Public Image

Cover of the March 2006 issue of Playboy magazine. Alba objected to being on the cover of the magazine and filed suit, but later dropped the action.In 2006, readers of Askmen.com voted Alba No. 1 on 99 Most Desirable Women, while in 2007, Maxim Magazine placed Alba on the number 2 spot of their “Top 100″, after Lindsay Lohan. Both GQ and In Style had Alba on their June covers, and in May, after eight million votes, FHM (UK and USA editions) named Alba the winner as “2007’s Sexiest Woman in the World”.

Alba has received successful public reception in popular culture. In 2001 Alba received a Teen Choice Award for Choice Actress for her role in Dark Angel. In 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, Alba appeared on Maxim’s Hot 100 list. In 2006, Alba received an MTV Movie Award for “Sexiest Performance” for Sin City. In 2007, Alba received the Spike TV Guys’ Choice Award for “Hottest Jessica”.

On the cover of the March 2006 issue, Playboy magazine named Alba among its 25 Sexiest Celebrities, and the Sex Star of the Year. Alba was involved in litigation against Playboy for its use of her image (from a promotional shot for Into the Blue) without her consent, which she contends gave the appearance that she was featured in the issue in a “nude pictorial”. However, she later dropped the lawsuit after receiving a personal apology from Playboy owner Hugh Hefner, who agreed to make donations to two charities that Alba has supported.

Alba fears being typecast as a sex kitten based on the bulk of parts offered to her. “Somehow, I don’t think this is happening to Natalie Portman,” laments Alba. In the interview, Alba says she wants to be taken seriously as an actress but believes she needs to do movies that she would otherwise not be interested in to build her career, stating that eventually she hopes to be more selective in her film projects.