Before Taylor Swift ran the world, these women owned the sixties with eyeliner sharp enough to cut glass and voices that could part oceans.
These weren’t just singers or actresses, they were forces of nature, gliding through the decade with glam, grit, and gravity-defying hair. They lit up silver screens, smashed records (and records), and made being a woman in charge look like the most glamorous rebellion ever staged.
From Motown goddesses to Hollywood heartbreakers, every one of these icons had that unteachable it: a sparkle, a strut, and a sound that made time stop. This was the era of beehives and backcombing, girl groups and go-go boots, where every note hit the soul and every outfit told a story.
So pour yourself a highball, grab your pearls (or your protest sign), and get ready to meet the queens who didn’t just walk through the '60s, they sashayed through it in stilettos.
1
Jane Fonda
She started as sweet-as-pie and left the decade flipping the table.
2
Josephine Baker
The legend didn’t fade, she evolved. In her 60s, in the 60s, and still dancing.
3
Lena Horne
She broke rules and glass ceilings with a smile that could slay and a voice that did.
4
Connie Francis
Her voice was everywhere from car radios to sock hops. America’s early ‘60s sweetheart.
5
Jane Birkin
Barefoot, wide-eyed, and dangerously chic. Jane defined undone elegance and effortless cool.
6
Chaka Khan
Emerging like thunder near the decade’s close, Chaka’s voice hinted at the funk storm to come.
7
Lola Falana
The ‘60s saw her rising: dancer, singer, stunner. Lola was a triple threat in sequins.
8
Veruschka
Every photo of her looked like a dream. High fashion wasn’t ready, but she made them catch up.
9
Romy Schneider
German grace with French soul. Her eyes could hold entire films.
10
Edie Sedgwick
Warhol’s muse, New York’s glittering chaos. Edie lived fast, dressed louder, and burned into iconography.
11
Jean Shrimpton
Effortless cool and classic beauty. Jean made the camera fall in love, then reinvented it.
12
Twiggy
She was barely 5'6", but she changed the height of fashion forever. London’s Mod queen with lashes for days.
13
Shirley MacLaine
Funny, fearless, and always unpredictable. Shirley never fit the mold, she broke it.
14
Sophia Loren
Glamour with backbone. Sophia was every bit as tough as she was stunning and she was stunning.
15
Diana Ross
With a gaze like stardust and vocals like silk, Diana made Motown the movement. Every note? Legendary.
16
Catherine Deneuve
With a stare that could stop time, Deneuve defined chic and mystery.
17
Julie Christie
Her beauty was sharp, her talent even sharper. She gave the decade its most layered muse.
18
Brigitte Bardot
She didn’t walk, she smoldered. Bardot gave the ‘60s its bombshell blueprint.
19
Elizabeth Taylor
Cleopatra on screen, Hollywood royalty off it. Eight marriages, two Oscars, zero apologies.
20
Audrey Hepburn
Grace in motion. With just a look, Audrey made the world fall harder than ever before.
21
Cher
Half of Sonny & Cher and already outshining him. Big hair, big voice, bigger destiny.
22
Barbra Streisand
The nose. The notes. The presence. Barbra was already a once-in-a-century talent by her first standing ovation.
23
Joan Baez
Her voice could cut glass and injustice. Joan was the sound of conscience wrapped in folk harmony.
24
Marianne Faithfull
Angelic voice. Devil-may-care aura. She floated through the ‘60s with poetry, grit, and a cigarette.
25
Dusty Springfield
The British blonde who brought blue-eyed soul to life, Dusty’s voice was velvet dipped in heartbreak.
26
Petula Clark
She made “Downtown” a destination and became Britain’s bright, bubbly answer to Beatlemania.
27
Janis Joplin
She screamed like a storm and sang like she was breaking and the world listened, wide-eyed.
28
Nina Simone
Piano genius. Protest queen. Every performance was a reckoning. Nina didn’t ask permission, she commanded presence.
29
Aretha Franklin
The voice that turned soul into scripture. Aretha didn’t sing songs: she summoned fire, truth, and R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
