How did Pinup start?
The modern day pinup girl originated around the 1890s when Charles Dana Gibson's painted his famous Gibson Girl. This was an idealized woman with slightly wild hair and an extreme hourglass shape. From there, at the beginning of the 20th century, a culture developed around these sensual ladies, always dressed but challenging, and with a slight innocence! They were produced both in the form of illustrations such as the Gibson girl, or pictures and photographs of, for example, stage artists of the time.
The name pinup arose when the images were mass-produced as small cards or calendars to hang up. These pinup images existed in many versions, drawings, painted illustrations and of course photographs. The idea was that the image of the scantily clad lady should be so captivating that you would want to put it on the wall, "pin it up"! There were journals which devoted themselves to this art, e.g. Esquire in the USA (from 1933) and La Vie Parisienne in France. La Vie Parisienne was especially in the 20s and 30s responsible for the erotic art deco and art nouveau girl.
Pinup and World War II
It was in 1941 that the terminology 'pinup' was used for the first time, and the pinup culture today is also invariably connected with the look from the 1940s and 1950s . It was, of course, World War II that pushed the development of this kind of innocent erotica, and it was used both to recruit soldiers and to keep morale high, and remind the soldiers at the front of what they fought for. From the wartime period, you especially see images of women in patriotic colours, and for example in sailor outfits. Calendars were produced, and also small pocket booklets that could be sent to the soldiers. That the soldiers took this 100% to heart showed, among other things, through so-called Nose Art, where the American pilots painted pinups on the 'nose' of their planes.
The Vargas girl and Christel
Pinup was originally mostly illustrations, before photography became easier to print, and many illustrators specialized in creating beautiful, sensual, scantily clad women. Some even became very famous, for example Alberto Vargas, whose 'girls' became famous under the name Vargas girls. Vargas illustrated for both Esquire and Playboy, and his illustrations are known around the world, and the originals command high hammer blows when they come up for auction today.
But it wasn't just men who illustrated these coquettish lightly dressed ladies, there were actually quite a few women in the industry such as Zoë Mozert, who e.g. painted Jane Russell on the movie poster for The Outlaw.
Here at home, from the 1940s we had the famous Christel to draw cute, coquettish girls, with long legs in shorts and high-waisted trousers, and a twinkle in the eye.
Pinup and Hollywood
Because the pinup images with their sexual overtones and undertones became so popular, the same style began to be used for e.g. movie posters, and from there it wasn't long before the movie stars themselves promoted themselves/were promoted with a little extra 'sex sells'.
Rita Hayworth was already a well-known actress when she posed in a negligee for Life Magazine in 1941. She thus cemented her status as a pinup, and became one of the most used moviestar pinups by the American soldiers during World War II. This in no way destroyed her image, quite the opposite, when in 1946 she played the role of Gilda, which probably made Rita Hayworth the icon she is still today.
Equally famous was the actress Betty Grable, who had many films behind her when, in 1943, she had the famous pinup photo taken, where she is wearing a bathing suit with her back to the camera, cheerfully looking over her shoulder. The picture was to surpass Rita Hayworth's in demand among the American soldiers, and made Betty immensely popular as a pinup as well as an actress.
Marilyn Monroe as Pinup
But it went both ways; certain actors started out by drawing attention to themselves through the pinup medium. Probably the most famous of all, Marilyn Monroe, not only attracted the interest of film studios through pinup pictures, but also got her first camera experience in this way. Bettie Page also got the opportunity to work as an actress through her pinup company, and so did the bath nymph Esther Williams.
What is a vintage Pinup look?
Typical pinup girls from the 40s and 50s can be seen in everything from swimwear to swing skirts. There are typically two kinds, a slightly more stripped-down version, typically photos, and a more witty version that plays on innocent ignorance, typically an illustration, such as when a skirt happens to be lifted a little too high.
The look is usually focused on short skirts, stockings, shorts or swimwear and underwear, while the upper part can easily be a tight-fitting sweater or a shirt, as long as it is buttoned far down or tied on the stomach. The hair is always done perfectly and the make-up is important. Dark eyebrows and focus on flirty eyes with eyeliner. Of course red lipstick and red 'fresh' cheeks round off the look. The pinup look from the 40s and 50s is more sunny and playful than you see it today.
How to style a classic Pinup look?
Today, the pinup look is often equal to fine porcelain skin. Eyebrows are emphasized as in the 40s and 50s , and many place great emphasis on creating a classic cat eye "winged" eyeliner. Classic red lips are a must, while saving a little on blush compared to the pinup of yesteryear. For a perfect pinup look, the hair must be styled, and it is also often seen that it is dyed or bleached to achieve a strong contrast.
The clothes are high-waisted trousers , shorts and pencil skirts , and they are styled, for example, with an off-shoulder blouse or a shirt tied on the stomach. For styling tips see below.
Tops to create a Pinup Look
Black Off Shoulder Ruffle top from Unique Vintage
White Off Shoulder Ruffle top from Unique Vintage
Black Off Shoulder top from The Oblong Box
Pencil skirts to create a Pinup Look
Classic red pencil skirt from The House Of Foxy
Classic black pencil skirt from The House Of Foxy
Classic navy blue pencil skirt from Daisy Dapper
Shorts to create a Pinup Look
High waisted red shorts from The House Of Foxy
High-waisted black shorts from The House Of Foxy
High waisted navy blue shorts from The House Of Foxy
Pants to create a Pinup Look
Black trousers with wide legs and a high waist from The House Of Foxy
Classic high-waisted jeans from Lady K Loves
Red trousers with wide legs and a high waist from The House Of Foxy
Swimwear in Pinup Style
Swimsuit with dots in 50s pinup style from Esther Williams
Bikini with cherry in 50s pinup style from Esther Williams
Black swimsuit in 50s pinup style from Esther Williams
What is a modern Pinup girl?
The fact that pinup has had a renaissance is due, among other things, to the fact that "mid-century" has become popular in everything from interior design to art. In addition, we can mention the burlesque environment and their famous advocate Dita von Teese. And also the Rockabilly lifestyle, which centers around the 50s culture. Perhaps the love for the fashion image from the 40s and 50s is also due to the fact that after a long time of emaciated style icons, we again want to see a more varied image, and preferably female forms like those celebrated in pinup culture.
The pinup ideal is an hourglass-shaped figure with lots of femininity and sensuality. The modern woman can reflect on wanting to take back her femininity and love the female body as it is with shapes to be shown off, rather than having to force herself to go on a diet to fit high street clothes.
Pinup in glass and frame
The pinup has gone from being a bit risqué, something you set up with a drawing pen, to today having moved into living rooms. With all the retro fashion, and after we decorate our home in mid-century style, many of the artists of the 50s have also moved onto the walls of the home. This also applies to pinup pictures, here at home perhaps especially the Christel girls. We see that today they have been elevated, the beautiful women in happy colors are no longer just "pinned up" on the wall, but come in glass and frames in the living rooms, where they beautifully and coquettishly decorate the home and give it a little extra unique style. Something we at Mondo Kaos love! ❤️
Loving greetings,
Team Mondo Kaos ♥
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