It’s movie poster mania at The Pinup Blog!

Movie posters are one of the most diversified genre there is. From photography, to realistic illustration, to the expressive and dramatic- Show biz has got it all! Of course, I’m a sucker for it’s pinups- the classic and the contemporary. Some are old-school, some I’m seeing for the first time, some will became classic in twenty year’s time. So let’s zoom into this modern art- the movie poster.

Art Nouveau Does Hollywod

Before movies were in color, or had sound, or camera movement, the posters were just as low tech. This doesn’t mean that they were inferior- on the contrary. Movie posters in the 20’s and before were designed by the most respected fine artists, such as Alfons Mucha, Eugène Grasset and Paul Colin. Always very expressionistic, focusing on colors, shapes and rhythms. All this sophistication, however, leaves enough room for a lot of sex-appeal, and as the years progressed, the cleavage regressed.


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Tags: Vintage Movie Poster, Rita Hayworth, Bad Girls, Marlene Dietrich, Natalie Portman, actresses, Quentin Tarantino, Grindhouse, Lolita, Austin Powers, Angelina Jolie, uma Thurman, neo pinups, Pinup Girls, Tragic Sirens, Bond Girls, horror genre, B movie, screaming cheesecake, scary monster, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, 1950’s, photography, modern art, femme fatal, show Biz History, 1940’s, Paul Colin, glamor girls, Alfons Mucha, Eugène Grasset, Art Nouveau, Hollywod, realistic illustration

How do I love pinups and let me count the ways...

Yes, I sat myself down and asked myself why it is I blog about pinups. It’s so trivial, it’s so silly and so horny! So why then? Here are 10 fine reasons!

#10 The Detail

I’m a sucker for good craftsmanship. Most people are. As an art student you learn to appreciate abstract art and god knows I love it, but there is always a special place in my heart for that artist that can really draw convincing fingernails and get deep into the garter-clasp details.


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Tags: pinup lovers, Nostalgia, garter-clasp details, king of pinups, Marilyn Monroe, Betty Page, straightforward sexuality, sexually explicit, pinup artists, Olivia De Bernardinis, retro style, Classic Sweetness, garter belts, Women, Voluptuous, Gil Elvgren, modern Venuses, Garters and Stockings, beauty and mystic, natural beauty, Low art, pornographic, Diversity, neo-pinups

Another friend at Flickr, Pussycat Pinups is making wonderfully glossy neo-pinups. Beautiful girls, shiney colors and a variety of types. All you’ll ever want

Tags: Pussycat Pinups, Flickr, glossy neo-pinups, Beautiful girls

Suicide Girls started out as a small, two-person, alternative photography project. With over a thousand barely-legal-looking, naturally beautiful, tattooed and pierced models, it became a small corporation.

The site is a tastefully executed soft-core-porn subscription magazine, with a section devoted to each girl, including images, videos and a personal blog. The idea behind Suicide Girls is that blond with fake tits and a Barbie doll smile is not for everyone, and it seems to cater to a different crowd than Playboy’s. I can see women loving this. After all, it’s made by women. And of course a rock’n’rolling Goth, Neo-Punk audience.






In the words of founder, Missy:

With a vibrant, sex positive community of women (and men), SuicideGirls was founded on the belief that creativity, personality and intelligence are not incompatible with sexy, compelling entertainment, and millions of people agree. The site mixes the smarts, enthusiasm and DIY attitude of the best music and alternative culture sites with an unapologetic, grassroots approach to sexuality.

Tags: suicide Girls, Goth, pierced models, Porn for Women, soft-core-porn, Neo-Punk, barely-legal, tattooed , naturally beautiful, alternative photography

Pinups of the 50’s didn’t just spring out of midair. These images reflect their times. (as all art does.) So I set out to find authentic images that will shed light on pinup art.

Those Cool Cats

The 50’s, like any time in history, weren’t as carefree as you may imagine. Most people worked hard, African Americans were struggling and really, the only ones exuding that familiar Happy Days/Grease carefree glamor were the teenagers of white suburbia. They were fashionable and fun-loving and like many post-modern generations after them, they were to be icons who reflect their times (missing some historical facts in the process ).
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Tags: Pinup Look, 1950's, African Americans, status in society, prim and proper, Fifties teenagers, glamor of Hollywood, 50's girls, Greasers, Levi's, Rebellious teens, teenagers of white suburbia

It's Time for a Change

You all know how much I love diversity, so when Anita turned to me for a Marilyn Monroe-styled portrait, I was stoked. Nothing gives me more pleasure than referencing the queen of all that is retro chick.

But, for me, the best part of it was that I get to give a shake to the idea of what's beautiful. I give you Marilyn in a 2008 model. No longer does the slender blond dominate the beauty ideal. There’s beauty in all of us, I think this pin-up portrait proves it, beyond any doubt.




















So click on the item of your choice, below and get with beauty- 2008 style!

Another hit for glam-diversity baby!

Tags: Marilyn Monroe, pin-up portrait, The Pinup Shop, beauty ideal, retro chick, pinup models, glam-diversity

Amidst all the over-sexed media there are few non-pornographic havens that capture an old innocent feeling. In the tradition of the 1950’s damsels in underwear distress, Paul Richmond’s Cheesecake boys are exactly that. A collection of sweet, clumsy, sexy men. Richmond is a fine artist and illustrator, a proud gay man and an activist. Inspiring and fun, go have a look at his online studio.

Tags: Paul Richmond, Cheesecake Boys, 1950's, Fine artist, Illustrator, online studio

On Sunday, I told you about Char E’, the gorgeous African American Pinup. Of course, I got curious and just had to check out, who does those quality digital paintings. Meet Guy Powers and his dolls. He specializes in smooth air brushed digital neo pinups. They’re shiny and sexy, sometimes touch on the fetish but mostly on that retro humor. Usually themed, like the above cards, drinks, or state butterflies , Powers takes the pinup and makes her sexiness contemporary (including the ever-present diversity which I just love! ).

Tags: Guy Powers, Guy's Dolls

You know I’m always looking for diversity in the pinup industry. Meet Char E’ (Pronounced Shar-A), she’s been modelling in the pinup style since 1999. She is the epitome of diversity, being part African American, part Native American and part Irish. I discovered Char E’ at CafePress, where you can find many more of her pinup images. To get the full lowdown on Char E’ check out her interview at Black Men in America.

Tags: Char E’, Black Cheesecake, African American Pinups, native American pin up models

You’re not seeing double. This list compiles pinup twins from around the world and across history.

Like the bunny and the exotic dancer, the fantasy of twins has always been out there. Twins photograph incredibly, and automatically call to mind additional meaning to an image. Smart photographers and painters utilized their rarity in order to create a stunning image. I’m leaving the sexual stuff out of this list, as alluring as it may appear it’s incest and I’m just not that kind of blogger.

The Vintage Twins that Launched a Thousand Words

Not much is known about Edward D'Ancona, who very possibly had a severe book fetish. This pinup isn’t dated, and all we can assume is that it was painted between the mid 1930-1960, the years he was known to be an active calendar artist. That’s a big gap, and the painting doesn’t clue us in to much. Seeing as these glamor girls are naked, the only thing I could go by is the hair, which looks right about the right length and styling to be between the 1940-1950. But again, I don’t know for sure, so f