, retailer Helmut Horten, in 1987. Divides her time between homes in Switzerland, Austria and the Bahamas. Proud owner of the one of the world’s biggest yachts, the 315-foot Corinthia VII.
Yang Huiyan
$7.4 billion

China

Mainland China’s richest person, she inherited a 58% stake in real estate company Country Garden from its founder–her father–in 2005. At 26, the Ohio State University grad is one of the world’s youngest billionaires. Gold-mining bachelors need not apply–she is married. (Her wedding is on YouTube.)
Abigail Johnson
$15 billion

U.S.

With her family, controls Fidelity Investments, America’s largest mutual fund company. The Harvard M.B.A. became president of the Fidelity’s mutual fund division in 2001 and now runs Employer Services department.
Teresa Heinz Kerry
$1 billion

U.S.

Inherited fortune from late husband, ketchup heir U.S. Sen. Henry John Heinz, in 1991. Born and raised in Mozambique, she attended interpreters school at University of Geneva and is fluent in several languages. Now married to U.S. senator and one-time presidential candidate John Kerry she serves as chairman to two family philanthropies.

Alicia & Esther Koplowitz
$5.2 billion, $3.3 billion

Spain

Sisters, members of Spanish nobility, inherited their family’s construction firm Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas. Stylish duo ran the company jointly from 1989 to 1997, when Alicia sold her stake to Esther for $800 million. Alicia is now working on setting up Spain’s first hedge fund. Both sisters give generously through their philanthropic foundations to causes such as child psychiatry research.
J.K. Rowling
$1 billion

U.K.

Welfare mom turned Harry Potter scribe now the only author on Forbes’ billionaires list. Her seventh installment of the boy wizard series was released last July to throngs of fans, quickly becoming the fastest-selling book of all time. Feeding the frenzy was the movie version of the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, that very same month.
Meg Whitman
$1.3 billion

U.S.

Stepped down as chief executive of online auctioneer eBay on March 31, 2008, ending a 10-year run as head of one of the world’s most popular Web sites. Self-made businesswoman has donated generously to her alma mater, Princeton University. Now appears to be setting her sites on politics. Recently signed on as national co-chair for Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Oprah Winfrey
$2.5 billion

U.S.

Queen of daytime television overcame impoverished childhood in rural Mississippi to become host of the nation’s No. 1 talk show. Her empire continues to expand: She recently announced plans to launch OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. Donated $40 million to create the Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. Her open endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama fueled speculation about her power to influence.
Zhang Xin
$3 billion

China

With husband Pan Shiyi, runs Beijing property developer SOHO China. One of China’s best-known business couples, they are renowned for their stylish buildings. Got her start working as an analyst for Goldman Sachs in New York.

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One day, you’re a gangly 14-year-old girl scarfing a Big Mac at McDonald’s. The next, you are the highest-paid model in the world, stalking the runways of New York, Paris and Milan, Italy; yours is the face of everything from Dolce and Gabbana to Victoria’s Secret to Apple computers; you’re dating mega-hunks like actor Leonardo DiCaprio and quarterback Tom Brady. It happened to supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

Didn’t it?

Yes and no. There were many, many steps in between burger and hunks. And even for the most beautiful, the most outgoing, perfect young woman, the odds are far better at the lottery counter. But still, every year, some women do make it. It isn’t impossible. So how does a pretty teen girl go from nobody to supermodel?

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A handful, like Kate Moss, take the express route. She was a 14-year-old in JFK Airport when she was first spied by an agent for London’s Storm Model Management. Others, like Victoria’s Secret angel Adriana Lima and Australian sensation Gemma Ward, accompanied a friend to a modeling contest, only to end up being the discovery.

“It’s the girl who never thought she could who gets discovered. The prettiest girl in school doesn’t always make the best model,” says Ivan Bart, a top agent with IMG Models, which reps Bundchen, Heidi Klum and Kate Moss.

But for most others, the slog up the ladder follows a routine path. Girls send photos into a local or national modeling agency (only a Polaroid is needed) or show up for an open casting call. Agencies generally hold them once a week. Victoria’s Secret’s Alessandra Ambrosio took a modeling class in her hometown of Erechim, Brazil, then urged her mother to move with her to S?o Paolo, where she was scouted by a local agency. Soon she won a modeling contest sponsored by Elite, one of New York’s biggest agencies.

