The annual feature Sexiest Woman Alive designation by the magazine is billed as a benchmark of female attractiveness.
Originally, it was a part of the "Women We Love" issue that was released in November. To build interest, the magazine would do a tease, releasing images of the woman's body parts in the issues preceding the November issue. By 2007, it had become the dominating story of the issue and to create an element of surprise the hints were abandoned.
| Year | Choice | Age | Notes |
| 2004 | Angelina Jolie | 29 | First winner |
| 2005 | Jessica Biel | 23 | |
| 2006 | Scarlett Johansson | 21 | Youngest winner |
| 2007 | Charlize Theron | 32 | First African winner |
| 2008 | Halle Berry | 42 | Oldest winner; first mixed race winner |
| 2009 | Kate Beckinsale | 36 | First European winner |
| 2010 | Minka Kelly | 30 | |
| 2011 | Rihanna | 23 | First Caribbean winner |
| 2012 | / Mila Kunis | 29 |
Read more about this topic: Esquire (magazine)
Famous quotes containing the words woman and/or alive:
“You, that have so fair parts of woman on you,
Have too a woman’s heart, which ever yet
Affected eminence, wealth, sovereignty;
Which, to say sooth, are blessings.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“The parent is the strongest statement that the child hears regarding what it means to be alive and real. More than what we say or do, the way we are expresses what we think it means to be alive. So the articulate parent is less a telling than a listening individual.”
—Polly Berrien Berends (20th century)