How far is too far?

Unknown Vintage Pinup Model

I have been noticing lately that in the pinup industry people have been veering away from traditional pinup work and dabbling more into overtly sexual modeling. Is there anything wrong with that? Probably not but I personally would not call it traditional pinup or pinup at all.
I am not preaching nor judging but calling things as there are from my point of view. Perhaps I am very old-fashioned but hey-that's what pinup and those bygone times were all about. If woman are literally showing their bare breasts and rear for all the world to see and calling that PINUP-they are wrong. Plain and simple. But we live in world where sex sells-big time! So much so that most "pinups" are focusing on fetish and implied nudity more and more. People need to make a living, right? Will they get noticed? OF COURSE they will! Who doesn't want to see a naked or semi naked pretty girl?

Traditional Pinup Art by Gil Elvgren

I then begin to wonder where is PINUP going with all this? To me, it has veered so much to another category that I sometimes can't even recognize the work some people are doing. Some people call themselves pinup models or pinup photographers but all I see is nudity, fetish, and sex. Is that really PINUP?

The times gone by were a time when people didn't show all their goodies for all the world to see but they did express their sexuality in very demure manner. Today if you saw some of the films for example like, Baby Face (1933) starring Barbara Stanwyck, the sexual innuendos are so subtly that you would miss it if you didn't pay attention. Movies now are all in  your face and nothing is left to the imagination.

Bettie Page, who to me is the Mother of Modern Pinup

The same is happening in the PINUP world. There are many women who celebrate the traditional pinup in beautiful and tasteful manners. I see nothing wrong with showing a little skin or emphasizing the beauty that is yours. Perhaps we need more mystery. Perhaps we need a little more...."Oh-I wonder what's under there??" instead of  "Yeah I saw that already, I am getting bored-its the same old thing every time."

So PINUPS its time to ask yourself, how do you want your work portrayed? How do you want to be seen? I see nothing wrong with the new twists and turns in Modern Pinup, but ask yourself if you want the whole world to see your goodies...do you want them to know everything or do you want to keep them guessing and wanting more? It's up to you!

xox