pinup

Pinups in Action Can Draw Clients As Well As Patrons

Pinups in Action Can Draw Clients As Well As Patrons

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Pinups thru out history have been used to sell everything from cosmetics to real estate. Sometimes, they had their origins in the scandalous worlds of peepshows and erotica. The scandalous Gilda Grey, famous for popularizing The Shimmy with her signature song The Shimmy Shewabble, helped sell a reducing cream in 1923. In 1925 she did the shimmy after a meeting to interest buyers in buying Coral Gables properties in Florida. The Shimmy, for which Gilda Grey was famous for, reportedly could be danced properly only with great difficulty and was considered primarily an exhibition dance. Similarly, the Cat Dance by Lilly Christine, had its origins in the realms of peepshows, but she crossed over into mainstream pinup model popularity and helped sell products.

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Making fun of cheesecake Pinup

Making fun of cheesecake Pinup

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When Imogene Coca and Sid Caesar took aim at 1950s cheesecake pinup culture on their groundbreaking show Your Show of Shows, they created comedy gold that doubled as cultural commentary. Through hilarious sketches featuring Coca as Cleopatra, satirical beefcake parodies, and pointed jabs at ballet photography’s “legs as art” phenomenon, these comedy pioneers exposed the absurdity behind the glamour photography that dominated the era.

Explore how television’s most fearless comedians used satire to challenge beauty standards and gender norms in 1953, revealing the fascinating intersection between comedy, pinup culture, and social critique during television’s golden age.

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Television reshaped the 1950s Pinup Phenomenon

Television reshaped the 1950s Pinup Phenomenon

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“The Bust Line May be Best Line in TV”. This article explores how television was currently reshaping the Pinup phenomenon, remarking on Faye Emerson’s low cut gowns in the late 40s, but then turning again away from excess by raising bustlines and hemlines (referencing the Breen office’s revision in 1951, that apparently included a ban against showing intimate apparel on a moving figure). However, these restrictions had the result of making the female form more enticing, “A whisper echoes more than a shout”.

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To Man, Woman is Basically Funny – history of pinups in humor

To Man, Woman is Basically Funny – history of pinups in humor

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hoopskirts to bathing suits, this Cheesecake Pinup magazine takes a look at the history of sexual innuendo in humor and media.

One of the first cartoons is from the 1860s, showing the wind blowing up a dress to reveal the hoopskirt underneath and (gasp) the sexyness of the woman’s ankels! Then came the peepshows in the Kinetoscopes of the 1890s (as examples are The Bedroom Farce, and a womens’ wrestling). Then, the late 1890s cinema came along, and in the early 1900s, Hollywood and the Keystone comedies and the scantily clad “big names wearing too little” and sensual Femme Fatale Movie Stars of the 1920s…

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1958 Hilda Calendar – an Illustrated curvy BBW Cheesecake Pinup

1958 Hilda Calendar – an Illustrated curvy BBW Cheesecake Pinup

Discover the whimsical charm of the 1958 Hilda calendar, featuring Duane Bryers’ iconic curvy pinup, Hilda. This playful and unique cheesecake pinup art celebrates body positivity and humor, with Hilda unapologetically defying 1950s beauty standards. Each month features vibrant artwork paired with advertising for Munger Linen, making it a true piece of vintage ephemera. Perfect for lovers of retro pinup art and mid-century Americana!

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1940s Style Pinup

1940s Style Pinup

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This 1940s dress was such fun to photograph! It has red buttons down the front and an abstract polka dot pattern. I put a smart black hat on the model. Like many dresses of the era, it was unlined and meant to be worn over a slip or under=dress. We borrowed a rolling red wooden storage box as the only prop with this simple set. I love the model’s exaggerated “cheesecake pinup” expressions! She did her own makeup and hair, too.

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Classic Sexy Patriotic Pinup Pics

Classic Sexy Patriotic Pinup Pics

I styled a patriotic-inspired vintage photoshoot featuring a sparkly red, white, and blue mini dress I found in Las Vegas. The look was completed with an American flag and a retro vibe, channeling mid-century pinup charm. Set against my vintage 1950s “pinup exercise machine,” we created timeless, playful poses that pay homage to the glamour and patriotism of classic pinup art. Combining nostalgia with bold styling, this shoot captures the enduring appeal of pinup photography and Americana aesthetics.

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Country retro pinup

Country retro pinup

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This was pinup model Amy W.’s last photo set at this workshop. She dressed in her own red gingham dress, red platform wedges, borrowed a cowboy hat, and posed in an old truck for a thoroughly classic retro country look.

I minimally post-processed these photos, because they looked so great naturally. What a cute modern retro photo shoot!

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Pinup models on a South Pacific Set

Pinup models on a South Pacific Set

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This cute, humorous, cheesecake pinup photography set features pinup model Amy Mooney (Shooby Duwop) posing with a classic red car against a vintage beach backdrop. It looks like she’s on set of a 1950s beach flick! Later, pinup model Amy W. joins in, and they pretend that they’re lost on the way to the real beach (it does not help that they’re in Missouri, reading the map upside down).

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Patriotic Pinup in the Willys Jeep

Patriotic Pinup in the Willys Jeep

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This impromptu patriotic pinup shoot at my Retro Car Workshop brought together vintage charm and mid-century style. Featuring Nikki in a classic 1940s polkadot dress with red beads and victory-roll-styled hair, the set celebrated the nostalgia of the World War II era. With the iconic Willys Jeep—a reminder of American innovation during WWII—as the backdrop, this photoshoot captured the enduring elegance and resilience of the 1940s. This session was both a creative exploration of history and a personal reflection on past projects.

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A woman in a WAC uniform reading a newspaper during WWII.

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