Femme fatale | Definition, History, Characters, Movies, & Facts

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</div> <span class="toc-extra-link selected link-gray-900 mt-15"> Introduction </span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/femme-fatale/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/femme-fatale">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/femme-fatale/images-videos">Images</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/75/66175-050-30F48828/Ava-Gardner-The-Killers.jpg" data-href="/media/1/2215076/56565" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/75/66175-004-895D5139/Ava-Gardner-The-Killers.jpg" 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data-href="/media/1/2215076/56565">The quintessential film noir femme fatale</a> <span><span>Ava Gardner in <em>The Killers</em> (1946).</span></span> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <span class="link-blue">(more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div><div class="topic-header"> <div class="d-flex align-items-top justify-content-between"> <div class="d-flex flex-column"> <div> <div> <h1>femme fatale</h1></div> </div> <div class="topic-identifier font-16 font-md-20">stock character</div> </div> </div> <div class="d-none d-sm-flex flex-row"> <div class="mr-10 mb-15"> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 px-sm-5 px-md-10 js-inline-ai-ask-button"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="d-block md-topic-tools qa-action-buttons mb-15" data-topic-id="2215076"> <button 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/femme-fatale/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 module-spacing js-inline-ai-ask-button p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>French: </dt> <dd>“fatal woman”</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/art/character-narrative-personage" topicid="106232">character</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/femme-fatale"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref1306844"></span>femme fatale</strong>, a seductive and beautiful woman who brings <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/disaster" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">disaster</a> to anyone with whom she becomes romantically involved. The femme fatale is an <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/archetype" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">archetype</a> that appears throughout history in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/myth" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">mythology</a>, art, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/literature" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">literature</a> and became a principal character in the hard-boiled <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/detective-story-narrative-genre" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">detective novels</a> and classic <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/film-noir" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">film noir</a> of the 20th century.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The femme fatale has been dismissed as a sexist figure of male fantasy but also defended as a subversive character who transgresses women’s limited social opportunities. She is a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/stock-character" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">stock character</a> who embodies many negative tropes about women, but she is also multifaceted and complex. Her <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/human-intelligence-psychology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">intelligence</a> is as essential to the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="archetype" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archetype" data-type="MW">archetype</a> as her beauty. It is her conniving and ambition that often drives plots.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The femme fatale archetype dates back to ancient <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="cultures" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cultures" data-type="MW">cultures</a>. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Greek mythology</a>, for example, is filled with female figures who lure men to ruin or death. These include <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Circe-Greek-mythology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Circe</a>, who entices <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Odysseus" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Odysseus</a>’s men into her home and transforms them into pigs; the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Siren-Greek-mythology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sirens</a>, who lead sailors to their destruction through the sweetness of their song; and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Clytemnestra-Greek-mythology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Clytemnestra</a>, who draws her husband, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Agamemnon-Greek-mythology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Agamemnon</a>, into a false sense of security upon his return from the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Trojan-War" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Trojan War</a> and murders him. In many ancient societies, <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="legends" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legends" data-type="MW">legends</a> attribute the downfall of great rulers to the malevolent influence of a mistress. According to Chinese <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="legend" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legend" data-type="MW">legend</a>, <span id="ref1330083"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zhou" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Zhou</a> (c. 1075–46 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>), the last <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="sovereign" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sovereign" data-type="MW">sovereign</a> of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shang-dynasty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Shang dynasty</a> (c. 1600–1046 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>), was supposedly encouraged in his extreme <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="debauchery" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debauchery" data-type="MW">debauchery</a> by his concubine, Daji. His depravity ultimately led to the dynasty’s fall.