The Golden Age of the Pinup – Pin-up Girl History and Style

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Pinup girl history and style during the golden age of the pin-up girl, plus some famous 1940s pinup girls

This post is all about the 1940s pin up girl, history and style

First of all, what is the meaning of the term “pinup girl?”

Pinup girl is a term that refers to a girl who’s image was so popular in print (this was before the digital age) that their image would be “pinned up” everywhere.

History of pinup girls and the golden age of pinups

The golden age of pinups is considered to be the 1940s, notably during WWII when it was common for men to have images of their favorite girls pinned up.

YANK magazine was a weekly military magazine that was distributed to members of the military.

Hollywood actresses, dancers and models would be the chosen as the pinup girls in each issue of the magazine.

The most popular part of the magazine was the pinup girl that was printed in the magazine.

The men would pin up the images of the girls on barrack walls, submarine walls, inside their lockers, and even inside their vehicles.

These images were promoted as helping boot the men’s morale and to give them something to fight for.

This was so widespread that it was even reported that pinup models from yank magazine were pinned up in a remote village in Burma!

Another pinup military trend during WWII was the men painting pinup images on the noses of their planes.

Although these images would be a mix of the hollywood starlets or the soldiers loved ones at home, and tended to be racier than the Yank magazine images.

The military encouraged the whole pinup craze by printed images of pinups to sell war bonds.

Margie Stewart was referred to as the “military’s official pinup” and promoted war bonds.

Above, Margie Stewart was the official military pinup during WWII.

Vintage pinup girl style

Vintage pinup girl style was 1940s and 1950s fashion at it’s sexiest.

Bring out the swimsuits, tight sweaters, low cut dresses, and hourglass flattering clothing.

Although considered risque for the day, compared to modern day style, they actually don’t show a lot of skin.

Pinup fashion now often refers to the pinup models of the 1940s and 1950s, or even refers to the classic style of 1940s fashion and 1950s fashion.

For more on 1940s Lingerie:
Sexy 1940s Lingerie – Bombshells & Vintage Bra Styles

What is a pinup girl body type?

The stereotypical pinup girl body type is an hourglass figure, which was what most vintage pinup girls had.

However, there were other famous pinup girls that didn’t sport the hourglass figure like Rita Hayworth or Lauren Bacall.

Pin-up girl hair

Besides the clothing, one of the most recognizable aspects of the pinup look is the hair.

As the height of the pinup girl popularity was the 1940s and 1950s, the hairstyles most associated with pinup girls are hairstyles from those decades.

Popular hairstyles include the pin curls and victory rolls.

Pin curls was the way that women would curl their hair before the convenience of blow dryers and curling irons.

Setting the hair into pin curls created waves and structure to the hair which could be sculpted into different shapes.

Victory rolls was a popular way of pinning rolls of hair that was popularized by the Old Hollywood star Lana Turner.

Supposedly it was named the victory roll that a pilot does, another reference to World War II.

Above: This image of Betty Grable and her famous legs is probably the most recognizable pinup girl image from the 1940s.

Pin up girl style: vintage swimwear with pin-curled hair and high heels

The most common pinup style seemed to be some sort of vintage swimwear with pincurled hair, and high heels.

The swimsuit could be either a one-piece or a two-piece.

The two-piece was popular, and still slightly scandalous for the 1940s.

The two-piece swimsuits typically had a full-coverage bra top with either a high waisted bikini bottom, or a skirt.

As legs were often the focal point of the image, high heels showed them off to the best advantage.

To get the vintage pinup girl look, choose a high waisted bottom.

Two-piece swimsuits were just staring to gain popularity in the 1940s, and the 1940s was also the decade when the bikini was invented.

For more on 1940s swimsuits:
1940s Swimsuits: Welcome the Bikini and Other Retro Bathing Suit Styles

Pin up girl style: Vintage glam 

Not what is commonly thought of as pinup style today, but these pinups girls were photographed in their vintage glam 1940s style evening gowns, dressed up to the nines.

The key to this look is not choosing casual dresses, but glitzy 1940s style evening dresses.

Above image: actresses Anne Gwynne (bottom) and Ella Raines (top) grace the cover of Yank magazine in their evening gowns.

Pin up girl style: Sexy button-up blouse

We love this image of Ingrid Bermgan’s casual pinup with a simple tied up button up top and pants.

Showing the midrift was a bit eyebrow raising in the 1940s, but it seemed that as long as you weren’t showing the belly-button you were okay. (This also applied to two-piece swimsuits in the 1940s, until the scandalous bikini came along and changed things)

Above, Ingrid Bergman’s 1940s pinup photo in the military magazine YANK

Photos of Popular pin-up girls of the 1940s

While most people think of Marilyn Monroe when they think of pinup girls, Marilyn Monroe didn’t reach the height of her popularity until later in the 1940s and really the 1950s.

Before Marilyn Monroe, the pinup girls of the 1940s were Betty Grable, Bettie Page, Rita Hayworth, Lauren Bacall, and more.

Here are some of the most popular pinup girls during the 1940s.

Popular pin up girl: Rita Hayworth

Above: a popular actress and pinup during world war II, Rita Hayworth shows off her legs on her Yank magazine coverpage.

Popular pin up girl: Bettie Page

Above: Another popular pinup of her time, Bettie Page was known for her risque photos.

Popular pin up girl: Veronica Lake

Veronica Lake was a popular actress during the 1940s.

She might be even more well-known for her famous hair-do, which inspired so many copycats that the government had to have her change it because of safety concerns for women working in the factories.

Popular pin up girl: Betty Grable

Perhaps the most popular pinup from the 1940s.

Her image in the white swimsuit looking over her shoulder (left) was the most famous pinup image during the WWII era.

Supposedly Marilyn Monroe was considered a replacement for her as she got older in the 1950s, but they have each become popular in their own right.

Other posts you might like:
Best Vintage Inspired Summer Outfit Ideas from Old Hollywood

Above, Betty Grable had the most popular pinup photo in WWI (left)

This post was all about the golden age of pinups, pin up girl history and style

What pinup style is your favorite?