Which Femme Fatale Are You?

Ever wonder which femme fatale you are?

Introducing Free Flying Press’s roundup of top femme fatales.

Read the descriptions below and find out which femme fatale matches your seductive/deadly style.

If you’re wondering what a femme fatale is, you’re in the right place. We’re showcasing the best femme fatale’s in fiction and history across the ages. If you want to suggest another powerful femme that should be added to this list, let us know in the comments!

A femme fatale is, quite literally, a deadly woman. Her character is shrouded in history, and her seductive abilities are off the charts. The femme fatale uses her feminine wiles to ensnare lovers, often choosing powerful men from whom they can gain something: power, money, influence, etc.

She may lead her lover into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations.

Thus, she ears her name. Ever wonder which femme fatale style matches your own?

Femme Fatales in your Favorite Fiction

(Say that 10 times fast.)

Faye Valentine

The ultra sexy (and often bumbling) bounty hunter of [Director’s] Cowboy Bepop, Faye Valentine uses her sexual charms to bring Outlaws to justice. Well, really, she’s just in it for the money. If you’re well-meaning, but don’t mind throwing your friends under the bus for a spot of change, you may be Faye’s real-world counterpart

Salomé

Salomé’s story begins in the gospels of Matthew and Mark in the Bible…you could say she’s an UrFemme Fatale. She is Herod’s daughter — a seductive woman who ensnares John the Baptist with her feminine wiles. Ultimately, Salomé is the cause of John the Baptist’s death. You’ve seen the famous paintings of his head served up on a golden platter. When brought to Salomé, she amorously kisses the head. I

f your lust tends toward the macabre Salomé may be your femme fatale. Practice belly dancing so you can enrapture unwitting guests at your next dinner party. Just don’t cut off any heads.

Lady Macbeth

You’ve heard the saying: Behind every powerful man is an equally powerful lady. Lady Macbeth is the partner in crime to the murderous Macbeth of Shakespeare’s infamous play. Macbeth’s undoing is the murder he commits. Well, who do you think goaded him into doing it?

If you find yourself convincing friends to act according to some master plan you hold, it sounds like you could be Lady Macbeth. Lesson is though, don’t convince them of murder. For her guilt, Lady Macbeth throws herself off the ramparts of the castle, unable to live anymore with the burden of her suggestion.

Brigid O’Shaughnessy

On lists for top femme fatales, Dashiell Hammett’s Brigid O’Shaughnessy of The Maltese Falcon always features. And for good reason: she is one badass femme fatale. Brigid lies to everyone, men and women alike, to manipulate events to her desired outcome. She hires a private detective to help protect her, convinces another man to steal the famed jewel-encrusted statue the Maltese Falcon, and then murders him to keep all the profits. The detective she hired proves to be her undoing (it seems all femme fatales are doomed a tragic end). She professes her love to him, but once marked a liar, it’s hard to see otherwise, and she’s imprisoned.

If you will stop at nothing to get what you want, you’re probably Brigid O’Shaughnessy’s counterpart.

Jessica Rabbit

This is my personal favorite femme fatale of all time. Jessica Rabbit, the estranged wife of Roger Rabbit, is certainly one of Disney’s most provocative characters. She’s an ultra-seductive cartoon character who is suspected of framing her husband for murdering her alleged paramour and Toon-town owner. Her sex appeal has spurred many trends in movies and magazines (especially Playboy).

If you’re just too sexy for your own good, love to perform, and have little scruples, you could be a femme fatale like Jessica Rabbit.

Not all Femme Fatales are relegated to fiction:

Throughout history femme fatales have been stirring up trouble for powerful men. These real life women used their power to bring about serious changes in the world.

Cleopatra

Coming into power at the age of eighteen has to put your cunning on edge. Not to mention Cleopatra’s family was trying to kill each other to gain power for, well, basically her entire life time. You’ve got to develop some thick skin there. While Cleopatra is most known for her dalliance with Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, she was also the lover of the other Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Cleopatra no doubt affected the trajectory of the entire Western world, and likely would have used her considerable influence to further shape history, had her life not ended with Marcus Aurelius in a mutual suicide.

In the end she chose to bring her own life to an end when faced with execution. Talk about never relinquishing power.

Cleoptra’s femme fataleness was borne of necessity. If you struggled through life and ended up using your wit and charm and power to bring about not only your survival, but also to achieve great status and power, your spirit femme fatale might be Cleopatra.

Mata Hari

Mata Hari was a dutch exotic dancer and most famously known for being one of the best spies of the 19th century. After leaving an abusive marriage to raise a daughter alone, Mata Hari developed considerable seduction skills as she courted different officers and put her skills to use during the first world war. She traded secrets, and maybe was responsible for the deaths of 20,000 allied soldiers...but there’s no doubt she’s one talented femme fatale.

If you’re reeling from a hurt and use your seductive powers out of necessity, Mata Hari could show you a thing or two. Just remember, as with most femme fatale’s Mata Hari’s story did not end well. She was eventually found out as a spy and executed. So try and keep your seductions neat and tidy, if you can!

Marilyn Monroe

It took a lot of work to become the iconic Marilyn Monroe. She was all too conscious of one thing: beauty is power, and she became the epitome of beauty in the 40s and 50s. She was married twice, had affairs with some of the most powerful men of the time: Frank Sinatra, Yves Montand, and some of the Kennedy’s.

While Marilyn’s abilities were profound, there was a darker side. She was deeply unhappy. If you’re willing to admit you need others’ to validate you, and use sex as a power play to make yourself feel stronger...you could take a page from Marilyn’s book.

Angelina Jolie

Not only does she play femme fatales in nearly every movie she’s in, Angelina Jolie is pretty badass in real life. She seems to use her immense powers of beauty and seduction for good, however, so we’ll wait to see if any femme fatale-ish stories of corruption and coercion emerge. For now, she makes this list for her commitment to showcasing the power and beauty of women, and because we’re pretty sure she could take on any man in a fight and win.

If you’re genuinely willing to be yourself and put your power on display, even in the face of being seen as unpopular, you’re a femme fatale soul mate for Angelina Jolie.

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj is another woman who knows her power and put its on display. This girl knows what she wants, knows what she’s worth, and goes after it with everything she’s got. No one tells her who she is, she tells herself who she is. When looking up who her lovers are, you’ll find articles about how she drove her boyfriends so wild they fought in the streets. She gets pretty much any man (or woman) she wants, when she wants em. Plus, in an industry where men tend to take home more money than women, Nicki pretty much holds her own.

If you’re relentless in your pursuits for greatness, and aren’t afraid to let your womanly charms help you get there, you’re on Nicki’s side!

Of course, this is an incomplete list. Help us fill it out further by adding your favorite femme fatale in the comments!