American Pinups
Fine, patriotic tradition lives on. It was never just about the cheesecake. I mean, not always. Boston Herald:
Today’s pinup girl-next-door may have more muscles and fewer clothes then her 1940s predecessors, but she’s just as eager to deliver calendar cheesecake and good cheer to soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“I’m a big fan of the pinup era,” said 21st-century calendar girl Gina Elise, who two years ago started modeling for and distributing her Pin-Ups for Vets calendar.
Latter-day calendar girls are a far cry from the skin spreads in Maxim and Playboy. They’re using a sweet-’n’-sexy style modeled after the World War II pinup to boost military morale - and raise money for causes vital to service members.
“It’s that appeal of the girl next door who’s not some sleazy hottie,” said Cindy Miller, a professor of interdisciplinary studies at Emerson College. “The sweet, average girl next door who just happens to be gorgeous and who has the potential of maybe being attainable if you’re good enough.”
Elise, a 25-year-old Los Angeles sales manager, did months of research before posing for all the pages of Pin-Ups for Vets, a calendar she conceived after hearing about wounded warriors’ struggles.
“A few years ago I started hearing stories about how underfunded the VA hospitals are. These men and women are putting this country before themselves. . . . And they come back and there’s no care for them,” said Elise, who has roots in the Bay State and whose grandfather served in World War II.
These girls want to make sure you eat your vegetables. You’ll recognize Gina, who spent the weekend visiting Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval Medical Center:
Here’s Soldiers R Us.
Here, by the way, is a great WWII nose art tribute, from which I lifted that image at top.
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 2:25 pm on Sunday, February 10, 2008
2 Responses to “American Pinups”
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February 10th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
I have Gina’s calendar. Woo hoo!
February 18th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
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