A Bond girl is a character or actress portraying a love interest of James Bond in a film, novel, or video game. They occasionally have names that are double entendres, such as "Pussy Galore", "Mary Goodnight", "Plenty O'Toole", "May Day", "Xenia Onatopp", and "Holly Goodhead".

Bond Girls are often victims rescued by Bond, fellow agents or allies, villainesses or members of an enemy organization, most typically the villain's accomplice, assistant or mistress. Some are mere eye candy and have no direct involvement in Bond's mission; other Bond Girls play a pivotal role in the success of the mission. Other female characters such as Judi Dench's M, and Miss Moneypenny are not typically thought of as Bond Girls.

In novels

Nearly all of Ian Fleming's Bond novels and short stories include one, or sometimes more than one, female characters who qualify as Bond Girls, most of whom have been adapted for the screen. While having some individual traits, the Fleming Bond Girls, at least in their literary forms, also have a great many characteristics in common. One of these is age: The typical Bond Girl is in her early to mid-twenties, roughly ten years younger than Bond, who seems to be perennially in his mid-thirties. Examples include Solitaire (25), Fleming, Ian, Live and Let Die (MacMillan, 1954), ch. 10. Tatiana Romanova (24), Fleming, Ian, From Russia, With Love (MacMillan, 1957), ch. 9. Vivienne "Viv" Michel (23), Fleming, Ian, The Spy Who Loved Me (Glidrose, 1962), ch. 2. and Kissy Suzuki (23). Fleming, Ian, You Only Live Twice (Glidrose, 1964), ch. 12. The youngest may be Gala Brand; she is named for the cruiser in which her father is serving at the time of her birth. Fleming, Ian, Moonraker (MacMillan, 1955), ch. 16. If this were the Arethusa-class Galatea launched in 1934, than Gala is possibly as young as 18 at the time she meets Bond and certainly no older than 20, though since she and Bond do not sleep together, going no further than a few kisses, the thirty-something Bond here narrowly avoids bedding a teenager. If on the other hand the Galatea in question is the cruiser sold for scrap in 1921, Gala is possibly the oldest of the Bond Girls, being in her mid- to late-30s and possibly as old as 40. The indications are, however, that she is young, so a 40-year-old Bond Girl is unlikely in this case.

All Bond girls are, almost by definition, beautiful, and they follow a fairly well-developed pattern of beauty as well. They possess splendid figures and tend to dress in a slightly masculine, assertive fashion, with few pieces of jewelry and that in a masculine cut, wide leather belts, and square-toed leather shoes. (There is some variation in dress, though, and Bond Girls have made their first appearances in evening wear, in bra and panties and, on occasion, naked.) They often sport light though noticeable sun-tans (although a few, such as Solitaire, Tatiana Romanova, and Pussy Galore, are not only tanless but remarkably paleFrom Russia, With Love, ch. 8Fleming, Ian, Goldfinger (Glidrose, 1959), ch. 17.), and they generally use little or no makeup and no fingernail or toenail polish, also wearing their nails short. (Early Bond commentator O. F. Snelling maintained that the fact that Goldfinger's Jill Masterton is painting her fingernails when Bond first encounters her is a tip-off that she will not be the novel's main Bond Girl, and, indeed, Goldfinger has her killed after her brief liaison with Bond.) Their hair may be any color ranging from red (Natalya Simonova), to blonde (Mary Goodnight) to auburn (Gala Brand) to brown (Tatiana Romanova) to blue-black (Solitaire)Fleming, Ian, Live and Let Die (MacMillan, 1954), ch. 7. to black (Vesper Lynd), Fleming, Ian, Casino Royale (Glidrose, 1953), ch. 5., though they typically wear it in a natural or casual cut that falls heavily to their shoulders. Their features, especially their eyes and mouths, are often widely spaced (e.g. Vesper Lynd, Gala Brand, Tiffany Case, Tatiana Romanova, Honey Ryder, Viv Michel, Mary Goodnight). Their eyes are usually blue (e.g. Vesper Lynd, Solitaire, Gala Brand, Tatiana Romanova, Honey Ryder, Viv Michel, Tracy Bond, Mary Goodnight), and sometimes this is true to an unusual and striking degree: Tiffany Case's eyes are chatoyant, varying with the light from gray to gray-blue, Fleming, Ian, Diamonds are Forever (MacMillan, 1956), ch. 5. while Pussy Galore has deep violet eyes, the only truly violet eyes that Bond had ever seen. The first description of a Bond Girl, Casino Royale's Vesper Lynd, is almost a template for the typical dress as well as the general appearance of later Bond Girls; she sports nearly all of the features discussed above. Fleming, Ian, Casino Royale (Glidrose, 1953), ch. 5. In contrast, Dominetta "Domino" Vitali arguably departs to the greatest degree from the template, being relatively old (29), dressing in white leather doeskin sandals, having brown eyes and a tan arguably heavier than other Bond Girls, sporting a soft Brigitte Bardot haircut, and giving no indication of widely-spaced features. Fleming, Ian, Thunderball (Glidrose, 1961), ch. 11 (The departure may be due to the unusual circumstances behind the writing of the novel Thunderball, in which Domino appears.) Even Domino, however, wears rather masculine jewelry.