The announcement earlier today about Angelina Jolie’s pre-emptive double mastectomy for fear of future breast cancer made me pause for a moment to consider what makes a woman sexy to me. What follows is purely subjective and I hope it is taken in the spirit in which it is meant.

What makes a woman sexy?

Is it her amazing boobs? (Angelina Jolie)

Is it her sinewy legs? (Amy Purdy, activist and meningitis sufferer)

Her flowing hair? (Persis Khambatta from Star Trek: The Motion Picture)

Her fashion runway looks? (Emma Thompson)

Her youth? (Dame Helen Mirren)

Her demur nature and delicacy? (Team Canada’s Cassie Campbell)

Her fame? (Leela with my grandmother)

No, what makes a woman sexy is who that woman is, not what she is or how she looks. It is what comes from within when you take a moment to get to know her.

That is the sexy that stands the test of time. That is the sexy that makes me want to be in her presence.

(All photos used without permission, except the last one. Copyrights belong to owners.)