Meet the women of Maxim Hot trending 100 of 2024
In uncertain times, we are all comforted by the classics—classic beauty by no means least of all. And our Hot 100 issue is always one for the ages. Led by curvy cover star Ashley Graham, these women are not only drop-dead gorgeous but multitalented, many with several savvy entrepreneurial ventures to their credit.
It’s no surprise they get all the best movie deals, record contracts and advertising campaigns. So feast your eyes on the incredibly accomplished beauties on this list, some already bona fide legends, others just starting out; but all of them embodying that ineffable quality, “hot,” that we survey in such high style every year.
Hollywood Heartbreakers
Margot Robbie
No, she didn’t get the Golden Globe for her scene-stealing romp as silent film siren Nellie LaRoy in last year’s Babylon, but she’s been stealing hearts for years as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, and in the altogether in her breakout film, The Wolf of Wall Street. Catch her in this summer’s Barbie opposite Ryan Gosling’s Ken.
Ana de Armas (@ana_d_armas)
Last year at this time she was revving up for a spot on the A-list with the Netflix awards contender Blonde. Now she has arrived, getting her own John Wick spin-off, Ballerina, with Keanu Reeves. Recently, she reunited with Gray Man star Chris Evans for Ghosted, a romantic, action-adventure flick.
Samara Weaving (@samweaving)
She’s the niece of Matrix actor Hugo Weaving, but that’s not why she broke out in the hide-and-seek thriller, Ready or Not. She broke out because she’s irresistible to anyone with eyes. If you blinked you missed her in Babylon, playing an angry starlet upstaged by Margot Robbie. So, catch her latest, Scream VI.
Sabrina Carpenter (@sabrinacarpenter)
You know her as Maddy in Emergency, but she’s already a veteran performer at the age of 24 with credits like Girl Meets World and Clouds. Upcoming is Netflix’s Alice in Wonderland and Into the Deep Blue. Also a pop singer since 2014’s “Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying,” her fifth album, Emails I Can’t Send, dropped last year.
Sadie Sink (@sadiesink_)
She joined the party as Max Mayfield on Stranger Things, and if you didn’t fall for her there, she got you as Suzanne Ballard on American Odyssey. Last year marked a move from popular entertainment to arthouse cinema when she starred in The Whale as troubled daughter Ellie to Brendan Fraser’s obese English professor.
Olivia Rodrigo (@oliviarodrigo)
In 2021 she invited everyone to get SOUR, the name of her Grammy-winning debut album with the viral hit, “Drivers license.” Not just a sensational voice, she’s also an actor, having played musical theater nut Nini who heads west with showbiz dreams in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
Isabela Merced (@isabelamerced)
If you somehow get stuck watching Dora and the Lost City of Gold, you might notice the titular explorer is all grown up. So grown up that she played the deadly daughter of Jason Momoa in Netflix’s Sweet Girl. Look for her next year in the Spider-Man spinoff, Madame Web with Dakota Johnson.
Joey King (@joeyking)
She gave you goosebumps in The Conjuring when she was just a kid. Well, she’s a big girl now in Bullet Train, where she plays a sexy assassin who outwits damn near everyone, including Brad Pitt. Look for her in the upcoming Netflix romcom A Family Affair opposite Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman, and also Uglies, a dystopian look at compulsory beauty.
Jodie Comer (@jodiemcomer)
Matt Damon and Adam Driver fought to the death over her in 2021’s The Last Duel. And why wouldn’t they? An Emmy winner and Golden Globe, SAG, and Critics Choice nominee, this Killing Eve star is truly killing it. Catch her opposite Austin Butler and Tom Hardy in the upcoming The Bikeriders.
Lily-Rose Depp (@lilyrose_depp)
How could she not be stunning with a mom like Vanessa Paradis and a dad like Johnny Depp? A Chanel model and Elle cover girl, she’s not just a pretty face, she can act, too, making her debut in Kevin Smith’s Tusk in 2014, and since starring in The Dancer as the legendary Isadora Duncan. Next up is HBO’s The Idol co-starring The Weeknd.
Jenna Ortega (@jennaortega)
This year she’s got Scream VI taking over movie theaters, and Wednesday dominating your TV, and her iconic Wednesday dance went viral. No doubt about it, this Golden Globe and SAG nominee is on a hot streak, with Finestkind, co-starring Ben Foster and Tommy Lee Jones, expected later this year.
Katherine McNamara (@kat.mcnamara)
You thought she was only Mia Smoak on the CW’s The Flash, but she turned out to be the Green Arrow, which means she’s hot and can kick your ass. Her work on the supernatural drama series Shadowhunters got her a People’s Choice Award. But her star turn in Walker: Independence is a breakout performance as a widow bent on revenge.
Zoe Saldaña (@zoesaldana)
She’s only in the two hottest franchises in cinema. Blue in Avatar, she plays Neytiri, Na’vi soulmate to Jake Sully. Green in Guardians of the Galaxy, she’s Gamora, action alien and sometime partner to Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill. Look for her to reprise her iconic role as Uhura in the coming Star Trek sequel.
