Top 12 Famous Pin-ups

America's entry into World War II in 1941 sparked the golden age of pin-ups , photos of smiling women in clothing-challenged situations. Racy photos adorned the lockers of lone soldiers, the walls of barracks and even the sides of planes.

For the first time in its history, the U.S. military unofficially approved this type of art : pin-up photos, magazines, and calendars were shipped and distributed to troops, often at public expense, in order to " to raise morale ” and to remind the young men what they were fighting for. 🗽

The pinup's heyday was in the 1940s and 1950s , but pinup art still exists today. Even today, pin-up fans emulate the classic style in fashion, merchandise , photography and even tattoos.

12. Rita Hayworth

Rita Hayworth's famous pose in a black negligee quickly made its way across the Atlantic in 1941, as troops took the photo with them to the front. It ended up being the second most popular pin-up photo of all of World War II. Hayworth, whose two brothers both fought in the conflict, not only posed for photos: she also helped sell war bonds .

Hayworth's famous strawberry blonde hair was actually a "play": her real hair was dark black, but she dyed it red and even changed her hairstyle after fearing being typecast in "Hispanic" roles.

11. Ann Sheridan

We don't call her the " Oomph Girl " for nothing: Ann Sheridan was quite dynamic .

Many Hollywood actresses have been chosen to play the clichéd role of the tough yet tender woman, but none embodies the archetype as well as Ann Sheridan. Movie fans remember the World War II pin-up as much for her one-liners as for her comely sex appeal . Besides, her look was as sublime as her magnificent red hair . 👩‍🦰

10. Ava Gardner

In the 1940s, the studio system still reigned in Hollywood, and actors and actresses were generally hired exclusively by particular studios. Gardner was an " MGM girl ", discovered by the studio at the age of 18 after a photo was spotted by talent scouts. Surprisingly, Gardner quickly moved to Hollywood . 🎬

Her early pin-up work was typical for the time, with shots of her on the beach or in a swimsuit . Later in her career, Gardner rose to fame as a mermaid and femme fatale , and moved to a less "innocent" image, posing in heels and long black vintage dresses . 👗 Gardner married Frank Sinatra in 1951 and although the marriage lasted only six years, she later said he had been the love of her life.

9. The “Bomber Girls” 💣

In addition to pin-up photos, the US Air Force also unofficially authorized " nose art ", drawings of scantily clad women 👙 on the fuselage of bombers and fighter planes, in order to boost morale pilots. The artists, often military personnel themselves, took inspiration from men's magazines, popular actresses and real-life models.

Unlike many pin-ups , bombers were not limited to photos of attractive women : female figures were often seen as mascots or good luck charms that ensured the plane's safe return.

Sociologists linked aircraft nose art to the carved figurines once found on the bows of ships, which superstitious sailors considered a kind of good luck charm . 🤞 The art form saw a resurgence in the US military during the first Gulf War, but it was officially banned in 1992 following complaints from feminist groups.

8. The “Elvgren Girls”

Pin-up designs were not limited to airplanes: many of the most popular pin-ups of the era were produced by commercial artists . The " Elvgren girls " were the nickname given to pinups drawn by artist Gil Elvgren . 🎨 He first became interested in pinup art in 1937, but his long career also included commercials for Coca Cola and General Electric.

Elvgren was known for painting his pin-up subjects in imaginative situations: water skiing, climbing trees, doing yard work, and even clay pigeon shooting. Many photos feature a young woman in a situation who accidentally reveals her stocking tops and garters . Rather than overtly titillating the image, Elvgren seems to favor personality and even humor.

7. Veronica Lake

Aside from pin-up shoots, Veronica Lake was also a very popular film noir actress . She was born with the slightly less glamorous last name of "Ockelman," but a clever producer changed it to "Lake" to evoke her blue eyes . 🔵 Lake was famous for her blonde, wavy hairstyle , with bangs covering her right eye. In the 1940s, American women sacrificed half of their peripheral vision to imitate this hairstyle. Lake's playing was praised by critics, but she acquired a reputation for being difficult to work with and her career did not last beyond the end of the decade.

