Pin-up model

Betty Grable's famous pin-up photo from 1943

A pin-up model is a model whose mass-produced pictures and photographs have wide appeal within the popular culture of a society. Pin-up models are usually glamour models, actresses, or fashion models whose pictures are intended for informal and aesthetic display, known for being pinned onto a wall. From the 1940s, pictures of pin-up girls were also known as cheesecake in the U.S.[1][2]

The term pin-up refers to drawings, paintings, and photographs of semi-nude women and was first attested to in English in 1941.[3] Images of pin-up girls were published in magazines and newspapers. They were also displayed on postcards, lithographs, and calendars. The counterpart of the pin-up girl is the male pin-up, also known as beefcake, including celebrated actors and athletes such as the actor James Dean, the singer Jim Morrison, and the model Fabio.

  1. ^ Ayto, p. 126.
  2. ^ Meyerowitz, 1996, pp. 9–35.
  3. ^ Ayto (2006), p. 126.