The film poster for Whirlpool (1959) [Photo/Courtesy of The Rank Organisation/J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors]

Slightly after the craze hit the men's scene, the T-shirt was also earning feminine power through elegant silhouettes on French screens. Juliette Gréco interpreted the woman-on-the-go image in the 1959 film Whirlpool with various T-shirt styles; on the movie's poster, she's in a fitted black V-neck T-shirt, with her unruly facial expression adding to the garment's status as a rebellious symbol.

4. Dirk Sanders and Brigitte Bardot in A Very Private Affair (1962) [Photo/Courtesy of Progéfi, AF archive/Alamy Stock Photo ]

In the 1962 film A Very Private Affair, Brigitte Bardot also contributed to the look with a short-sleeved, black boat-neck T-shirt, leaving a lasting impression, particularly in the scene when she slaps Dirk Sanders.