Modeling conventions, where local agencies can introduce promising models to bigger agents, are another possibility. Model Amy Wesson, Maybelline face Jessica White and former male model Ashton Kutcher were discovered at the International Modeling and Talent Association convention, held twice a year in New York and Los Angeles.

Once a girl is signed with a big agency (in New York, where the biggest are located, this would include IMG, Elite, Next, Women and DNA), she is sent on what is called “go-sees”–castings for photographers, editorials and runway shows.

During Fashion Weeks in New York, Paris and Milan (held in spring and fall), a model can be sent on as many as a dozen go-sees a day for six weeks. It’s this grueling and low-paying internship process that determines whether a model can burst out of the anonymous pack.

Getting cast in an important designer’s show, like that of Marc Jacobs or Prada, can instantly launch a career. Not getting cast at all can mean a one-way ticket back home. Depending on her experience, a model is usually paid $250 to $1,200 an hour for runway work. But a beginner model takes home little or nothing. Everything from cabs to airfare to the agency’s 10% fees (20% if the girl is still signed with a local agency) is deducted from her salary, and many designers don’t pay at all.

“I have no idea how much I make,” says newcomer Edythe Hughes, 17, a teen scouted in a Columbus, Ohio, mall two years ago. (Forbes followed Hughes around for a day. See “A Day In The Life of A Young Model.”) This season, she strutted the runways in New York for Vera Wang, Rebecca Taylor and Jill Stuart.

Hughes is advanced $150 a week for expenses and probably won’t see much more than that. But she doesn’t mind: “Before this, I was working as a librarian, making $8 an hour.” Last season, Hughes worked as an “exclusive” model for Calvin Klein and banked $9,500 for one show (and 15 hours’ prep time). Of that, she thinks she netted about $5,000, but she isn’t sure. With luck, Hughes will get a better grip on her finances this year. She’s hired an accountant.

Runway may not pay, but it can pay off. It’s here that a model can be scouted by the star makers of the industry–editors, photographers, cosmetic company executives. It’s here that front-row fixture Anna Wintour might take notice of a girl and put her in the pages of Vogue. The new face of Estée Lauder, Hilary Rhoda, was spotted at a New York fashion show by Balenciaga’s lead designer, Nicolas Guesquiere, who then brought the unknown catwalker to the attention of his friend Aerin Lauder, Estée’s granddaughter and the company’s creative director.

Rhoda, a 20-year-old from Chevy Chase, Md., joins a long line of faces who became ubiquitous on billboards, commercials and beauty counters the world over, thanks to the cosmetic giant. Karen Graham was its first contract model, and she lasted 15 years (this before retouching). In the 1990s, the brand made Paulina Porizkova one of the most famous faces on the planet. It also launched the modeling career of Elizabeth Hurley, who, at the time, was known primarily for being Hugh Grant’s girlfriend. Next came supermodels Carolyn Murphy and Liya Kibede (who is being phased out this year).

Contract models for larger cosmetic brands are generally paid $300,000 to $2 million a year, depending on exclusivity and the amount of days the model is expected to work. Murphy, who models for other brands, earned an estimated $5 million last year. Rhoda raked in $2 million.

Estée Lauder’s models are chosen by its top four executives, including Aerin Lauder. Candidates are brought in for a photo shoot and put in mock-up ads. They interview with the executives, who want to make sure the girls are well spoken and can handle store and media appearances. Group President John Dempsey claims that, when it comes to making a final decision, there’s never dissension in the ranks: “Everybody’s eyes go to one girl.”

Rhoda, says Dempsey, was chosen for her healthy all-American look and her maturity: “She has the presence of someone five or six years older.” The models are required to be a “positive role model” and have a “morals clause” in their contracts. No wonder the brand tends to eschew Hollywood starlets. The face of its new fragrance, Private Collection, is 37-year-old Aerin Lauder herself.

At Victoria’s Secret, which has made superstars out of dozens of models, including Gisele Bundchen, Adriana Lima, Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks and Alessandra Ambrosio, executives don’t have to rely on personal preference to pick their next faces. They can measure a girl’s potential in cold hard cash.

“Some girls sell incredibly well,” says Chief Marketing Officer Edward Razek. Computers track each photograph in every catalog. Not surprisingly, girls who move merchandise end up moving up the corporate ladder to supermodeldom.

As for girls like Edythe Hughes, only time will tell if she’ll end up a supermodel or back in Ohio. Keeping her hopes high, but not too high, she says her goal would be to work with a photographer like Steven Meisel or become a popular editorial model like Gemma Ward. “There’s not too many Tyra’s anymore,” she says.

