Sweethearts of a Bygone Era Pin Up Girls Took The World By Storm
Glamour and romance was the order of the day, Hollywood opened a window to the world with their motion pictures, and the world was introduced to the ultimate woman of the era, names such as Betty Grable, Hedy Lamarr, Marlene Dietrich, Jane Russell, Jean Harlow, Marie Mac Donald and more recent names such as Elizabeth Tailor, Marylyn Munroe, sent messages of perfection, beauty, style, glamour and romance to many hearts both male and female.
Photographs of these beautiful woman were popular and nearly every man in the forces had their favourite pin up girl on the inside of their lockers, painted on the noses of their aircraft, post cards tucked into wallets to be take out when they had a moment between their arduous and difficult lives.
Many women aspired to imitate these screen goddesses, their clothing was copied, hairstyles were changed, make up imitated. Cinemas were usually played to packed audiences thrilling to see their favourite actress.
This was an era when women represented perfection, perfect curves in al the right places, they posed in clothing that showed enough but not too much, allowing the imagination to run wild. Photographers captured as aura of mystery, provocative poses sent pulses racing.
In its heyday pin up girl posters and calendars were extremely popular, and could be found almost everywhere. Magazines not to be outdone published pictures of these sweethearts, and these in turn would be cut out and pinned up in schoolboys lockers, swapped among classmates, young hearts sighing and wishing that they could meet the girl of their dreams.
Betty Grable, was sighed over in her Academy award nomination film The Gay Divorcee (1934), and her other Academy Award nomination Film The Pin up Girl (1944) she set a standard that many aspiring actresses strived to follow.
And in 1936, Dorothy Lamour shot to fame with her movie Jungle Princess (1936).
And Lana Turner whose sultry looks sent heart racing in her movie The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946).
A forerunner to the pin up girls was the Gibson Girls, Charles Dana Gibson, produced the first Hollywood pin up girls, they were depicted with hour glass figures, bouffant hairstyles, long shapely necks and pixie faces. The style was certainly glamorous, and a perfect forerunner for what was to come. It is believed that Charles Gibson used his wife as the first Gibson girl.
Why do woman inspire men, and why is it that women posing provocatively as pin up girls will send hearts racing. It is part of human nature to be inspired by beauty, although many of these glamour women were not classically beautiful, then gave a picture of sensual allure that was captivating. Hollywood did their part in promoting these pin up girls, the millions of calendars, posters, postcards, magazine, newspaper articles on each star, was the forerunner to today’s media frenzy of the rich, famous and glamorous who grace our screen today.
Although this era is long past, today there are people who still collect pictures of these glamour pin up girls. One cannot forget that they certainly captured the imagination of the people.
