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. We are so incredibly grateful for this wonderful community because it has allowed us to make friends from all over the world and
thats something we want to share with all of you through this series. After all anyone can be a pinup and don't you forget it!
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Ani
We met Ani thanks to the incredible online pinup community we are apart of, our love of clothes is what brought us together (No exaggeration here, we literally met thanks to beautiful clothes). Now clothes and the pinup fashion may have been what brought us together but it's our shared affinity for old movies, horror films, vintage dresses, friendship turmoil and shared emotional experiences that made our friendship so strong. Today we want to introduce to you our dear friend Ani, a sweet, kind hearted pinup from Armenia with a heart of gold and a thousand watt smile. She's a hardworking, feisty, full of life and incredibly generous woman whom we are so lucky to be able to call our friend. We hope you enjoy reading her story and getting to know her the way we did.
When did you get into the pinup lifestyle?
Well, I was very interested in vintage fashion and culture from an early age but I never did anything about it. I was always inspired by my great grandmother who was so beautiful and always dolled up. I dreamed of being as beautiful and dolled up as she was. However, growing up, I was a tomboy and I barely put in any effort in my look and style. It wasn’t until I became interested in emo/scene subcultures that I started thinking about how I present myself in public through fashion. Eventually that led to my interest in the quirky Modcloth-like style with some vintage inspired pieces. Of course, being a college student who paid her way through college, I couldn’t afford anything really except a few dresses, tees, and a couple of pairs of jeans I found at discounted prices. I always had an eye on pinup fashion and the lifestyle, but was too timid to commit as a college student. However, once I graduated and got a full time job, I decided to entirely revamp my wardrobe and dress how I always wanted too. I definitely experimented with different styles and looks until I got to the style I have today. For instance, now I know polka dots aren’t really my thing, even though I love it when others wear it! I feel like my fashion, my hair, and makeup skills are continuously evolving, but the most important thing is I feel comfortable with myself and my style now. After all, I believe pinup lifestyle is about being comfortable with yourself and how you express yourself through fashion.
(Photos of Ani by Johnlopezphotography. Ani's Great grandmother in the center)
Who is your biggest style inspiration?
Definitely my beautiful great grandmother. Until the day she passed, she always dressed up, did her hair and makeup. She had books on vintage fashion, hair, makeup, and homemade skincare in Farsi that she would always translate to me. I remember some of the things she told me, but unfortunately, I never learned the language to read it with her. I also have many style inspirations from the 1940s-60s as well as many contemporary pinups and vintage enthusiasts. However, I get as much style inspiration from the lovely ladies I’ve met in the pinup community, such as Paola and Kirsten, as I do from old Hollywood icons!
(Photo by Johnlopezphotography)
How does it feel to be a minority in the pinup community?
There aren’t too many Armenians in the pinup community. I probably know two other ladies that are Armenian in the community, and that Dita claims one of her grandmothers was half-Armenian adopted by an American family. Even though there’s a large community of Armenians in Los Angeles and I’ve grown up in an Armenian bubble (literally called Little Armenia in Hollywood), some people I’ve come across didn’t even know what an Armenian was or even where it is. Once I began modeling and modeled for a well known brand's Holiday collection, other ladies congratulated me and told me they were happy to see an olive toned, dark haired girl represented in the Pinup community. I realize that despite this I am quite white passing, so my experiences are different and it is a kind of privilege but I hope to represent the people of my country to the best of my ability despite it. As open and accepting as the pinup community is, I do believe there is always room to grow and evolve to become a more inclusive community, so that WOC feel their voices matter and so that their experiences as POC in America and elsewhere aren’t erased.
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We hope you enjoyed this weeks edition of "Anyone can be a pinup", we know we go on and on about the great friends we've made thanks to this community, yet we barely mention them outside of that. This series is a chance for you to see exactly what we mean. Also to see how diverse the community is and how despite our cultural and geographical differences we are all good friends, striving to make this community a safe and inclusive one for all. We are constantly amazed and inspired by the incredible people we've met thanks to our love of all things vintage/pinup, we look forward to sharing many more of their stories with you.
Get to know Ani!
Instagram: Hollymaewoods
Fashion Blog: The Museum Pinup
Email: missaniholly@gmail.com
Instagram: Hollymaewoods
Fashion Blog: The Museum Pinup
Email: missaniholly@gmail.com
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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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