Airbrushed and rendered in glossy palettes of satin pink, silky black, or valentine red, their bodily contours were seductive but clad. Traditional femininity was combined pinup casino with strength and a glamorized sexuality within images of girls working, maintaining the home front, or even wearing military drag. This hybrid of sweetheart and siren, patriotic professionalism and soft-skinned domesticity made them ideal for consumption by a culture rife with wartime anxiety. Pinups and 1940s Hollywood film-starring actresses who embodied these qualities mutually reinforced these visual and cultural constructions of femininity. The answer to what are pinups today lies in how the style has evolved. While vintage posters remain popular, today’s pinup art is digital, inclusive, and personal.

These images were traditionally “pinned up” on walls, hence the name.