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Ask Heidi:


Heidi Van Horne
Photo: 666 Photography


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!
 


 
 

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