The photograph was created in mid-1976 as a commissioned work for the Pro Arts poster company. Ted Trikilis ran the business with his brother and his uncle. According to him, a friend brought Fawcett to his attention in April 1976. She was still unknown, doing commercials for hair shampoo. The friend and fellow students regarded her as the most beautiful woman on US television. Since there were no posters of her, they clipped shampoo ads from newspapers to hang them on their walls.

Pro Arts made an agreement with Fawcett, giving her control over the selection of the photos. After she was dissatisfied with the work of two photographers, she suggested Bruce McBroom, with whom she had worked before. The photograph was taken at Fawcett's estate in Los Angeles, where she was living with her partner Lee Majors. The swimsuit, a creation of designer Norma Kamali, was her own, and she also did her styling herself. The striped blanket in the background of the photo belonged to McBroom, who used it as a cover for his car seats. McBroom took several shots that day, and Fawcett chose two, including the one later published as a poster.

The poster was launched in 1976. That same year, Fawcett became popular through her role in the TV series Charlie's Angels.[5] The poster became a great success, selling six million copies the first year. With more than twelve million sold copies, it is considered the best-selling poster to date.