Scarlett Ingrid Johansson was born in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York. Her father, Karsten Olaf Johansson, is an architect originally from Copenhagen, Denmark, and her paternal grandfather, Ejner Johansson, was an art historian, screenwriter and film director, whose own father was Swedish. Johansson's mother, Melanie Sloan, a producer, comes from an Ashkenazi Jewish family of Polish and Belarusian descent. She has an older sister, Vanessa, also an actress; an older brother, Adrian; and a twin brother, Hunter.

Johansson has been called "ScarJo" by the media and fans, but dislikes the nickname, finding it lazy, flippant and insulting. She is described as a sex symbol by the media, which considers her lips, green eyes, and voice among her trademarks. The Sydney Morning Herald describes Johansson as "the embodiment of male fantasy". During the filming of Match Point, director Woody Allen commented on her attractiveness. In 2014, New Yorker film critic Anthony Lane wrote that "she is evidently, and profitably, aware of her sultriness, and of how much, down to the last inch, it contributes to the contours of her reputation." Johansson said that she disliked being sexualized, and that a preoccupation with a person's attractiveness does not last. She lost the lead role in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) as its director David Fincher thought she was "too sexy" for the part.  Johansson ranks highly in several beauty listings. Maxim included her in their Hot 100 from 2006 to 2014. She has been named "Sexiest Woman Alive" twice by Esquire (2006 and 2013), and has been included in similar listings by Playboy (2007), Men's Health (2011), and FHM (since 2005). She was named GQ's Babe of the Year in 2010. Madame Tussauds New York museum installed a wax sculpture of her in 2015.  Johansson was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in June 2004. In 2006, Johansson appeared on Forbes' Celebrity 100, and again in 2014 and 2015. Johansson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in May 2012. In 2014, 2015, and 2016, she was one of the highest-paid actresses, with annual earnings of $17 million, $35.5  million, and $25 million, respectively. She was the highest-grossing actor of 2016, with a total of $1.2 billion. As a result, IndieWire praised her for taking on risky roles. As of May 2017, Johansson is the highest-grossing actress of all time in North America, with her films making over $3.6 billion.  Johansson has appeared in advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, L'Oreal, and Louis Vuitton, and has represented the Spanish brand Mango since 2009. Johansson was the first Hollywood celebrity to represent a champagne producer, appearing in advertisements for Moet & Chandon. In January 2014, the Israeli company SodaStream, which makes home-carbonation products, hired Johansson as its first global brand ambassador, a relationship that commenced with a television commercial during Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, 2014. This proved controversial, as SodaStream is based in Israeli-occupied territory in the West Bank.

what does people think of her?
The Sydney Morning Herald describes Johansson as "the embodiment of male fantasy".