Pin-Ups of the Golden Age

Keep reading if you want to know more about the Golden Age of Pin-Ups, and why this is the era most remembered for the Pin-Up Girl.

The 1940s is known as the “Golden Age” of Pin-Ups, as Pin-Ups were being seen everywhere. During WWII, the military used the Pin-Up on recruitment posters and to sell war bonds. Although this tactic was also used during WWI, the illustrations were much racier than they had been. The goal was to boost the morale of the soldiers with exotic and erotic images. Pinning up the artwork on lockers, submarine walls, and in the barracks was supposed to give the soldiers something to “fight for.” And as the lovely, shapely, lingerie-clad women were “pinned up,” the Golden Age of Pin-Ups was officially ushered in.

The soldiers were “unofficially” allowed to paint Pin-Ups on the noses of their aircraft. Though it was not technically authorized, decoration of the war birds with lovely ladies was thought to be a morale boost; a boost to solidify the bond between the air and ground crews of each aircraft. While sometimes they were Hollywood Starlets, more often than not, the women painted on the airplanes were the sweethearts of the soldiers involved with that aircraft. And so, many of the femme depictions were named after servicemembers’ loved ones. I won’t go too in-depth with the history of nose art in this article, as this topic deserves its own history lesson; however, it is important to mention it when discussing the Pin-Up Golden Age. I believe the “necessity” of utilizing nose art during WWII elevated the popularity of the Pin-Up and, in my opinion, it is the reason this decade is considered the Pin-Up Golden Age.

The four photographs above are ones my grandfather took.

The Pin-Up was a powerful image during WWII. Hollywood Starlets were very active in the “hawking” of war bonds, and later, they would travel overseas for USO tours to entertain and support the troops.

Hollywood bombshells would grace the covers and centerfolds of YANK Magazine. My grandfather showed me an old copy of YANK he kept, in a little box with several old photographs. Thinking of him during WWII, fixing airplanes on a beach, potentially being shot at, all the while waiting for letters from home, makes me very emotional.

WWII was considered a “total war effort;” everyone did their part, including the women who were not allowed to fight in the war. Although everything you could think of was rationed (including makeup), women were encouraged to continue wearing lipstick so they could write letters to their GIs and cover the envelopes with kisses. They would press their lips to the paper against a flat surface, like a mirror, to leave behind the perfect smooch mark. It was considered a message of love from a girl to her fella. Sending “kisses” overseas was one of the ways women were considered to be “doing their part;” and for this reason, lipstick was one of the few items that did not require a ration card.

Red lipstick was all the rage for American women throughout WWII. Hitler hated makeup and warned women to avoid wearing red lipstick; so as a sign of patriotism, American ladies would wear a crimson pout as much as possible. Elizabeth Arden created a special shade of red for the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps called “Montezuma Red,” which perfectly matched the red piping on their uniforms. As the popularity grew, the public wanted their own “Montezuma Red,” and Elizabeth created the shade “Victory Red” for public consumption.

Today, red lipstick has become an iconic symbol of the pin-up girl, along with winged eyeliner and large soft curls. Gone are the days of WWII, but the style remains an iconic reminder of those days. The fashion has been romanticized; as we have a remembrance for the difficult times, we look back with softness on the time our soldiers came home.

The Pin-Up will live on forever: through images of times gone by, and through modern day Pin-Ups paying homage to our grandmothers, who forged their way through so many pivotal points in history. They fought for our rights as women, and we must honor them by remembering them with love. However we choose to remember them, be it through fashion or by practicing and enforcing our rights as women, let us not forget what they have done for us.

If you missed the other posts in this History of Pin-Up series, you can read Origination of the Pin-Up Girl and Pin-Ups of the 1920s and 1930s.