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. This weeks pinup is a dear friend from the pinup community who is a proud chicana, striving to break down stereotypes, spread body positivity and self love with every post she makes. We can't wait to share her story with you.
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Renee
Much like many of our other friends in the community its the beautiful clothes and elegance of the sub culture that brought us together. We were all in love with the darling silhouettes, the petticoats,pin curls the whole shebang and we bonded over it. We became friends and we soon realized how incredibly inspiring Renee truly is,she's a breath of much needed fresh air. She is incredibly vocal about loving your self regardless of your size or shape, she's an advocate for women's rights and is proud of her culture and not afraid to show it. We are so honored she let us share her story with all of you today.
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Q:
What got you into the pinup/vintage life style?
My love for the pinup/vintage started when I was in the third grade when my elementary school teachers had us kids put on a performance to the songs from musical Grease. I didn't even know the movie existed until then. When my mother found out that we were going to perform songs from the movie she immediately made me watch it, and it was love at first sight! I was dressed so adorable for the performance with my pink poodle skirt, saddle shoes, and my frilly white socks! As I got older I started going to the local car shows with my dad, who himself has always had a passion for fixing up and modifying old cars, and he got me into the beauty of the car show scene.
Q: Who is your biggest style inspiration?
I have an obsession with the beautiful Pinup Lisa
Love. She too is a Chicana and her style is out of this world. She usually
wears nothing but true vintage threads and her hair is always immaculately
done. She is a big activist in the Latino community and is one of the most
beautiful women I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Doris Mayday has been another huge inspiration to
me, she was one of the first pinup models I ever came across while
scrolling through the Tatyana website. She’s such a sweet soul and her smile
can literally light up any room.
My mother is another person of whom I look up to.
She was always the type of woman who never left the house without her “face on”
and her hair curled. She always told me as a little girl “Mija you never leave
the house without makeup, you never know when you’ll meet the man of your
dreams” She pushed me in so many ways to pursue my love of fashion. She took to
estate sales and to rummage sales, encouraged me to be my own individual.
When
the other girls mothers took them to the local mall to buy their prom dresses,my mother took me to a vintage store to pick out my dress. She allowed me to
express myself in ways that no other mother would allow, with how daring my
clothing choices were growing up in the “Mennonite Suburbs of Reedley
California”. If my mother was still with us today I think she would just love
the woman I have become and the way I have transformed my “look”.
Q:
How does it feel to be a minority in the pinup
community?
community?
This is a tough question for me to answer because I tune out all the negativity a person like myself receives in the community. So I just surround myself with likeminded individuals and I don’t pay attention to the negativity.
My biggest issue isn't necessarily a race issue, mine is more of a size issue. A lot of brands seem to be sizest, they do not cater to women of all shapes and sizes. As a curvy gal these clothes don't fit me and size charts rarely add up to what they say they are. Women of a larger size aren't portrayed in these clothing brands so it's hard to imagine what a person my size would look like in that outfit. I just hope for more diverse models in pinup clothing campaigns someday.
Growing up with a
love for vintage fashion the women portrayed in the era were predominately
white women. So it was hard to relate to these women because they didn’t look
like me or fit into my culture. Although they were very beautiful something
just didn’t fit right with me.
This is a tough question for me to answer because I tune out all the negativity a person like myself receives in the community. So I just surround myself with likeminded individuals and I don’t pay attention to the negativity.
My biggest issue isn't necessarily a race issue, mine is more of a size issue. A lot of brands seem to be sizest, they do not cater to women of all shapes and sizes. As a curvy gal these clothes don't fit me and size charts rarely add up to what they say they are. Women of a larger size aren't portrayed in these clothing brands so it's hard to imagine what a person my size would look like in that outfit. I just hope for more diverse models in pinup clothing campaigns someday.
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We hope you enjoyed this weeks edition of "Any one can be a pinup". Renee's story is an important one that we felt not only needed to be shared but had to be. Being a minority in the pinup community is never easy especially when you fit that category in more ways than one. Renee is a shining example of how anyone can truly be a pinup, with her inspiring ability to stay true to herself despite all odds,her message of self love and strife to change the world for better.
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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