Pin-up models became a thing around World War II. Though there are many more efficient ways to see nude women nowadays, nothing beats the timeless beauty of pin-ups. There were many notable pin-up models that helped make the medium as popular as it was. From Marilyn Monroe to Cleo Moore, join Facts Verse as we explore the most beautiful pin-up girls captured in timeless photos.
Marilyn Monroe
Let’s start this video off by taking a look at Marilyn Monroe. Of course, most people will think of Marilyn as a famous Hollywood actress. She certainly was, but she was an iconic pin-up model first! Marilyn wasn’t born with her famous stage name. At the time of her birth, she was known as Norma Jeane Mortenson. Before settling on the stage name of Marilyn Monroe, she considered the stage name of Carole Lind. The name “Carole Lind” was inspired by Carole Lombard and Jenny Lind. Eventually, Marilyn would grow to surpass both of these figures significantly in fame.
Though Marilyn Monroe would go on to become one of the biggest stars of all time, she initially struggled upon first showing up in Hollywood. After signing her first contract with 20th Century Fox, the performer found herself underutilized. Once the contract was up in the late 1940s, Marilyn started focusing more on modeling. This is when Marilyn took the relatively new world of pin-ups by storm. Notably, Marilyn was the seminal Playmate of the Month in the very first issue of Playboy that was ever published. After finding success as a pin-up, Marilyn returned to Hollywood. She became one of the biggest screen stars of the 1950s. However, the actress ended up passing away tragically young in the 1960s.
Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield was another pin-up model. She almost equaled Marilyn Monroe in popularity, both in the world of pin-ups and on the big screen. Like Marilyn, Jayne appeared in Playboy. Coincidentally, Jayne Mansfield would also pass away at a tragically young age. Marilyn Monroe’s death had come as a result of the actress’s substance abuse, and it likely couldn’t have been avoided. However, Jayne Mansfield’s tragic and untimely death was much more accidental. Jayne Mansfield passed away in June of 1967. Jayne’s cause of death was a car accident.
Bettie Page
The two aforementioned pin-up models are some of the first ones that might come to mind when most people think of the topic, but Bettie Page has them both beat. Bettie Page is often considered the Queen of Pin-Ups. The pin-up model was born in the early 1920s in Nashville. She had a decidedly rough childhood. Not only were her parents poor, but her father was abusive. When Bettie was only ten years old, her and her sisters were sent to live at an orphanage due to the fact that their parents could not longer afford to take care of them. Bettie’s father would later come to take the girls back under his wing.
Some might think that Bettie and her sisters being saved from the orphanage by their father was a good thing. That might’ve been the case if it weren’t for the fact that he was abusive. Now living back with her father, Bettie was starting to develop into a young woman. She found herself now the victim of sexual abuse at the hands of her father. The young woman managed to hide the pain of the abuse for the time being. She performed very well in high school, receiving straight As. This opened up the opportunity for the burgeoning young woman to attend a prestigious Nashville college. After college, Bettie tried out a couple of different careers before deciding that she wanted to become a Hollywood actress. Bettie moved out to Hollywood and then began doing everything that she could to secure roles.
Bettie Page was willing to do a lot to get a role on the big screen, but she wasn’t willing to sleep around. When Bettie received her first screen test, she was devastated to learn that she was only going to receive the role if she was willing to sleep with the producer. This caused Bettie to turn her back on Hollywood. The aspiring star moved out to New York City. Soon, she’d meet a man that would turn her into a pin-up star.
Bettie Page was working out on the beach in New York City when a man named Jerry Tibbs spotted her. Jerry was a police officer, but he was also a member of a nude photography club. Jerry ended up convincing Bettie to pose for his club, and the rest is history! The picture that Jerry took of Bettie ended up being published in numerous notable smut publications. This is led to the opportunity for Bettie to meet Irving Klaw. Irving Klaw was one of the biggest figures in the pin-up industry around the time. However, the kinds of pin-ups that he produced were out of the ordinary.
