While writing about
biker art, and looking for female riders,
I was reminded of those old, Italian, vintage
Vespa posters. With all due respect to the
roaring Harley, lets move on to the waspy hum
of the Vespa.
Since the 1950's,
anyone who’s ever visited Italy,
especially Rome, knows the familiar site
of pretty girls on their Vespa. Why is
it that the Harley Davidson became a
man’s vehicle, and the Piaggio Vespa
became a woman’s Vehicle?
A Sissy Motorcycle
The original
designer of Vespa, Corradino D'Ascanio,
apparently didn’t see the fun of the
motorcycle, and opted to create a sensible
two-wheel mode of transportation.
The front protection "shield" kept the rider
dry and clean in comparison to the open front
end on motorcycles. The pass-through leg area
design was geared towards all user groups,
including women, as wearing dresses or skirts
made riding a motorcycle a challenge. The
front fork, like an aircraft's landing gear,
allowed for easy wheel changing. The internal
mesh transmission eliminated the standard
motorcycle chain, a source of oil, dirt, and
aesthetic misery.
~Wikipedia~
Stereotypical Branding
From the
get-go, the Harley was all about masculine
freedom and power.
The Vespa, however, was, by design, made for
women; the vespa adds targeted women.
The Early 1950’s - From Exotic Escapism
to Sexy Cosmopolitanism
The early Vespa
ads bring us a classically oil-painted brand
of pinups. While half the 1950’s Vespa pinups
are leisurely seated on the beach, leaning
against their Vespa, the other half are
portrayed as savvy cosmopolitan women, busy
getting from here to there.
The Late 1950’s - The Move to Photography
and into the Sexual Revolution
Feminism,
in the Vespa ad niche, peaked in the mid
1950’s. Along with the falling out of favor
of the romanticism of illustration, and the
move towards photography, came a more
straight forward approach. The Vespa pinup
was becoming less and less a modern woman,
and more and more of a Vespa accessory.
Strange,hybrid pinup sets were soon to
spawn...
The 1960’s - The Summer of Leaser
The
1960’s Vespa pinups, are the ones most
identified with the term Vespa Girls. It was
the heyday of Vespa, as Vespa became a
fashion icon and a must have accessory, for
the fashionable young lady. Young, hot
celebrities, such as Jayne Mansfield, Raquel
Welsh and Urssula Andress were eager to
promote the no all-so-pretty, candy-colored
Vespa.
England was also adding to pinup history, in
those years, but through a different medium:
The 1970’s - Mod Gives Way to
Hippy
A shift in image is
seen in the 1970 Vespa ads. A more
flowery, hippy fashion was adopted, a
little less posh, a little more sporty.
And more vibrent colors used on set.
(Unfortunately I was only able to find
one image of 1970’s Vespa pinups and no
1980’s images. If you have more
information and images, please let us
all know, in the comment section, or an
email.)
2000- Something Old, Something
New
Recovering a major business bust, in
the 1980’s, Piaggio was able to reintroduce a
cleaner, safer Vespa. The ads, however, seem
not to change. While the models are a
representation of what is considered
beautiful and fashionable, today, an obvious
effort has been made, to style the photograph
in the vintage Vespa tradition.
To classic Italian cheesecake,
Additional
Resources:
Tags: Vespa women, Oil-painted cheesecake,
1960, 1970, Jayne Mansfield, Raquel Welsh, Female riders, England, Vespa ads, Urssula Andress, Italian pinups, Vintage Vespa Posters,
Harley Davidson, 1950's, Italy, Piaggio girls, Corradino D'Ascanio
