Pin Up Style: The Vintage Sexy Look For Spring 2012

Summary:

            Fashion has been known to repeat itself and recycle old trends. A suggested style that be brought back this year has been the style of the 1940s Pin-Up girl. The pictures that are most famous consist of prominent themes found in the Pin-Up girl style, such as pictures of women doing daily chores, the sailor theme, and the seductress in lingerie (Kay, 2012). One major aspect of the Pin-Up style was that in many pictures, the girl was always “accidentally sexy” in that her skirt may have gotten caught on something or some other accident may have occurred in the photo that would cause the girl to reveal a little extra skin (Kay, 2012). This era, women were expected to be discrete and humble, and most were. Because of this, men were often so intrigued by these images; this fed into the male fantasy and the Pin-Up style grew to be all the rage in a matter of time (Kay, 2012).

            The celebrity Pin-Up girls known as sex symbols became the ideal women. Men began developing this idea of this type of girl being what all women are supposed to look and act like. These images greatly changed the standard of beauty in this era (Kay, 2012). In comparison to the images fawned over today, the Pin-Up style may even be viewed as vaguely conservative. But to this day, this style “retains a sense of feminine elegance and innocence, as well as a mysterious sex appeal, which is timelessly attractive” (Kay, 2012).

There are many components that contribute to the Pin-Up style that’s ever so popular. Beginning with the hair- the hair style was either long or a medium bob cut. The hair was soft and curly or soft and wavy. This hair style was considered to be elegant and all that one needs to attain it is a barrel curling iron and hairspray (Kay, 2012).

Pin-Up girls wore their makeup quite simply in that all they used was a cherry red lipstick, blush, and thick-winged eyeliner. Black liquid eyeliner is necessary to attain this look and the traditional one will give the most dramatic effect vs. using the easier-to-use felt-tip liquid liner (Kay, 2012). As for the lip stick, lip liner is recommended.

There’s a variety of clothes that encompass the Pin-Up style. For example, dresses/skirts were worn the majority of the time with a polka-dot print. A popular style of dress was showing the arms or chest of a woman, such as halter-necks. A few other styles of dresses are a-line, free flowing, and curve-hugging (Kay, 2012).

Garter belts and black thigh-high stockings were a popular accessory then and still are prominent today. Long opera-style and short lace gloves were occasionally worn as well. Jewelry was rarely used, excluding sailor-themed jewelry (Kay, 2012).

Lastly, the shoes worn by Pin-Up girls were high-heels, every time. The design on the shoe was often bubbly and feminine, such as polka dots, floral, bow decorations, or cherries. The main colors were navy, red, and black (Kay, 2012).

           

           

Analysis:

            This article gives a background of the Pin-Up girl and goes on to explain the style in depth. The innocent and elegant style of the Pin-Up girl has been recognized as a hot style that deserves to have a comeback and it’s being encouraged to be brought back this year as the newest, stylish look. An interesting point was brought up in the article about the main aspect of the Pin-Up girl appeal was the “accidental sexiness” that was displayed in the images. There was mystery in the images and not everything was thrown out at once, unlike today. On the other hand, for the time, it was quite controversial. The idea of this “inappropriate” and out-of-character persona the vintage Pin-Up girls portrayed truly did create a new dimension to the male fantasy. Having never seen anything like it, men were immensely intrigued by these images and developed a new standard for beauty and their concept of the ideal woman.

Reflection Questions:

1.      How did the idea of making pictures “accidentally” sexy come to be?

2.      Where did the Pin-Up style come from, in regards to hair, makeup, and clothing?

Kay, A. (2012, March 17). Pin up style: The vintage sexy look for spring 2012. Xaxii Magazine, Retrieved from http://xaxii.com/article?art=pin-up-style-the-vintage-sexy-look-for-spring-2012