I'm A Pin Up

I've always loved pin ups. I remember being fascinated by the early Elvgren Coca-Cola ads, and then when the movie Memphis Belle came out, my love of the forties era peaked. With Memphis Belle, I loved the pin up nose art on the fighter planes, and it didn't hurt that the movie had a cast full of attractive young men looking like they were from the 1940s! (laughs)

I think Betty Grable was my original favorite. She was the iconic and classic 1940s pin up persona. I loved the over-the-shoulder pose, her smile and innocence. I was still in elementary school, so at that age, it wasn't that it was sexy, it was just playful and fun and the clothes were neat. I mean, it wasn't exactly racy to see a woman in a full one-piece bathing suit. My best friend in junior high school was absolutely obsessed with Marilyn Monroe, so I read a bunch of her Marilyn books and she became another one of my icons of course. But mostly it was just the spirit of the pin up that I fell for.

I've always had an eclectic style of dress, but I wasn't always a pin up per se. Never in my life have I had much money for it. In L.A., vintage clothing in great condition is very expensive. I was always a thrift store girl growing up, but buying vintage clothing was definitely not a priority for where our funds were going. I got what I could, little pieces from family, here and there. I have a very small family, so I couldn't rely on the benefits of hand-me-downs as much as I'd like.

I did a bit of modeling as a kid, albeit briefly.