Top 4: '90s Sex Symbols

No.4 - Heather Locklear

Heather Locklear's sex appeal was grounded in her sophistication. She was the kind of woman you wanted as your boss or your science teacher, which is to say you kind of wanted her to scold you. The Melrose Place vixen is No. 10 on our list of the top 10 '90s sex symbols in no small part because the soap star could deliver a steamy glare like no one else. Heather Locklear had the kind of stare that could make you weak in the knees and she had the kind of legs that would keep you up at night. During the '90s, many a red-blooded male became familiar with the prime-time soap genre in the hopes of becoming more familiar with Heather Locklear.

No.3 - Gillian Anderson

As Agent Scully, the female lead on FOX's The X-Files, one of the most memorable dramas of the '90s, Gillian Anderson made sci-fi fans everywhere sit up and take notice. Anderson's sex appeal had everything to do with her character. On The X-Files, Scully was buttoned up and by the book. She was professional and fastidious, but there was something else there too, a certain spark suggesting an intense sensuality just below the surface. The role made the redheaded actress a '90s icon; no list of the top 10 '90s sex symbols would be complete without her.

No.2 - Sarah Michelle Gellar

As the star of teen sci-fi drama Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar secured her place amongst the top 10 '90s sex symbols.

As Buffy, Gellar was the embodiment of the all-American girl: a honey-blond Californian with a body built for cheerleading. However, Gellar's character was also an outcast, always on the outside of the high school social center. Therefore, Sarah Michelle Gellar always managed to balance rare beauty and approachability. She seemed atypically available for someone so heart-stoppingly pretty. Though she remains a popular actress today, Gellar definitely belongs among the top 10 '90s sex symbols.

No.1 - Claudia Schiffer

Claudia Schiffer is another of our top 10 '90s sex symbols. Schiffer's popularity is indicative of a trend amongst sex symbols in the '90s.

Tall blonde beauties came back in a big way during the decade, and Schiffer, in some respects, led the charge. When she appeared in her now famous GUESS ads in the early '90s, the voluptuous German reminded us that the leggy, curvy blonde will always be one of the archetypes of male desire.