Pin-up girls were models who had their photos printed and distributed with the intention of, you guessed it, people pinning up their photos on the wall.
These photos, or artworks of the pin-up models were extremely popular throughout the world and especially amongst soldiers in both the first and second World Wars on both sides. During the war, to help keep up moral, free copies of magazines were shipped out to soldiers featuring the models wearing army and navy uniforms.
Unsurprisingly, as these girls were such an inspiration to the fighting men, some of them would choose to get the images of these women permanently tattooed. This is where the pin-up tattoo design would have originated.
Of course you didn’t have to be in the military to get a pin-up tattoo and a lot of men, and sometimes women, who weren’t in the forces would also get these tattoos.
Pin-up tattoos are still very popular to this day with more and more women joining in on the craze and getting the tattoo to represent femininity and empowerment.
The meaning for men is usually a lot more superficial to say the least! But I don’t see a problem with that personally. I would also see it as being a sign of respect to those soldiers who saw the pin-up girls as a symbol of home and of hope.
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