6. Zoe Mozert

Among the few female pin-up artists in a male-dominated field, Mozert had the advantage of being able to use herself as a model, something male artists were unlikely to do. 🤷‍♀️

Mozert paid for her art studies in the 1920s by posing as a model , and later she would often pose with a camera or mirror to compose her paintings. In addition to pin-ups , Mozert created hundreds of novel covers, calendars, advertisements and film posters during his career.

5. Jane Rusell

Russell was nicknamed the " sweater girl " after the item of clothing that best showed off her two most famous assets .

Her first film, "The Banished", narrowly escaped the censors who were concerned about the amount of cleavage she showed. Comedian Bob Hope once joked about the difficulty of describing Jane Russell without moving her hands, referring to her hourglass figure . Russell's most famous series of photos shows her lying relaxed in a pile of hay, holding a revolver.

Despite her detractors, Russell had a long and successful acting career, and was later best known for her role alongside Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes . 👱‍♀️

4. The “Vargas Girls”

Probably the most popular pin-up painter of the era, Alberto Vargas was already a successful magazine and poster artist when he signed a contract with Esquire magazine to produce monthly pin-ups in 1940.

He worked with Esquire for five years, during which time millions of magazines were sent free to World War II troops. Vargas received piles of fan mail from military personnel, often with requests to paint "mascot" girls , which he was said to have never refused.

Unlike Gil Elvgren's pin-ups, Vargas' female figures were always depicted on a plain, featureless white background. Although the Vargas Girls were mostly clothed, their barely veiled eroticism made Vargas and Esquire magazine the target of censorship later in the war.

3. Bettie Page

Bettie Page didn't become a famous pin-up until the 1950s, later than the other models on this list. Although her entire modeling career lasted only seven years, she is probably the most enduringly popular and recognizable pin-up model today.

His distinctive fringe (a photographer designed it to hide his high forehead) is still copied by young women. According to her fans, Page's unique appeal lies in her natural smile and cheerful appearance. Instead of pouting, she made sexuality seem like pleasure. 😍

After her retirement from modeling, her work fell into obscurity for decades, but reemerged in the 1980s. Since then, Page's images in the public domain have found their way onto merchandise , comic books, and posters . One Seattle homeowner even painted a two-story version of Page on the side of his house (it's cleverly covered by the building's eaves). Shortly after her death in 2008, Reason magazine called her pin-up work "one of America's most enduring brands."

👉 Also discover the most beautiful photos of Bettie Page . 📸 👀

2. Betty Grable

The award for most popular pin-up of World War II went to Betty Grable, who posed in a white swimsuit 🩱 and high heels 👠 , looking over her shoulder. Betty's studio, Twentieth Century Fox , provided five million copies of this iconic painting for distribution to the troops. And her success lasted beyond the conflict: After the war, Grable became not only the top female box office draw , but also the highest-paid woman in America, earning approximately $300,000 a year.

Betty's legs 🦵, which appear prominently in her famous photograph, were insured by her studio at a million dollars each (and that in 1940 dollars). Whether this was considered a wise investment, or simply a publicity move on his studio's part, is still up for debate.

1.Marilyn Monroe

Norma Jeane Mortenson, one of Hollywood's sex symbols par excellence, adopted the name Marilyn Monroe after a brief stint under the stage name Carole Lind (after Carole Lombard and Jenny Lind). She launched into acting very early and began her film career with a contract that linked her to 20th Century Fox . However, her roles were limited to a few lines, and in 1947 she was released from her contract.

It was only after returning to modeling and working with a handful of pin-up photographers that Monroe found success. In a strange series of events, some of her nude photos 🙈 were discovered and she ended up being featured as the first Playmate 👯 in the inaugural issue of Playboy. 🐇

👉 Discover all the secrets of the blonde diva in our article “ all about Marilyn Monroe .”