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In Pictures: Top Ten Tips To Becoming A Supermodel
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Top 10 Tips To Becoming A Supermodel: How To Be A Supermodel

1. Stop Eating. Grow.
Be at least five foot nine, weighing 110 to 120 Ibs. This would give you a body-mass index of about 16 to 18. “Models starve themselves, and we tell them to,” says Richard Habberley, a top agent with Elite, which reps Victoria’s Secret hottie Alessandra Ambrosio and Maybelline face Jessica White.

2. Be Photogenic.
Send sample photos to a local or national modeling agency. Don’t bother spending money on professional photos. Agents can spot your potential from one Polaroid. It also helps if you have whatever look is “in” at the time. This season, it is pale, otherworldly-looking girls who have one “flaw”–a large nose, a gap in her front teeth. Remember, next season, the in look could be completely out.

3. Get Signed.
Move to a big city like New York and have a big agency, like IMG Models or Elite Model Management, behind you.

4. Be Quiet.
Models don’t say much of anything during their casting sessions and runway shows. “They have to be a beautiful blank slate,” says model rep Ivan Bart.

5. Don’t Party. Don’t Be a Diva.
Models who are late to a 9 a.m. hair and makeup session or come with bags under their eyes will quickly develop a bad reputation. “These are long days,” says Edward Razek, who chooses which models get Victoria’s Secret contracts. “Attitude is important. We are not interested in divas.” Hear that, Naomi Campbell?

6. Befriend Powerful People.
Getting noticed by an editor like Anna Wintour or a photographer like Steven Meisel can mean the difference between being an anonymous runway stalker or a famous supermodel.

7. Date Celebrities.
Gisele Bundchen dated Leonardo DiCaprio and is now hooked up with quarterback Tom Brady. Kate Moss has an on-off (currently off) relationship with drug-addled Brit rocker Pete Doherty. If you’re the face of Estée Lauder, choose your celebrity boyfriend wisely. The brand has a “morals clause” in its contract.

8. Expand Your Brand.
Gisele Bundchen licenses her name to a footwear company and may be starting a lingerie line at H&M. Kate Moss has a line of clothing at retailer TopShop. Heidi Klum designs a line of jewelry through Mouawad.

9. Now You Can Talk.
Tyra Banks has two TV shows (The Tyra Banks Show and America’s Next Top Model); Heidi Klum has one (Project Runway). Gisele Bundchen has had roles in movies like Taxi and The Devil Wears Prada. Alessandra Ambrosio had role in HBO’s Entourage.

10. Don’t Gain Weight. Ever.
Heidi Klum was lauded by the press for appearing runway-ready a mere eight weeks after giving birth to her second child. Shortly afterward, she renegotiated her deal with Victoria’s Secret. Tyra Banks, who doesn’t even model anymore, was excoriated for some paparazzi photos showing she’d gotten a bit wide in the hips.

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Young and pin-thin celebs may line the glossies at the checkout counter, but when it comes to Tinsel Town’s sexiest, neither attribute seems necessary, if even desirable.

If Encino, Calif.-based polling firm E-Poll Market Research is to be believed, the average age of Hollywood’s 15 sexiest celebrities is 36. And unlike the shrinking divas of young Hollywood–a cadre that includes Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie and the Olsen twins–most of the women on E-Poll’s list have something else in common: curves.

In Pictures: The 15 Sexiest Celebrities

Topping the list is shapely Latina Salma Hayek. According to the polling firm, which provides appeal rankings for more than 3,000 celebrities (both men and women), 65% of the U.S. population would use the term “sexy” to describe the 40-year-old star. To put that in perspective, the average celebrity garners a 15% rating on the E-Poll index. And there’s no question she has her male counterparts beat: at 39%, Matthew McConaughey may top the celebrity men in E-poll’s exhaustive database, but he ranks only 41st overall.

And while anything but ugly herself, Hayek scored big with ABC’s freshman dramedy Ugly Betty. In addition to her role as the show’s executive producer, she won over audiences as Daniel Meade’s love interest and women’s magazine editor Sofia Reyes. Off-screen, Hayek is carrying the baby of billionaire fiancé Francois-Henri Pinault.

She’s not the only 40-something on the list. Fifth-ranked Halle Berry and 14th-ranked Pamela Anderson, both 40, made it, as did Elizabeth Hurley, 42. Hurley tied for the ninth slot on the list.

