Sydney Sweeney has been a lightning rod of controversy for the better part of 2025, but that hasn’t stopped her from showing her face in public. In fact, she’s done quite the opposite. This dress (and the fanfare around it) reminded us of another Playboy veteran, Jayne Mansfield. It’s unapologetic glamour, beauty, and sexuality, all served up in liquid silver. It’s impossible not to look, whether you’re man or woman, gay or straight, lover or hater. The Power of Woman, indeed.

The sexual stunts she pulled off during Carpenter’s ‘Juno’ kept audiences guessing and had social media buzzing the day after almost every performance. She slyly asks, ‘Have you ever tried…this one?’ to the audience, and then mimics everything from fellatio to the Eiffel Tower. Sexy? Sure—but that’s beside the point. Carpenter is both having and making fun—of herself, of a prudish culture, of the expectations of a petite, blonde pop star. That takes guts, brains, and real self-knowledge—and there’s nothing sexier than that.

The most chaotic album release of the year (Eusexua is really two different projects published under one banner name) is also, of course, the sexiest. Not “sexiest” in the R&B, silk sheets kinda way—sexiest in the “it’s 5AM at the afters and I’ve just met this person, but I swear I’ve never felt like this before” kinda way. Topping it all off is the Afterglow visuals, where twigs cosplays as a new-age version of Diva Plavalaguna from The Fifth Element.

Post Malone brought out Jelly Roll and pyrotechnics. Lady Gaga produced a multi-act operatic musical. Megan thee Stallion (who is also on this list, don’t you worry) had choreography worthy of a Louisiana strip club…and the Olympics. But Charli XCX had nothing but herself, a black sports bra, underwear, and knee-high boots. The stage, which was noticeably (and fashionably) sparse, featured nothing but the performer and massive black speakers. As she writhed around onstage, singing the hits from brat that have made her a bona-fide superstar, she demonstrated that the sexiest thing you can ever do is keep it simple.

After dropping an album full of hits and multiple music videos that show off her very impressive dance bona-fides, you would have thought Tate McRae would be embraced by the culture that yearns for the heyday of Britney Spears. That wasn’t exactly the case—and sure, the Morgan Wallen feature didn’t help, either—but Tate kept right on dancing to her own beats. After stealing the show on the F1 soundtrack with “Just Keep Watching,” it was clear that the 21-year-old was coming out on top after all. But by the time her Rolling Stone cover shoot dropped (featuring our very own Bunny Costume, we might add), it felt pretty clear: Tate McRae won this year.

​​No matter which way you put it, 2025 has been good to Teyana Taylor. After a well publicized divorce, she exploded into the year with an album that boasted an insane roster of features (Kaytranada, Jill Scott, Tyla), and a starring role opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another, which is the clear Oscars frontrunner. (This is to say nothing of her role in All’s Fair, of which too much has already been said.) Her various press tours have signaled a turn towards sophistication—she’s eyeing a Best Supporting Actress nod at the Oscars, after all—but she’s still letting us know who’s got the best body in town. And for that, Ms. Taylor, we are grateful.

Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov’s affair on Heated Rivalry is probably the gayest thing on TV, except for maybe how horny it’s made so many women. Whatever revs the engine is good in our book, but let this be an inspiration for your New Year’s Resolutions, fellas: Don’t skip leg day. (The girls are, apparently, watching.)

The art world tends to play with sexuality through a critical lens—asking us to interrogate beauty, desire, and our relationship to all things erotic. Maybe that’s why John Kacere’s very straightforward, close-up images of women’s back and frontsides (clad almost exclusively in silk and lace) had New York City positively buzzing. It’s not that Kacere’s work doesn’t beg the same questions or critique as more confrontational or even challenging visions of the female form; it’s that he didn’t compromise on the beauty of the body as a worthy messenger for life’s more complicated questions.

Pamela Anderson’s renaissance has been something to behold—especially for those of us who grew up admiring her in the pages of this very publication. But the sexiest thing—beyond her performance in The Naked Gun—was watching our former Playmate of the Year settle into a satisfied, accomplished, and self-aware new chapter. There’s no shame in facelifts, surgery, or anything else—more power to you—but there’s something pretty damn compelling about the ultimate sex symbol refusing it all, and then taking her makeup off, too. 

Dario Vitale made fashion history as the first non-Versace to helm the iconic fashion house—and, in a turn of events fit for Project Runway, he was exited right after his first collection and campaign hit the press. No matter: Vitale left his impression, with a positively naughty fashion show staged in a house with unmade beds, and models who walked the runway clad in leather and denim with their flies wide open. Sealing the deal was his ad campaign with Tyrone Le Bon, with the models wearing basically nothing but accessories. Even in fashion, it takes balls to embrace the real meaning many of us wear clothes: to want whoever’s looking at us to rip them off. 

For all the talk of nonmonogamy, it was pretty hot to hear a compelling counterargument. That’s why Lily Allen’s latest—rage on full display—earned her a spot on this list. In her explicit honesty (allegedly), Allen laid bare the nuances of modern desire and betrayal, painting a brutal picture of what can make (and break) a marriage.

Sorry to those jewels, but there’s pretty much nothing sexier than a high-stakes jewelry heist. Ocean’s 11, eat your heart out. 

There’s a whole lot of sex in Rachel Sennott’s ambitious I Love LA—including the many pause-worthy scenes of Sennott herself. But there’s something unapologetically sexy about her costar, A’Zion, who’s also been turning heads for her role in Marty Supreme. While the starlet is hardly new to this (she grew up in the biz, with Hollywood parents), her breakout performances gave her the breakthrough year she deserves. And let’s just say, we like to watch.

The Bayou Barbie, who exploded into WNBA superstardom, managed to turn her on-court fanfare into off-court fandom, inking brand deals, securing a spot in Vogue, and giving NBA tunnel fashion a run for their money. But nothing cemented her crossover superstar status quite like her turn on the Victoria’s Secret runway, where she gave us a whole lot to look at. An Angel, indeed. 

To protect his fans from potential harassment by ICE, Bad Bunny brought what easily could have been a sold-out tour into a Puerto Rican residency, displaying solidarity, national pride, and the very best of his music all at once. But it was his Super Bowl announcement that had pundits spiraling, and many losing their minds when they learned (via TikTok) that, yes, Puerto Rico is actually a part of the United States. Now, he’s getting ready to sweep the Grammys and join legends like Beyoncé, Coldplay, and Usher in the NFL Hall of Fame—all in one year. 

Anecdotally, and without hard numbers, something seems to be shifting at concerts. People are putting their phones back in their pockets. Artists like Jack White and Bob Dylan have actively discouraged phone use, while others, Billie Eilish included, have pushed audiences to be more present. Add in the spread of phone-free shows, and the vibe has started to shift. Or maybe everyone finally accepted they never rewatch the shaky footage clogging their camera roll. Whatever the reason, we’ll take it. Anybody got a lighter?