Leg Cling

A Film Poster Trope that likely has ties to old pulp comics or adventure book covers. Perhaps popularized by fantasy art via our good friend Frank Frazetta (Warning: it's even less safe for work than the picture to the right.)

Stab the Sky may be employed, in order to emphasize the Alpha Male's Power Phallus, even though he's not compensating for anything showing his dominance over all that surrounds him by having a buxom woman literally clinging to his leg. Often paired with Atop a Mountain of Corpses, as seen in the page illustration.

Some variants don't feature the Leg Cling but retains the notion of the Power Male with a subordinate female.

Common pose used on a Contemptible Cover.

Examples of Leg Cling include:

The Basic Leg Cling

Anime & Manga

Volume 1 of the Seinen horror Manga Hanako and the Terror of Allegory features some cowering female clinging to the hero's leg.

Comedy

Henry Rollins had a hilarious routine about van paintings like this, with the barbarian holding his sword aloft and "a wench clinging to his leg, staring wantonly at his nutsack, but he has no time for this woman, he needs to BOND WITH THE GOD OF THUNDER!!!"

Comic Books

Mary Jane Watson of all people clings to... wait for it, wait for it... The Punisher!
Elf Quest: Jink did a gender-reversed take on this one, with a publicity shot of Kullyn clinging to Jink's leg while she wields a laser rifle.
Alex Ross's cover for Thulsa Doom.

Fan Works

This NSFW Star Wars T-shirt design.
One Fanartist's Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot Avatar: The Last Airbender poster involves Memetic Badass Wang Fire... you know what, you just have to see it.
This Boba Fett Comic.
A very NSFW piece of art inspired by Filker Tom Smith's "Hey, It's Can(n)on" shows Hermione Granger decidedly All Grown Up and dressed as a Pirate Girl (because her birthday is also Talk Like a Pirate Day) in the Captain Morgan Pose ... with equally-curvy Ginny Weasley doing an adoring Leg Cling.

Films -- Animation

Boris Vallejo's poster for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Cancer Movie Film for Theaters.
A drawing in "The Art of Monsters vs. Aliens" book shows a muscular President Hathaway with sexy women grabbing onto his legs.

Films -- Live-Action

The Army of Darkness poster. The strapping powerful male (also note the low angle "power" shot) with a Damsel in Distress literally clinging to his heel, with a phallic chainsaw for good measure.
Chevy Chase knows what we're talking about in National Lampoon's Vacation.
- Chevy also doesn't know when to quit (in more ways than one) in National Lampoon's European Vacation.
James Bond 007 in Moonraker.
Though she doesn't fit in the buxom category, Elizabeth Swann inexplicably did this to Jack Sparrow in the second Pirates of the Caribbean while he was attempting to shoot the Kraken.
The poster for Yor, the Hunter from the Future.
The poster for Mallrats.
Hell Comes to Frog Town
Italian action B-movie Rolf.
Flash Gordon's Parallel Porn Title Flesh Gordon.
This poster for Joe Dirt.
The poster for Dolemite features several ladies doing this to our hero. One of them even has her fingers the wrapped around the gun between Dolemite's legs as it discharges. Yup.
Subverted in Black Snake Moan—Rae does this to Lazarus as he plays the guitar and tells her about his life, but their relationship is decidedly non-sexual and weirdly sweet, even though she Really Gets Around and the plot was promoted as being otherwise.
This Italian poster for The Big Head.
The poster for Super Capers, painted by Drew Struzan of all people.

Literature

Conan the Barbarian, as pictured above.
- Conan the Adventurer.
Several of the Flashman books, including the eponymous debut and Flash for Freedom.

Live-Action TV

One promotion picture for Doctor Who has Christopher Eccleston in front with Billie Piper doing this.
In As Time Goes By, Lionel is going on a promotion of his book, My Life in Kenya (a story about his time as a coffee planter in Kenya), but the publisher, Alistair, wants him to dress in the classic African Explorer outfit, complete with rifle, and to have a scantily-clad young girl clinging to his leg. "Li" is not happy.
The Korean Drama Best Love: Jae Suk during a drunken confession to Dokko Gin.

Music

A cover for a Manowar album has the Sons of Odin getting this from nude valkyries.
Done in the cover of Exciter's Long Live the Loud.

Music Videos

"Moon Girl"

Myths & Religion

Older Than Feudalism: It happens in The Iliad.

Print Media

Simon Bisley with this illustration from Heavy Metal.
Eerie #116^{[dead link]}
Gender Flipped by Paul Kidby for the Discworld Calendar 2012: one picture shows Conina the Barbarian Hairdresser (from Sourcery), striking a pose with Rincewind clinging to her leg.

Video Games

FMV in Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, shows Luna awakened as the goddess Althena, doing this to Magic Emperor Ghaleon.
The cover for Kaan: Barbarian's Blade.

Web Comics

Brent Sienna as Iron Thor is the cover to Pv P #17.
Parodied in Ménage à 3: DiDi and Zii perform one of these for Camp Gay Dillon when he presents them all with tickets to his show.
This strip from El Goonish Shive is a parody of the aformentioned Army of Darkness poster.
In Impure Blood, Mac while Roan is rescuing her. Given that he is still fighting at this point, and they are still coming for her, one suspect she's trying to hide from those claws between his feet.

Web Original

This "historically accurate" model from Doctor Grordbort's Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory. Plus a Golden Metal Bikini poster.
A rare male-to-male example can be found in Freddie Wong's "Huge Guns" video, here.
In the outtakes for Kickassia, Spoony (who brough a prop lightsaber for the fight) imitates Luke Skywalker for a poster shot while Jew Wario does the leg cling.

Western Animation

Not even Blooregard Q. Kazoo from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (who doesn't even have legs) is immune to an indulgent fantasy involving this trope.
The (fairly silly) Beast Wars episode "The Low Road" has a shot of the Maximals making a dramatic entrance, with Airazor doing this to Optimus; she's standing normally a moment later.
The Title Sequence for Adventure Time.
In the My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic episode "MMMystery on the Friendship Express", Pinkie Pie's Imagine Spot about Donut Joe destroying her cake with lasers ends with two mares appearing out of nowhere solely to strike this pose.

Variants without the Leg Cling