On screen, Hurley is still best known for her role as Vanessa Kensington in the Austin Powers series. But off screen, the beauty, who once dated Hugh Grant, has launched a fashion line and played spokesmodel for Estee Lauder. Earlier this year, she wed Indian businessman Arun Nayar.
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Berry, a former Bond girl, has more to offer than good looks, as evidenced by her Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe wins. Earlier this year, she could be seen as an undercover journalist in Perfect Stranger. Next, she’ll play opposite Benicio Del Toro in the Dreamworks tearjerker Things We Lost in the Fire, slated for release later this year.

Anderson’s curves landed her on the pages of Playboy and the beaches of Baywatch. Her latest flick, Blonde and Blonder, made its debut at May’s Cannes Film Festival. Currently, she’s using her talent–and looks–as Hans Klok’s assistant in his Las Vegas show, “The Beauty of Magic.”

Perhaps surprisingly, only three women in their 20s made the list: 26-year-old Jessica Alba, who tied for second; Beyonce Knowles, 25, who tied for fifth; and Jessica Biel, 25, who tied for ninth.

Playboy got it right when it named Alba among its “25 Sexiest Celebrities” last year. Where the magazine went wrong, at least according to Alba: sticking her on the cover without her permission (the A-lister has since dropped the lawsuit). This summer, Alba returns as Sue Storm in the Fox blockbuster Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. And still to come: a leading role in Sin City 2.

Beyonce may have risen to fame as a member of girl group Destiny’s Child, but she has shown she can make music and fans all by herself. Most recently, she wowed the latter with her beauty and skill in the holiday blockbuster Dreamgirls, for which she received acting and singing Golden Globe nods. The songstress is currently belting out tunes on her lengthy “The Beyonce Experience” tour.

And Biel has added to her resume and her fan base since her tenure on Seventh Heaven. She recently graced the silver screen in Warner Brothers’ The Illusionist, opposite Edward Norton, and Paramount’s Next, opposite Nicolas Cage. Later this month, she’ll return in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, opposite Adam Sandler and Kevin James.

But how’s this for staying power? Coming in at No. 9, tied with Biel, is Raquel Welch, 66. Welch rose to stardom during the 1960s, long before most of the women on the list were born. Her iconic status continued to open doors, landing her roles in a host of films and magazine spreads. Playboy named the Fantastic Voyage star, who still appears on the big screen, the “Most Desired Woman” of the 1970s.

#1. Salma Hayek
E-Score: 65%

Age: 40

Though anything but ugly herself, Hayek scored big with ABC’s freshman dramedy Ugly Betty. In addition to her role as the show’s executive producer, she won over audiences as Daniel Meade’s love interest and women’s magazine editor Sofia Reyes. Off-screen, Hayek is carrying the baby of billionaire fiancé Francois-Henri Pinault.

#2. Jessica Alba (tie)
E-Score: 64%

Age: 26

Playboy got it right when it named Alba among its 25 Sexiest Celebrities last year. Where the magazine went wrong, at least according to Alba: Sticking her on the cover without her permission (the A-lister has since dropped the lawsuit). This summer, Alba returns as Sue Storm in the Fox blockbuster Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. And still to come: a leading role in sequel Sin City 2.

#2. Carmen Electra (tie)
E-Score: 64%

Age: 35

Though the bombshell got the world’s attention as a Playboy model, she has been able to maintain her fame with roles on the big and small screen. Most recently, the former Baywatch cast member could be seen in big-screen laughers Epic Movie and Scary Movie 4.

#4. Shakira
E-Score: 63%

Age: 30

Shakira has won over fans with her beauty and music alike. A two-time Grammy winner, the Columbian songstress has sold some 50 million albums over the course of her career. Next up, her songs will reportedly appear in Love in the Time of Cholera, a silver-screen adaptation of Columbian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel, hitting theaters later this year.

#5. Beyonce Knowles (tie)
E-Score: 59%

Age: 25

She may have risen to fame as a member of girl group Destiny’s Child, but Beyonce has shown she can make music and fans all by herself. Most recently, she wowed the latter with her beauty and skill in the holiday blockbuster Dreamgirls, for which she received acting and singing Golden Globe nods. The songstress is currently belting out tunes on her lengthy “The Beyonce Experience” tour.

#5. Eva Longoria (tie)
E-Score: 59%

Age: 32

She may play former model Gabrielle Solis on ABC hit Desperate Housewives, but Longoria has no trouble turning heads off of Wysteria Lane as well. Later this year, the petite actress will appear on screen in Universal Pictures’ Over My Dead Body. Off-screen, Longoria recently tied the knot with NBA all-star Tony Parker.

