We here at the thehepburnmovement strive to show the diversity of pinup/vintage culture every chance we get, to show that ANYONE and everyone can be a pinup regardless of your age, sexual orientation or race. That despite the lack of representation in the media, we exist and are here to inspire others to step out into the spotlight. People from all kinds of nationalities and identities make up this community and we aim to show that with every post. We want to highlight the wide variety of pinup/vintage loving people because they come from all walks of life, and deserve to be seen. Who says internet friends can't be real friends again? If this series has taught us anything, it's that it's definitely NOT true. In fact the power of social media is what has allowed us to meet so many incredible people. We have made some of the closest friends thanks to it, and not a day goes by that we don't thank our lucky stars for this amazing community. Lola is one of the remarkable people we have met thanks to it,a self made business woman full of life,kindness,spunk and undoubtedly amazing style. It is our greatest pleasure to share her story with you today, in this weeks edition of "Any one can be a pinup"
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Lola Josefine
Lola is yet another friend we met thanks to the amazing online pinup community. We met thanks to our love of vintage fashion but it's our similarities beyond that, that truly made our friendship blossom and grow. Lola is a HUGE advocate for woman's rights, as well as POC and members of the LGBTQ+ community, she is the true embodiment of a feminist and we love being able to share her journey with all of you today. She never fails to inspire us with her head strong, kickass, self made small business, sweet and spunky self. Today she is bringing light to not only her journey but her culture as well, as a Latina and Mexican pinup she wants to show all she has to offer. So without further ado, heres her story!
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When did you get into the pinup life style?
I honestly can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a profound appreciation for the beauty, design, and fashion of the 1920s-70s. It all started for me when I was 5 years old and watched the Wizard of Oz for the first time. Judy Garland was so lovely and her voice moved my soul. As a teen (14+), I started watching more of her movies, then I branched out into other classic movies. I didn’t truly start dabbling in pinup until I was 18 and opened up a fashion boutique called “Ruby Red Boutique” in Chula Vista, CA. There was a brand that I carried called “Ruby Rox” which made really adorable retro inspired dresses. My boutique was only open for a few years, my parents helped me set it up as a side project while I finished my bachelor’s degree in psychology.
I closed my doors in 2005, but those years playing dress up with my mannequins, shopping professionally, and designing my windows are some of my fondest memories. Though my shop was decorated with vintage style in mind (candy pink striped walls, Elvgren and Vargas prints lining the walls, photos of Marilyn in the fitting rooms, rhinestone brooches, velvet curtains, etc), the clothing was not strictly pinup. This experience gave me a love of all fashion. Later, my work wear featured classic lines, wide leg trousers, wrap dresses, figure hugging pencil skirts, etc. I straddled the line between contemporary and pinup fashion for years – I still actually really love and indulge in that look from time to time. I started dressing in a more true pinup style about two years ago and love expanding my fashion repertoire. I started selling vintage home décor on Etsy in 2011 and making flower hair pieces in 2012. Like my wardrobe, my home is a mixture of vintage and contemporary furnishings and décor. I don’t necessarly think of myself as living the pinup life style, rather I think that my lifestyle interweaves vintage and modern aesthetics.
Who is your biggest style inspiration?
And how does it feel to be a minority in the pinup community?
Representation absolutely matters, and that is what it means to me to be a Latina in the pinup community. Each person is different, some people don’t like to standout but I love it. I am proud to put myself out there so that women and girls who may think “I could never pull that off” or “That wouldn’t look good on me” are inspired to give it a shot. I’m not just an ethnic minority in the pinup community, I am also a plus size woman. I think that if a 33-year-old, plus size, Mexican-American woman can embrace pinup fashion, anyone can do it. Life is simply too short to put yourself in a box. When I dress pinup, I feel beautiful, powerful, and confident – and I love putting those qualities out there, especially as a
minority.
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We hope you enjoyed this weeks edition of "Anyone can be a pinup", we truly enjoyed sharing Lola's story with you. We know that we go on and on about how incredible this community is but we really mean it. After all this series was created thanks to the help of all the lovely ladies we've met because of it. We are so honored and happy to have been able to share Lola's story with you today and can't wait for all of y'all to see this series grow with every new pinup we add.
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If you have any comments,questions or even suggestions on who you'd like to see us feature next, feel free to comment below and we'll do our best to reply in a timely manner.
As always thanks for reading, may your days be filled with pretty dresses, dapper clothes & a lot of happiness.
Paola & Kirsten xx
Aka "thehepburnmovement"
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