June 2008
Modern Day Femme Fatale Heidi Van
Horne is here to take your questions on pin-up modeling. Got something
to Ask Heidi? E-mail
us! And don't forget to read Heidi's print column in Bachelor
Pad Magazine.
Dear Heidi,
I think your work is great and
I respect that you don't do nudes. My problem is that I really want to
get into pin-up modeling but I'm finding that the really popular models
show a great amount of skin and are photographed wearing racy lingerie.
I'm an educator so I really need my job to make a living and feel that
if I take that approach I could risk losing my job. All of my photos are
sweet yet sexy but I still don't feel like I can compete with naked gals
in showers or showing their garter belts. What is a pinup lover to do?
Classy not Trashy
Dear Classy,
It's sad but true that nude photos generate
more ad revenue, and therefore the “nuder” you get, the more sell-able
an image is and the more comments will be left by fans. And the nude models
are more likely to have a larger fan base since they are linkable on the
endless supply of porn sites and have less restrictions about who they
work with and where their images can be used. Truth is, you can't “compete”
with that because you are two different types of models. Since pin-up is
like a happy medium between PG and porn, there is a lot of gray area and
lots of overlap. Lots of pin-up fans like pin-up but prefer hard core and
nude stuff, and then there are those who prefer to leave more to the imagination
and enjoy the subtlety of the tease over seeing it all. You can't worry
about what others are doing, you just have to do what is right for you.
There is a huge pin-up scene and market, and there is no need to do anything
you don't favor when there are tons of people who are like you and I and
are looking for something classier. Especially with the field you are in,
you don't want to do anything you aren't comfortable with. Besides, some
of the most copied pin-ups images are of women in one piece bathing suits
or dresses! And anyone who has worn a real vintage dress knows those have
much more coverage (and less comfort!) than modern conservative dresses!
So keep following your gut and doing what is in your comfort level. Just
stop worrying about what other models are doing when it comes to setting
their boundaries--it's not a competition, and yours is the only path that
really matters! As long as the choices you make are based on what works
for YOU!
All my best!
Dear Heidi,
I admire your work and I wanted
to ask you how do you become a pin up model because I really would like
to become one in my future. I am 21 years old and 5'5" so I figured that
should be ok right height wise??? Let me know please if you think that's
an okay height to try. Thanks!
Mid Size Minnie
Hey Minnie!
You should definitely give it a whirl and
see if you like it! The beauty of pin-up is that there isn't a minimum
height requirement, since its more about proportion than height. Check
out my "How To Be a Pin Up" page at my website to get some good links and
lots of answers to a new pin up's questions! http://www.heidivanhorne.com/HowTo.html
Good luck, honey! ;)
Hey Heidi!
I'm 17 and have been giving some
thought into becoming a pin-up model once I turn 18. Every time I see a
picture of a pin-up my level of confidence of becoming one rises. My only
problem is that I'm still in high school and even though I'm graduating
soon I'm afraid of drastically changing my style. You see, I'm what people
consider being "punk," but don't get me wrong, I love punk! But I also
love the pin-up look and if I change my style into pin-up over night, I
don't want to be labeled a "greaser poseur." So my question is: Should
I wait to change my style?
Sheena is… a pin-up girl?
Hey Sheena!
First off, congratulations on graduating soon!
That's a huge step! Life is just opening up for you! As for the style
swap, I say don't sweat it too much. I think you'll find that lots of your
friends and classmates are going to change quite a bit right about now.
Everyone is so concerned with their own images and plans they aren't as
focused on yours as it seems they are. Plus, I doubt people will be that
shocked to see you progress from punk to pin-up, truthfully, its how many
of us started! It's a pretty natural progression to me--they go hand-in-hand
scene-wise. Then again, I remember and understand that feeling that if
you change it up all of a sudden, you'll get the dreaded poser tag. Truth
is, life is short and its best to do what feels right to you and try things
out than stay one way to please others. There will be people in life giving
you crap no matter what you do, so you might as well enjoy yourself and
be how you wanna be along the way!
I hope you are having a great summer and that
you are taking up pin-up when you're 18 if you want to! You can always
do a great punk rock pin-up (my fave that I never get to do!) in an homage
to your scene and background! ;)
Good luck, sweetheart! And have fun!!
xoxox
Heidi Van Horne
www.HeidiVanHorne.com
A little about Heidi: "I starting acting
in Texas at age 13, I have worked and trained as an actress in film, TV
& commercials for most of my life, as well as working behind the lens
on various projects. I have been shooting my own retro pinups since late
2003, when I started doing self-shot photos (just like Bunny
Yeager did!) with a self timer and a tripod in my home. Since
then, I've been on the cover of 3 books ("Hot Rod Pin Ups" by David
Perry and MBI Publishing, "How to Be a Dominant Diva" by Avalon
Press, and the new "Modern Vixens: World of Winytiki" by Octavio
Arizala and Goliath Press) as well as being featured on the
cover of 3 (and inside 2 other) Pin Up Calendars for 2007, magazine covers
and countless layouts, features and interviews in counter-culture publications,
as well as a few mainstream mags. I've gotten to work with tons of amazing
companies and photographers, including original pinup, pinup photographer
& living legend, Bunny Yeager--shooting on the same beach
where she and Bettie Page made
Pin Up history! Living in LA pursuing my acting, I've kept myself busy
on the side shooting the genre I love the most- and I'm thrilled to see
how the niche has grown and grown worldwide!" |
Have a question for Heidi? E-mail
us and we'll send it along to her!
View Heidi's Femme Fatale
Page>>>