#8. Catherine Zeta-Jones
E-Score: 57%

Age: 37

Zeta-Jones’ resume boasts a slew of big-budget flicks, including The Mask of Zorro, America’s Sweethearts and Ocean’s Twelve. And in 2003, the Welsh actress took home an Oscar for her supporting role in the film adaptation of Chicago. Later this summer, she’ll play opposite Aaron Eckhart in the Warner Brothers romantic comedy No Reservations. Off-screen, she’s married to Michael Douglas.

#9. Elizabeth Hurley (tie)
E-Score: 56%

Age: 42

On screen, Hurley is still best known for her role as Vanessa Kensington in the Austin Powers series. But off screen, the beauty, who once dated Hugh Grant, has launched a fashion line and played spokesmodel for Estee Lauder. Earlier this year, she wed Indian businessman Arun Nayar in a lavish eight-day ceremony.

#9. Raquel Welch (tie)
E-Score: 56%

Age: 66

Welch rose to stardom during the 1960s as a Hollywood sex symbol. Her iconic status continued to open doors, landing her roles in a host of films and magazine spreads. In fact, Playboy named the Fantastic Voyage star, who still appears on the big screen, the “Most Desired Woman” of the 1970s.

#9. Jessica Biel (tie)
E-Score: 56%

Age: 25

Biel has added to her resume and her fan base since her tenure on Seventh Heaven. She recently graced the silver screen in Warner Bros.’ The Illusionist opposite Edward Norton and Paramount’s Next opposite Nicolas Cage. Later this month, she’ll return in I Now Pronounce you Chuck and Larry, opposite Adam Sandler and Kevin James.

#12. Jennifer Lopez (tie)
E-Score: 54%

Age: 37

The former backup dancer has more than a famous backside. In addition to Lopez’s singing and acting pursuits, she boasts a clothing line, a perfume line and a Cuban restaurant called Madre’s. This year, she added a television show, MTV’s DanceLife, and her first full Spanish-language album, Come Ama una Mujer, to her resume.

#12. Alyssa Milano (tie)
E-Score: 54%

Age: 34

Milano got the public’s attention as Tony Danza’s on-screen daughter Samantha Micelli on the late-1980s sitcom Who’s the Boss? Then, she earned a starring role and a producer title on The WB’s Charmed. The TV beauty also boasts a clothing line and will soon have a jewelry line to match.

#14. Pamela Anderson (tie)
E-Score: 53%

Age: 40

Anderson’s curves landed her on the pages of Playboy and the beaches of Baywatch. Her latest flick, Blonde and Blonder, made its debut at May’s Cannes Film Festival. Currently, she’s lending her talent–and looks–as Hans Klok’s assistant in his Las Vegas show, “The Beauty of Magic.”

#14. Angelina Jolie (tie)
E-Score: 53%

Age: 32

She’s as well known for her globe-trotting brood as she is for her on-screen fare. Other much-publicized topics of interest: her shrinking waistline and live-in lover Brad Pitt. Jolie can be seen playing Mariane Pearl in A Mighty Heart, based on the best-selling book by Pearl about the murder of her husband, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

Now, is there other one you want to add in the sexist women? Please recommend one in your mind?

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Ubiquitous pop culture princess Miley Cyrus, whose image is displayed everywhere from the TV screen to clothing and lip gloss, is learning the hard way that what is artistic to some is totally inappropriate to others.

The 15-year-old star of the Disney Channel’s hugely successful teen comedy “Hannah Montana” is trying to keep her head above the wave of controversy surrounding a Vanity Fair photo in which she appears to be draped by a silk sheet without any top on underneath it.

The photo, one of a series taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, comes on the heels of Internet photos in which the young star flashes her midriff and a green bra.

Cyrus, who’s become a role model to millions of young girls because of her squeaky clean, good-girl image, has apologized profusely since the controversial photo became public this past weekend, expressing embarrassment over what she thought were to be “artistic” photos. But quotes in the accompanying Vanity Fair article indicate that Cyrus initially had no problem with the photo shoot and thought the photos were “artsy but not in a skanky way.”

Vanity Fair says Cyrus’ parents and/or minders were on the set of the shoot, saw the photos and never had a problem.

The Internet is abuzz with blog postings and survey questions on the appropriateness of Cyrus’ photo, and the impact they could have on her career and her young fans.

