Sabrina (real name Norma Sykes) was part of Britain's golden age
of pin-ups, which followed on the coattails of the glamour movement here
in the states. Everyone across the atlantic wanted to find the British
version of Bettie Page, and for
a while there was a healthy pin-up industry. But just as the glamour model
fell out of vogue in the U.S. in the early 60's, pin-up models in England
found themselves looking for other work by the end of the decade. Most
fell out of the limelight, but a few hung on by appearing in British cinema,
like the B-grade horror films made by Hammer Studios. Sabrina's
career is a good example of the rise and fall of the British pin-up. By
the late 50's, Sabrina was known across the U.K. as both
a pin-up model and a television personality. By the early 60's, she made
her American movie debut in "Satan
in High Heels" along with fellow femme fatale Meg
Myles. By the end of the 60's, just like many others, she found
herself doing forgettable psychosexploitation movies. The most interesting
legacy of the British pin-up movement is the continuation of the newspaper
cheesecake model, otherwise known as the "Page Three Girl."
|