BarBar Jinkx said:

and as for toning down a female leads sex appeal they tried that with the naturally blond Gillian Anderson in the X files, that backfired and they made her a total sex symbol to a Very large part of that shows viewership

Wait... how did that backfire? I think that one worked out very nicely. They never put a huge emphasis on her sexiness, but guys still found her sexy. I don't think that is backfiring, I think that is a good thing. It is a good example of a woman lead being found attractive without having to wear tight or skimpy clothing.