Responding to a query from the Post-Gazette, Drew Wilson of Forest Hills concedes he has not seen the photos but, as a father of daughters ages 14 and 16, felt compelled to comment. He believes Vanity Fair and the media helped “create the situation and probably will benefit from it because of more sales on the newsstands … certainly more sales than they would have received if the photos had been of Miley in a non-provocative pose,” he wrote in an e-mail.

“But does that mean the rest of the media was supposed to ignore the fact that someone thought it was OK to photograph a 15-year-old semi-nude and publish it in a national magazine? I don’t think so.”

Marjorie Wells, of Midlothian, Va., thought it was “strange that her father and ‘handlers’ were OK with the pictures in question. I think it’s despicable to exploit a child, and that’s what she is, at 15,” she wrote in an e-mail to the PG.

“If the frontal brain doesn’t mature till the early or mid-20s, then a 15-year-old old certainly doesn’t have the judgment to discern between ‘artsy’-ness and skankiness,” she said.

Former child star Paul Petersen agrees. Best known for his role on “The Donna Reed Show,” he is the founder of A Minor Consideration, a California-based organization that assists child stars through what is often a difficult transition into adulthood.

“Fifteen-year-olds in show biz are not the authors of their fate,” Petersen said. “Anybody who thought the family was duped or didn’t know what they were doing are kidding themselves.

“What we are witnessing is a calculated career move for Miley’s next great adventure,” Petersen said. “I guess the billion dollars that she generated for Disney and her manager mom just weren’t sufficient.”

The road from good girl to sexualized teen is well worn.

The issue was raised nearly a decade ago when tarnished pop star Britney Spears went from a wholesome Mouseketeer to a hip-shaking, midriff-baring teen sensation.

In a scenario that seems to more directly relate to Cyrus’ photo case, nude photos of a 10-year-old Brooke Shields taken with the permission of her mother/manager, Terri Shields, caused a stir, as did the young actress’s nude scenes in the film “Pretty Baby.”

In 1983, Shields sued to prohibit photographer Garry Gross from displaying the nude photos he took of her as a child. But the courts ruled that Gross owned the rights to the photos, which were displayed in Manhattan’s Fine Arts Gallery in 1998.

Shields was able to reinvent herself and reinvigorate her career after taking a break from show business to earn a degree from Princeton. She has been working steadily ever since.

“People have to stop thinking of children as competent thoughtful adults,” Petersen said. “They are not amusements, they are not disposable and for every Miley Cyrus in the popular press, there are tens of thousands of girls in the same dilemma.”

Miley Cyrus Photo Shoot in Vanity Fair Stirs Controversy and Brings Scandal. Editing by David F. Yu

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Singer Miley Cyrus, pictured performing during the 21st Annual Kids’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles on March 29, 2008, says she is “embarrassed” by the Vanity Spread photos.

Photographer Annie Leibovitz s weighing in on her controversial Vanity Fair photograph of Miley Cyrus, in which the teenager appears to be topless, saying she finds the image “simple” and “beautiful.”

“I’m sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted,” Leibovitz says in a statement issued Monday. “Miley and I looked at fashion photographs together, and we discussed the picture in that context before we shot it. The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is very beautiful.”

After the image was leaked on the Internet over the weekend, Cyrus told People magazine, “I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be ‘artistic’ and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed.”

Vanity Fair spokeswoman Beth Kseniak said of the photo: “Miley’s parents and/or minders were on the set all day. Since the photo was taken digitally, they saw it on the shoot and everyone thought it was a beautiful and natural portrait of Miley.”

The Cyrus pictures accompany an interview with the 15-year-old pop star and her father, singer Billy Ray Cyrus. One photo in particular is causing the biggest stir: the teen idol is wrapped in what appears to be a satin bedsheet, looking over her shoulder with her back exposed.

The Disney Channel, which airs Cyrus’ TV show “Hannah Montana,” was also critical of Vanity Fair.
“Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines,” a network statement said.

In a caption released by Vanity Fair with the photo, Cyrus expressed her comfort with how the apparently topless picture turned out.

“I think it’s really artsy,” she told the magazine at the time. “It wasn’t in a skanky way. Annie took, like, a beautiful shot, and I thought that was really cool. That’s what she wanted me to do, and you can’t say no to Annie.”

A handful of borderline racy snapshots of a girl who appeared to be Cyrus have appeared on the Internet in recent months, including images of a girl posing in her underwear and bikini last week. In one shot, she’s draped over a young man.

