That straight men are drawn to her is no big surprise--but that so many women are attracted to Jolie is not as predictable. In fact, it is a development quite unlike anything we've seen in American culture before. Not because so many women are attracted to Jolie, but because so many of them have expressed this attraction publicly.

Most people would agree that Angelina Jolie is attractive. But there are many beautiful women in Hollywood, and few generate the same kind of overwhelming interest across genders and sexual orientations that she does; clearly something else is going on here.

So what are the drivers behind this phenomenon?

Jolie's outrageous persona appeals to many women's secret desire to rebel.

Jolie's apparent fearlessness, her ability (and willingness) to say "radio edit" to the Establishment and succeed anyway, appeals to many women who have been raised to be polite and color inside the lines. Her roles in Gia and Tomb Raider only cemented this bad-girl image, as the larger-than-life characters she plays in these movies match the colorful personality she displays in real life.

In fact, most of the characters she has played onscreen--from early ones in movies like Hackers and Foxfire to later roles in films like Original Sin and Gone in 60 Seconds--are "outsiders" challenging convention.

"I've always had this kind of feeling that the clock is ticking," Jolie said. "Maybe that's why I choose to live openly. I don't have any fears about sort of throwing myself out there."

Both onscreen and off, Jolie embodies the kind of woman many of us secretly want to be--at least sometimes.