Sydney Sweeney (@sydney_sweeney)
She’s a two-time Emmy nominee for her turn as lovelorn Cassie Howard opposite Zendaya in Euphoria, and snarky Olivia Mossbacher on The White Lotus, not to mention Eden Spencer on The Handmaid’s Tale. Look for her opposite Dakota Johnson in next year’s Madame Web.
Fashion Legends
Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata)
She’s come a long way since her claim-to-fame appearance in Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” video. The newly single 32-year old is continuing to build her empire, is the author of the candid New York Times bestseller My Body, and even has her own podcast, High Low with EmRata.
Cara Delevingne (@caradelevingne)
The high-profile British it-girl is one of the busiest 30-year olds around: She has a her own brand of prosecco, launched a fashion collection with the late Karl Lagerfeld’s namesake brand, and she’s starred in the TV series Carnival Row as well as Hulu and BBC’s Planet Sex with Cara Delevingne.
Bella Hadid (@bellahadid)
The younger half of the fashion world’s beloved Hadid sisters, the American beauty of Dutch-Palestinian descent was named the “most beautiful woman in the world” based on “Golden Ratio of Beauty Phi” in 2019. Four years later, it seems as if she’s only getting more and more beautiful.
Barbara Palvin (@realbarbarapalvin)
With her soft, feminine curves and glacial blue-eyed smize, the Hungarian hottie was born for modeling. While no longer a Victoria’s Secret Angel, you can still see the former Maxim cover star wherever you look—shooting campaigns for brands like Jimmy Choo, Alo Yoga, and Armani Beauty.
Candice Swanepoel (@candiceswanepoel)
Time seems to stand still for this South African legend. She topped the Maxim Hot 100 back in 2014, and nearly a decade later, she’s just as ravishing. These days, the 34-year-old is the founder and creative director of, and also model for, her own swimwear line called Tropic of C.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (@rosiehw)
The timeless model-turned-entrepreneur and former Maxim Hot 100 winner is like a perennial flower in the industry. Modeling since the tender age of 16 and known for her pillowy bee-stung lips, she’s now the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of her own company Rose Inc.
Joan Smalls (@joansmalls)
One of Puerto Rico’s finest, the 34-year old became the first Latina model to represent Estée Lauder cosmetics in 2011, and quickly rose through the ranks to become the sixth highest paid model in the world in 2015. She has walked in over 400 fashion shows throughout her brilliant career.
Izabel Goulart (@izabelgoulart)
She’s been in the modeling biz for a hot minute, becoming a Victoria’s Secret Angel in 2005, and now at 38, the long-legged Brazil native and her out-of-this-world abs haven’t aged a day since she first started her career, continuously making eyes water worldwide.
Hailey Bieber (@haileybieber)
A far cry from her early days as a ballet dancer, Mrs. Bieber is the proud founder of her own popular skincare line, Rhode, that has a cult following—proving that the former Maxim Hot 100 queen is a full-blown businesswoman with serious entrepreneurial chops to boot.
Sultry Songbirds
Doja Cat (@dojacat)
Hot Pink from 2019 reached the top 10, and a remix of one of its singles, “Say So,” topped the charts with an assist from Nicki Minaj. Her follow-up, Planet Her, spent its first three weeks at number two with singles like “Kiss Me More” (featuring SZA), “Need to Know” and “Woman.”
Asian Doll (@asiandabrat)
Last year she dropped Let’s Do A Drill, featuring Bandmanrill, Tay Money, Dougie B, Ivorian Doll, Sosa Geek, Iffy Foreign and many more. Then in December she dropped her single, “Sky Falling,” closing out a busy year for the Dallas-born rapper with the killer curves.
Grace VanderWaal (@gracevanderwaal)
She had already won the 11th season of America’s Got Talent when she dropped her debut album, Just the Beginning back in 2017. A double threat, her acting career hit overdrive when legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola cast her in his current opus, Megalopolis costarring Adam Driver and Aubrey Plaza.
Anitta (@anitta)
The first solo Latin artist to reach a billion streams on Spotify, her 2022 album, Versions of Me with sassy singles like “Me Gusta,” featuring Cardi B and Myke Towers, and “Faking Love” with Saweetie, earned her a nomination for Best New Artist at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
Maren Morris (@marenmorris)
Her most recent studio album, Humble Quest debuted at number two on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and at number 21 on the Billboard 200. Winning a Grammy, five Academy of Country Music Awards and five Country Music Association Awards makes her the perfect collaborator for husband Ryan Hurd’s debut album, on the hit single, “Chasing After You.”
Poppy (@impoppy)
Ten years ago she was a YouTube android preoccupied with internet culture. A weird way to get noticed but it led to her debut EP Bubblebath. Her Stagger EP dropped last fall with the single, “FYB,” and she’s not done yet. Expect a fifth studio album in coming months.
Lisa (@lalalalisa_m)
When you’ve got nearly 90 million IG followers, you’re allowed to just have one name. And this sexy rapper, singer, dancer, model and member of South Korean supergroup Blackpink also has five Guinness World Records, including the first solo K-pop winner at both the MTV Video Music Awards and the MTV Europe Music Awards.
Kelsea Ballerini (@kelseaballerini)