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In the philosophy of early Christian leaders like <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Jerome" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">St. Jerome</a>, the untrustworthiness of women was prefigured by <span id="ref1330084"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Adam-and-Eve-biblical-literary-figures" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Eve</a>, who led Adam into eating the forbidden fruit in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Garden-of-Eden" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Garden of Eden</a>, thus dooming humankind to death and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/original-sin" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">original sin</a>. Biblical women like <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Salome-stepdaughter-of-Herod-Antipas" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Salome</a>, who demanded the head of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-John-the-Baptist" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">John the Baptist</a> on a platter, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jezebel-queen-of-Israel" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Jezebel</a>, who provoked conflict that weakened Israel for decades, became synonymous with female <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="duplicity" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duplicity" data-type="MW">duplicity</a>. In Jewish <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/folklore-academic-discipline" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">folklore</a>, Adam’s first wife was <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lilith-Jewish-folklore" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Lilith</a>, who was expelled from Eden after refusing to be obedient to her husband. She subsequently became a demon who seduced men and gave birth to succubi, demons that assume female forms and have sex with men while they sleep.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Romanticism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Romanticism</a>, the femme fatale well-suited the movement’s <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="ethos" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethos" data-type="MW">ethos</a> of tragic love and fascination with mystery and beauty. The archetype appears in many <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="Romantic" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Romantic" data-type="MW">Romantic</a> works, notably as an evil supernatural creature disguised as a lady in distress in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Samuel-Taylor-Coleridge" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Samuel Taylor Coleridge</a>’s unfinished Gothic ballad <span id="ref1330085"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christabel" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">“Christabel,”</a> and as the beautiful woman without pity in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Keats" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">John Keats</a>’s poem <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/La-Belle-Dame-sans-merci-by-Keats" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">“La Belle Dame sans Merci.”</a></p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="18617" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/79/21679-050-B56BBB5D/Louise-Brooks-1928.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/2215076/18617"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/79/21679-050-B56BBB5D/Louise-Brooks-1928.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/79/21679-050-B56BBB5D/Louise-Brooks-1928.jpg?w=300" alt="The iconic Louise Brooks, 1928" data-width="1600" data-height="1598" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/79/21679-050-B56BBB5D/Louise-Brooks-1928.jpg" data-href="/media/1/2215076/18617">The iconic Louise Brooks, 1928</a><span>Actress Louise Brooks epitomized the flapper style of the 1910s and '20s.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">In the 20th century the archetype flourished in film and pulp fiction. Silent movies cast so-called exotic actresses such as <span id="ref1306853"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Theda-Bara" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Theda Bara</a> and <span id="ref1306852"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Greta-Garbo" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Greta Garbo</a> in vamp roles in which their sensual and mysterious personas entrance the luckless men who fall in love with them. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/flapper" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Flapper</a> types like <span id="ref1306854"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louise-Brooks" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Louise Brooks</a> played reckless but alluring characters that countered the winsome virgins and “America’s sweetheart” roles pioneered by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lillian-Gish" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Lillian Gish</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Pickford" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mary Pickford</a>. Early films also fictionalized the stories of historical women regarded as real-life femmes fatales, such as the Egyptian queen <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cleopatra-queen-of-Egypt" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Cleopatra</a> and the Dutch dancer and spy <span id="ref1306855"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mata-Hari-Dutch-dancer-and-spy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mata Hari</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The popular <span id="ref1306856"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/detective-story-narrative-genre" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">detective stories</a> and <span id="ref1306857"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/crime-fiction" class="md-crosslink ">crime fiction</a> of this time almost always feature a hard-edged, amoral female character—whether an underground figure like a gangster’s moll or a more <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="mundane" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mundane" data-type="MW">mundane</a> character such as a dissatisfied housewife—who preys on the male <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/hero-literary-and-cultural-figure" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">hero’s</a> weaknesses and leads him astray and into danger. Many of these stories, written by famous authors of the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="genre" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genre" data-type="MW">genre</a> such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Raymond-Chandler" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Raymond Chandler</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dashiell-Hammett" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Dashiell Hammett</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-M-Cain" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">James M. Cain</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mickey-Spillane" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mickey Spillane</a>, were made into movies after <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">World War II</a>, when the film noir style was emerging.