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Heidi Van Horne
Photo: Ama Lea | Makeup: Dr. RED | Hair: Danielle June | Tikis: Tiki Ray

May 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,
     All this advice is amazing, and really confidence boosting stuff, however it seems to me that with practice anyone can be a model, which is basically a lie. Not everyone photographs well, some people are just not attractive and so on. Isn't it a good thing to mention that kind of thing so people have an honest understanding of the industry, so they wont be crushed if it doesnt work out?

     You are right, not everyone can make money, be successful and make a name for themselves as a pin-up just because they have the drive and desire. I'm not here to tell you that each and every one of you will become the next Bernie Dexter or Sabina Kelley. Frankly, the way our scene has grown and blossomed over the years that I (and Bernie and Sabina and many other "known" pin-ups) have been doing this, it will never be the same exact route or path for a new pin-up girl. The landscape for success in the field is not what it was when I started 5 years ago. It was rare for me to find other girls into retro pin-ups when I started. That was part of why Sabina and I became such good friends!  Now you can buy your pin-up gear at the mall and see plenty of Betties and Marilyns and modern pink-haired pin ups while you are there! There were a handful of websites going, not the HUNDREDS there are now. So, obviously the market is different. My advice is what I've learned and done and seen work for me and other models. For a new girl to break out, in my opinion, she would need to take all this advice and BUILD on it with what she learns, entering the scene whenever (and WHEREver!) she does. The new pin up "stars" WILL have to stand out, and that usually means in a way that is different from their predecessors.
     So besides the ever-evolving scene that we are in and the expanding (exponentially!) world wide web and online market, there are other factors in this, too.
     Like I said, I am NOT here to tell you that you all will be big stars by taking some pin-up photos. But I AM here to say that ANYONE can take some good pin-ups for themselves. Where they take it after that is in the hands of luck, fate, and their own attitude and drive. The target audience for my advice ranges from the aspiring working pin up model who wants to break out and be successful to the housewife in the middle of nowhere who is unsure if she is cute enough to pull off a pin-up pic for her husband or for her own memories. What you are after and what will be available to you is going to be different for everyone.
     I truly believe pin-up is about celebrating women, and any woman can take a pin-up style photo. That's not to say that EVERY pin-up photo they take will look good (MINE don't!) or win contests or that every type of shot or style will suit them. Or that the market will be appreciative of what they are contributing to the scene. I AM encouraging women of ALL shapes, sizes and colors to TRY it if they are into it and not to let their differences or imperfections stop them from appreciating themselves and having some photos they will cherish when they are older. Trust me when I say that you will most likely never look the way you look right now again when you are older. (Says 30 year old Heidi about her first pin up shots at 24!) Stop beating yourself up for what you are not. Celebrate yourself and this moment in your life (if you want) and take a photo. You will likely cherish that pic when you are old! And who knows, when you are older you may be hot in a different way and can pull off what you couldn't when you were younger. Take pics then, too. he he he...
     My point is this--No, not everyone will make money and a name for themselves just because they TOOK some pin-up pics. Not everyone will shine in pin up style or poses. But if you don't take them because you aren't the most beautiful woman you know or because you don't look like everyone else in the scene- then you DEFINITELY won't ever have any success with it. You gotta buy a ticket to win the lotto. If you don't try, you'll never know. ALL of the successful pin-ups were told not to bother by at least one "friend" or person they knew. Good thing they didn't listen.
     Not every girl's pin-up photo is one that others will appreciate. It might just be for posterity and to fill a frame for mom or your man. Not every girl looks good with Bettie bangs or a vintage updo, or can rock a vintage dress, or can pull off skimpy lingerie and 7" platform fetish shoes. Not every look or angle or classic-image-recreation will work for EVERYONE. But I'd put money on it that EVERYONE has SOMETHING they CAN pull off in a pin-up photo. That is, if you define pin-up like I do, an image of a beautiful woman.
     I do think girls should have realistic expectations. This may work for you, or it very well may not. But if you listen to some chick on the internet that tells you that you aren't cute enough, tall enough, curvy enough, sexy enough, or whatever ENOUGH to do it--then frankly you won't have ENOUGH chutzpa to ever get out there and try. You'll be busy listening to someone on the other end of the mouse's opinion instead of forming your own.
     ALL of us had someone tell us we couldn't do it. PROVE THEM WRONG and be the most successful you can be. There are so many pin-ups with growing fan bases and friends that never would have even tried if they listened to all the naysayers. In particular, I've had SO MANY responses to my March column about African American pin-up girls and how there ARE some great ones in the scene and in the history of pin-up, even though I've literally heard people say there are none and none will make it. I am seeing that just by de-bunking that mentality online, many girls who otherwise were too intimidated to try are taking pin-ups now and embracing it. Does that mean that every pin-up site is going to have equal odds for all types of girls? NO! But if they all just don't try 'cuz there aren't many, there will never be any at all.
     So, to sum up my novel of a reply... No, not everyone will be good at pin-up. But if there were a check list of what you must have or look like to get in, it would be a very empty scene.
     Much love to you all out there in pin-up land!  Be good to each other--and be good to yourself!!

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!" 

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