Irving Klaw became enamored with Bettie Page, and he convinced her to be his newest pin-up model. Irving Klaw produced BDSM-centric pin-ups, which were much more controversial back in the day than they would be now. Bettie didn’t mind working with such niche subject matter. Irving was able to produce cutting-edge material due to the fact that he distributed it through the mail instead of more traditional methods. However, Irving Klaw’s pin-up work with Bettie Page would still end up causing some serious controversy when it came into the hands of a politician.
Irving Klaw ended up being taken to court over his distribution of BDSM-related pornography. There were no legal consequences, but the ordeal damaged his reputation. The ordeal also damaged the reputation of Bettie Page. After the court proceedings came to an end, so did Betties’ professional relationship with Irving. However, Bettie still had some of her most iconic pin-up work ahead of her. Bettie took up with a former pin-up model named Bunny Yeager. Bunny was now a photographer, and she photographed some of Bettie Page’s most iconic pin-ups.
By the end of the 1950s, Bettie Page had undergone a religious awakening and no longer wanted to take part in the entertainment industry. She left the public spotlight, and little was heard from her over the ensuing decades. The former pin-up model had some mental issues, and she was locked up in any asylum for a short period of time. By the 1990s, the world was so anxious to know what had happened to Bettie Paige that Penthouse magazine offered up a cash reward for anyone that knew what she was up to. Before the end of her life, Bettie Paige returned to the public spotlight and reflected upon the impact that she’d had on the industry of pornography. Despite the religious awakening that she underwent in the late 1950s, Bettie ended up coming to terms with her work in pin-ups before her death.
Eartha Kitt
Many audiences may first think of the 1960s Batman series when they hear the name “Eartha Kitt”. However, before playing Catwoman on the classic live-action television show, Eartha Kitt was a stunning pin-up model! Eartha actually came from a cabaret background, and she was known best as a dancer over the course of her career. Legendary filmmaker Orson Welles was particularly infatuated with her.
Rita Hayworth
Pin-up models came about largely as a result of World War II. Lonely soldiers in the war needed reminders of the feminine form, and pin-ups proved the perfect medium. Amongst all the pin-up models that graced pin-ups during the war, Rita Hayworth was the second-most popular. Rita also took part in USO shows, giving the soldiers a chance to experience what she was like in a more personalized setting.
Betty Grable
If Rita Hayworth was the second-most-popular pin-up model of World War II, then the first-most-popular pin-up model was Betty Grable. In addition to being pin-up models, Rita and Betty were also notable starlets on the screen during Hollywood’s Golden Age. During the time that Betty was at the peak of her success, she was the highest-paid woman in the entirety of America.
Diana Dors
Diana Dors was a pin-up model that many considered to be the British version of Marilyn Monroe. The two pin-up models had decidedly similar features, though Marilyn Monroe ended up being the one who went on to more fame. Still, Diana Dors was quite the looker during her pin-up days!
Cleo Moore
The last pin-up model that we’ll be taking a look at in this video is Cleo Moore. If Diana Dors was known as the British version of Marilyn Monroe, then Cleo Moore was known as the blonde version of Rita Hayworth. Given Cleo’s insane good looks, it’s no surprise that the pin-up model ended up finding great success in the industry. However, success in the pin-up industry wasn’t enough for Cleo Moore. After a while of being a successful pin-up model, Cleo began aspiring for more. Once she realized that there was no chance of her being taken seriously in the entertainment industry due to her pin-up past, she decided to leave the industry behind. During her later life, Cleo started up a successful career as a real-estate investor.
Nothing beats the timeless beauty of old-school pin-ups! Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that Eartha Kitt was a pin-up model before playing Catwoman in the 1960s Batman series, and that Marilyn Monroe was a pin-up model before she was a Hollywood star? Comment down below!