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=august-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="171854" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/24/161624-050-2D7FECF9/Barbara-Stanwyck-Fred-MacMurray-Double-Indemnity.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/2215076/171854"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/24/161624-050-2D7FECF9/Barbara-Stanwyck-Fred-MacMurray-Double-Indemnity.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/24/161624-050-2D7FECF9/Barbara-Stanwyck-Fred-MacMurray-Double-Indemnity.jpg?w=300" alt="Double Indemnity (1944)" data-width="1600" data-height="1266" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/24/161624-050-2D7FECF9/Barbara-Stanwyck-Fred-MacMurray-Double-Indemnity.jpg" data-href="/media/1/2215076/171854"><em>Double Indemnity</em> (1944)</a><span>Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray in <em>Double Indemnity</em> (1944).</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The prototypical film noir femme fatale is often considered to be <span id="ref1330087"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Barbara-Stanwyck" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Barbara Stanwyck</a> in <em><span id="ref1330086"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Double-Indemnity-film-by-Wilder" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Double Indemnity</a></em> (1944). Her character, Phyllis Dietrichson, is a calculating, dark sunglasses and gold anklet-wearing, peroxide blonde who lures an insurance agent (played by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Fred-MacMurray" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Fred MacMurray</a>) into killing her husband and staging the murder as an accident to cash in on a double indemnity policy. Other quintessential film noir femmes fatales include those played by <span id="ref1330088"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Astor" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mary Astor</a> in <em><span id="ref1330089"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Maltese-Falcon-film-1941" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">The Maltese Falcon</a></em> (1941), <span id="ref1330090"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gene-Tierney" class="md-crosslink ">Gene Tierney</a> in <em><span id="ref1330091"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Leave-Her-to-Heaven" class="md-crosslink ">Leave Her to Heaven</a></em> (1945), <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ava-Gardner" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ava Gardner</a> in <em><span id="ref1330092"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Killers-film-1946" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">The Killers</a></em> (1946), and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rita-Hayworth" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Rita Hayworth</a> in <em><span id="ref1330093"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gilda" class="md-crosslink ">Gilda</a></em> (1946) and <em><span id="ref1330094"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Lady-from-Shanghai" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">The Lady from Shanghai</a></em> (1947).</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Scholars have suggested that the growing prominence of femmes fatales in the cinema and fiction of the mid-20th century may have been linked to shifting gender roles. During World War II, women took jobs outside the home and held down households while men served overseas. The femme fatale and her deceptions also suited the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="cynicism" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cynicism" data-type="MW">cynicism</a> and dark mood of the film noir genre. Compared to the more maternal or “good girl” characters of the time, she appears as less passive and more complex and compelling. Because of the <span id="ref1330095"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hays-Office-motion-pictures" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hays Code</a>, a set of self-imposed guidelines that restricted portrayals of immoral behavior in movies, the femme fatale was typically punished by the film’s end.</p><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD10 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="321962" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/52/264852-050-9200B657/basic-instinct-paul-verhoeven-michael-douglas-sharon-stone.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/2215076/321962"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/52/264852-050-9200B657/basic-instinct-paul-verhoeven-michael-douglas-sharon-stone.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/52/264852-050-9200B657/basic-instinct-paul-verhoeven-michael-douglas-sharon-stone.jpg?w=300" alt="Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct" data-width="1600" data-height="1036" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/52/264852-050-9200B657/basic-instinct-paul-verhoeven-michael-douglas-sharon-stone.jpg" data-href="/media/1/2215076/321962">Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in <em>Basic Instinct</em></a><span>Sharon Stone became a major sex symbol after playing a murder suspect in the erotic thriller <em>Basic Instinct</em> (1992).</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">In the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/neo-noir" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">neo-noir</a> films of the latter 20th century, femmes fatales reflected the social advances brought on by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/feminism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">feminist</a> movement, even if they were still drawn as the kind of woman to avoid. She emerges triumphant as played by <span id="ref1332444"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kathleen-Turner" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Kathleen Turner</a> in <em><span id="ref1330098"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Body-Heat-film-by-Kasdan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Body Heat</a></em> (1981) and <span id="ref1330096"></span>Linda Fiorentino in <em><span id="ref1330097"></span>The Last Seduction</em> (1994), two films that otherwise closely follow classic noir plots. As played