Australian actress Nicole Kidman has stunned fans with her latest magazine cover – this time, with her shockingly buff physique.

Kidman, 55, was photographed for Perfect Magazine‘s third issue, in which the magazine honoured her with its inaugural ‘perfect icon’ award.

The magazine, which hits stands on September 1, recognised a handful of stars, including Aussie model Adut Akech, for their role in “shaping contemporary culture”.

The Moulin Rouge! actress donned an avant-garde hairstyle for the shoot, sporting waist-long hair and choppy, blunt chin-length bangs.

But the most eye-catching part of the shoot was Kidman’s incredibly ripped and toned muscles – she is snapped flexing her arms in a skin-tight crop tank and ultra-mini skirt.

In a second, more subdued shot, Kidman wears a pair of huge, crumpled thigh-high boots and a black blouse.

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Fans quickly took to the internet to express their delight at the cover.

One simply left a handful of flexed bicep emojis, while others said she was “everything” and a “complete legend”.

Another drew a comparison with 1997 film The Fifth Element, in which protagonist Leeloo donned a similar hair shade.

The photoshoot is the latest in a series of bold covers by Kidman in recent months.

The actress made headlines in February when she graced the cover of Vanity Fair’s 2022 Hollywood issue.

Kidman left little to the imagination when she sported a skimpy Miu Miu two-piece and knee-high socks for the cover.

Fans took issue with that cover shot’s airbrushing, saying “no 54-year-old’s body looks like that”.

“She is a beautiful woman and can do whatever she wants with her body. It‘s a criticism of the magazine’s stylistic choices and insane air-brushing,” one wrote.

“Nicole has a great body, and that’s not her body. Her shape is not like that at all. Why they have to Photoshop?” asked another fan.

Kidman broke her silence about the controversial cover in June, admitting she asked herself “what was I thinking?”.

In a conversation with Baz Luhrmann for Vogue Australia, Kidman said she was “begging” to wear the two-piece set.

“I was like, ‘No, no, I like this one! Am I allowed to wear that?’” she said.

“Katie was like, ‘You’re willing to wear that?!’ And I said, ‘Wear it?! I’m begging you to wear it!’

“I did walk away thinking, ‘What was I thinking?! That was ridiculous! What were you doing, Nicole?!’ And then I went, ‘Eh, oh well!’” she said.

Kidman made her first foray into the world of catwalk modelling in July, walking alongside reality star Kim Kardashian and pop star Dua Lipa in a Balenciaga couture show in Paris.