Cyrus is one of the biggest - and most G-rated - acts in the country and is often considered a role model for young girls. Her “Best of Both Worlds” tour sold out arenas, and her successful 3-D concert film collected $31.3 million in its opening weekend in February.

Why is it that if the photographer is “professional” he can peddle porn, but if he is a regular joe that works at DCF or the local school it is illegal?

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It’s a Champagne stole, mkay? No, you can’t outrun the Miley Cyrus “scandal” this morning. But admit it — you don’t really want to, anyway. (We mean, as far as scandals go, it’s pretty gentle.) And if you thought everyone said their piece on the “issue” yesterday, you were so wrong. Vanity Fair’s fashion and style director Michael Roberts chimes in today in WWD. He can’t believe how much the story was blown up and suggests that other magazines envy Vanity Fair for the photo, which they probably do, considering Vanity Fair’s site got over 4 million hits yesterday, thanks to the kerfuffle. He’s also upset he’s being deemed as “cajoling” Cyrus into the photo. “That we literally manhandled her into stripping is completely not true,” he says. Fair enough.
Cyrus and child-molester innuendos aside, there’s also the deeply upsetting matter of the bedsheet:

[Roberts] also objected to the characterization of Cyrus’ attire as a bedsheet. “It’s a duchess satin stole, Champagne, specially made — I had several made for different photo shoots. I thought this one was really appropriate. It’s about 83 inches long. She’s not wrapped in something skimpy. She had her jeans on. She looked at the screen and loved the picture.”
Maybe if it had been a simple, white Martha Stewart Collection for Kmart sheet, Miley would have hated it, backed out of the photo, and the scandal would have been averted. See? It’s those high-quality fabrics that seduced young Miley. Put the blame where it’s due, people!

Miley Cyrus Vanity Fair Photo Scandal: Look at Her Bedsheet, What’s Wrong? Editing by Carrie Edwards

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Big Green Purse know that women spend $.85 of every dollar in the marketplace? That’s a lot of spending power; and in our society, our spending is as valuable — if not more — than our vote. That means that the power to make changes in the social, economic and political spheres rests with us: The women who are out there buying.

Simply being conscious of our responsibility is the first step toward a marketplace revolution that must take place for the sake of our planet, our own survival, and the survival of future generations.

Big Green Purse is not only an idea - it’s a movement that was founded by author, lecturer, and activist Diane MacEachern, who has just released a book entitled Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World.

Ms. MacEachem was gracious enough to spend some time talking to me a couple weeks ago - about her book and her vision. I asked her a couple questions that I felt were of primary importance to women who are just trying to make positive changes in their spending habits:

What do you tell women who say it is too expensive to buy sustainable products?

I encourage people to simply look at ways they can shift what they are already spending. Most people don’t realize how much flexibility they have in their budget. You’re not spending any more money, you’re spending on quality that will last longer. We need to step in to that mindset when we’re looking at fashion, too. A lot of the disposable fashion we buy isn’t really even that nice. The only thing attractive about it is that it’s new. The Eco=Expensive mindset is a false assumption at this point. Even Wal-Mart is starting to sell organics.

What are some first steps you can recommend to women who want to change their spending habits to reflect their concern about the environment?

One of the easiest first steps is to buy organic cotton underwear. Wal-Mart and Target are even selling it now, and it’s readily available online. Socks, active wear and yoga wear are also easy to find and very inexpensive now. Try to resist “fast fashion,” and buy quality items that will last. Create a style for yourself that you cultivate over time, and that you develop for yourself. Borrow clothes, buy vintage.

In fact, we have a lot more options today, and a great deal of our spending is done out of habit, or for the sake of instant gratification. Choosing to spend wisely is something that we need to develop in ourselves. Consciousness requires some effort, but the collective efforts of the buying power of women in our society is the single greatest tool in affecting the changes we all want — and need — to see in our world.

Thanks again for your time and your words of wisdom, Diane! Good luck!

Big Green Purse Challenges Women to Embrace Conscious Consumerism: buy sustainable products. Editing by Alice Loong

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What? Can this be true?

It is being said that Nina Garcia, fashion director of Elle, may have parted ways with the magazine.

Rumors began brewing when Joe Zee was hired as creative director at the beginning of 2007, but speculations heated up even more when Nina was missing from an Elle-hosted event celebrating Simon Doonan’s new book, Eccentric Glamor:

Creating an Insanely More Fashionable You on Tuesday. Nina has yet to comment on the story but what a bummer if it’s true.