by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Glenn-Close" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Glenn Close</a> in <em><span id="ref1330099"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fatal-Attraction" class="md-crosslink ">Fatal Attraction</a></em> (1987) and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Demi-Moore" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Demi Moore</a> in <em><span id="ref1330100"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Disclosure-film" class="md-crosslink ">Disclosure</a></em> (1994), she’s a <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="vindictive" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vindictive" data-type="MW">vindictive</a>, sexually voracious, career woman. The femmes fatales played by <span id="ref1330101"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pam-Grier" class="md-crosslink ">Pam Grier</a> in <em><span id="ref1330102"></span>Foxy Brown</em> (1974), Anne Parillaud in <em>La Femme Nikita</em> (1990), and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Uma-Thurman" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Uma Thurman</a>, <span id="ref1330103"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lucy-Liu" class="md-crosslink ">Lucy Liu</a>, Vivica A. Fox, and Darryl Hannah in <em><span id="ref1330104"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kill-Bill-Vol-1" class="md-crosslink ">Kill Bill</a></em> (2003–04) are street-smart gunrunners, trained assassins, and martial arts experts. They are as physically strong as they are alluring and beautiful. In the live-action/animated comedy <em><span id="ref1330105"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Who-Framed-Roger-Rabbit" class="md-crosslink ">Who Framed Roger Rabbit</a></em> (1988), the character of Jessica Rabbit (voiced by Kathleen Turner) both pays tribute to and spoofs the classic film noir femme fatale. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sharon-Stone" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sharon Stone</a>’s performance as a bisexual murder suspect in the erotic thriller <em>Basic Instinct</em> (1992) attracted notoriety both on-screen and off-screen, and the film divided many feminist critics.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD10 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD11 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="241120" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/71/209171-050-480D41A5/Noomi-Rapace-Man-som-hatar-kvinnor-Niels.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/2215076/241120"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/71/209171-050-480D41A5/Noomi-Rapace-Man-som-hatar-kvinnor-Niels.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/71/209171-050-480D41A5/Noomi-Rapace-Man-som-hatar-kvinnor-Niels.jpg?w=300" alt="The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" data-width="1600" data-height="1065" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/71/209171-050-480D41A5/Noomi-Rapace-Man-som-hatar-kvinnor-Niels.jpg" data-href="/media/1/2215076/241120"><em>The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</em></a><span>Noomi Rapace in <em>Män som hatar kvinnor</em> (2009; <em>The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</em>), directed by Niels Arden Oplev.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">By the 21st century the femme fatale had become even more morally <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="ambiguous" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambiguous" data-type="MW">ambiguous</a>. In <em><span id="ref1306845"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Girl-with-the-Dragon-Tattoo-by-Larsson" class="md-crosslink ">The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</a></em> (2005), Swedish crime novelist <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Stieg-Larsson" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Stieg Larsson</a> introduced the avenging computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, a young woman who wreaks revenge on sexually abusive men. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gillian-Flynn" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Gillian Flynn</a>’s best-selling thriller <em><span id="ref1306846"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gone-Girl-by-Flynn" class="md-crosslink ">Gone Girl</a></em> (2012), in which a woman fakes her own kidnapping to make it appear as if her straying husband did it, sparked conversation about gender politics in relationships. Critics disagreed about whether the story’s depiction of its deadly and <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="duplicitous" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duplicitous" data-type="MW">duplicitous</a> antiheroine was feminist, misogynist, or even both. The femme fatale in the British dark comedy television series <em><span id="ref1306847"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Killing-Eve" class="md-crosslink ">Killing Eve</a></em> (2018–22), is an assassin who stalks another woman. The female grifters in the true-life crime film <em><span id="ref1306848"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hustlers" class="md-crosslink ">Hustlers</a></em> (2019), starring <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jennifer-Lopez" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Jennifer Lopez</a> and <span id="ref1306849"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Constance-Wu" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Constance Wu</a>, form a sisterly bond while working in a strip club and enacting a plan to fleece their wealthy <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Wall-Street-New-York-City" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Wall Street</a> customers. The film <em><span id="ref1306850"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Promising-Young-Woman" class="md-crosslink ">Promising Young Woman</a></em> (2020), addresses rape <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="culture" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture" data-type="MW">culture</a> with a femme fatale (<a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Carey-Mulligan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Carey Mulligan</a>) who avenges a friend’s assault, sometimes through unnerving means.</p><span class="marker MOD11 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature font-12"><a href="/editor/rene-ostberg/12853185">René Ostberg</a></span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-simplify-root"></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":2215076,"pageLength":1198,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.36"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.36' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"LARGE","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Femme fatale | Definition, History, Characters, Movies, & Facts | Britannica