I can’t imagine that a dozen other mags wouldn’t be tickled to pick her up if the rumors are true. Nina Garcia has a media presence and a mainstream “brand awareness” now, after PR, that lots of editors would kill for.

I just wonder how Elle mag will change. Will Project Runway not have their features in Elle any longer? Will they have them in a new mag? Will she no longer be on Project Runway?

I think this is a big rumor. Nina is fashion director. I think creative director is a different position. And just because she missed an event doesn’t really mean anything. She could have been sick or something. At least I hope it’s not true. I like Nina!

I hope this isn’t true; I love her articles in Elle. At least she’ll be on Project Runway and I can always read her book (which I love! It has so many interesting pieces & filled with many quotes.)

I hope it’s not true but could that be part of the reason why she wasn’t mentioned in the deal with Lifetime for Project Runway’s move? Regardless, I hope she is still with Elle and everyone is all together on the new season of Project Runway on Bravo.

Elle wouldn’t be the same with out her or Project Runway.. hope it’s not true

Nina Garcia Breaks Up With Elle Magazine? No Longer Fashion Director of Elle Magazine?

What? Can this be true?

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Ebony Fashion Fair’s Glam Odyssey shines in Moreno Valley, San Bernardino with bold styles. Here is the story:

Like a kaleidoscope filled with glitter, jewels and parrot feathers, every turn down the runway brought a new combination of colors and textures at the 50th annual Ebony Fashion Fair’s Glam Odyssey.

The fashion show was presented Thursday in Moreno Valley and was to be repeated Friday in San Bernardino.

Fox fur, feathers and sequins, sequins, sequins were paraded under the lights — and those were just the hats, some of which even had spikes like the Statue of Liberty’s crown.

Ontwanet Moran models a dress at the 50th annual Ebony Fashion Fair’s Glam Odyssey at the Moreno Valley Conference Center on Thursday.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people who have been saying that these clothes are not practical and something they would not wear every day… but I think they are practical,” said Belinda Gipson, owner of Top This Fashion in Moreno Valley, who herself was wearing a dress accented with gold sequins. “You can wear some of the jackets with jeans, mix it up a little… Anyone can wear it as long as you are bold enough to wear it.”

The Ebony Fashion Fair was created by Ebony magazine creator Eunice W. Johnson and began touring in 1958 to 10 cities with four female models. Fifty percent of the proceeds were allocated for scholarships.

Since then more than 4,000 shows have been performed in the United States, the Caribbean, London and Kingston, Jamaica, and more than $55 million has been raised for charitable groups.

By the time the 2007-2008 Glam Odyssey ends, it will have hit the runways in more than 180 cities, featuring 13 models, and have been seen by more than 300,000 patrons.

“We’ve been doing this since ‘63 or ‘64 and we’ve handed out a pile of money,” said Sharon Brown, chairwoman of Social Lites Inc. Brown is the Ebony chairwoman for the San Bernardino-based group. The group has been hosting the show for about 40 years and gives scholarships to students throughout the Inland area.

Deonna Pinkerton models a dress at the Ebony Fashion Fair sponsored by the Moreno Valley Black Chamber of Commerce Community Foundation.

Linda D. Wright, executive director/CEO of the Moreno Valley Black Chamber of Commerce Community Foundation, said during the eight years her group has been hosting the show, many fashions have come and gone, and the music has changed, but what the show embodies has stayed intact.

“They didn’t take away from the style that they present for our culture along with the runway (feel) you get in New York, and the designers are still high-class,” Wright said.

Proceeds from the Moreno Valley show will help the foundation pay for scholarships for local students, cultural awareness and educational programs and a Martin Luther King Jr./Black History Month parade.

“I think the fashions are better than ever because it has kept up and it’s still lively,” said Willie Curry of Moreno Valley, who has been to many of the shows in San Bernardino, Riverside and Moreno Valley over the years. “I think the fashion show is more entertaining now than when it used to be.”

The current show featured fun skits, a journey through five decades of fashion, a sequined evening gown like a liquid disco ball and a revealing tiger-striped swimsuit that elicited a gasp from the audience. Dresses, jeans and headwear were accented with everything from lavender feathers and Swarovski crystals to rhinestones.

“I’d wear them,” Curry said of the hats. “To church, to work, anywhere.”

50th Annual Ebony Fashion Fair’s Glam Odyssey shines in Moreno Valley, San Bernardino with bold styles. Editing by Anna Zhang

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