Pin-Up Grrrls

“Pin-Up Grrrls is a funny, sexy, political take on the pin-up. In this book, women flaunt their sexuality, use images of themselves to their own ends, and remake the pin-up genre in endlessly creative ways.”—Susie Bright, author of Mommy’s Little Girl: On Sex, Motherhood, Porn, and Cherry Pie
“Pin-ups that women love? That they create? Yes! In her brilliantly vibrant debut book, Maria Elena Buszek gives a lucid, rich, and thorough account of a nineteenth- and twentieth-century history in which women employ the power of erotic imagery to celebrate themselves. From the writing to the reproductions, Pin-up Grrrls is eye-opening.”—Joanna Frueh, performance artist and author of Swooning Beauty: A Memoir of Pleasure
“Pin-Up Grrrls is a great read, and its treatment of the evolution of iconic images of women over the last two centuries will interest students of popular media, women's studies, and feminism as well as art history.” -- Leigh Ann Wheeler * Journal of American History *
“Pin-Up Grrrls is an exhaustive chronicle of the pin-up from its stage, street, and screen origins to the postmodern feminist pin-up, and its storied relationship to feminism in the United States. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in feminism, history, art history, feminist art, histories of sexuality, or popular culture.” -- Chadwick Roberts * Journal of Popular Culture *
“Pin-Up Grrrls is ultimately a tale of the feminist reclamation of female sexuality as much as it is the story of the pin-up. With great historical consciousness and painstaking research—and without falling back on tired old stereotypes of pro- or antiporn feminists—Buszek stakes a thoroughly convincing claim that feminism is a political movement that has always championed women’s sexual agency and that is sure to appeal to grrrls and womyn alike.” -- Rachel Fudge * Women's Review of Books *
“Buszek not only provides us with an encyclopedic historical entomology of the pin-up but participates in a potent ongoing reaction to Clement Greenberg’s Adorno-esque pre-World War II condemnation of kitsch. . . . From the slippery issues of pornutopia and female fetishism, from The Bridge Across My Pussy to queer monsters, she-devils and fierce funny feminism, there can be few books as usefully provocative as this for an undergraduate or graduate class on feminism, popular culture and art history.” -- Jonathan Zilberg * Leonardo Reviews *
“Buszek takes us on an academic journey through 150 years of saucy, socially aware images and their repercussions on the mainstream. For those of us who thought that reclaiming sexuality in the name of feminism was a fairly new concept, this is a great introduction to the revolutionary beauties of the past.” -- Catherine Plato * Curve *
“Buszek’s academic background in art history allows her to convincingly dispute the notion of the pin-up as merely objectifying women, and her selection of archival images is a feast for the eyes. . . . BUST readers will still no doubt devour this intergenerational exposé of how strong women asserted themselves, their whole selves—including those lovely legs, bodacious busts, and devilish derrières.” -- Amanda McCorquodale * Bust *
“By revealing that feminists from all eras have celebrated their sexuality through the pin-up, Buszek leaves readers with renewed respect for female sex icons such as Bettie Page, Sandra Bernhardt, and Lydia Thompson. Pin-up Grrrls also helps put today’s newfound pop culture obsession with pin-up culture . . . in context.” -- Jessalynn Keller * Nylon *
“In Pin-Up Grrrls, feminist art scholar Buszek optimistically traces the development of feminism and the assertion of female sexuality in the public sphere through a well-illustrated focus on a 150-year history of the female pin-up. . . . Through meticulous research, presented in a chronological narrative structure, Buszek demonstrates the complex interaction between the pin-up and the historical contexts in which it articulates female sexuality.” -- Hillegonda C. Rietveld * Feminist Review *
“Using the pin-up as an interpretative lens for probing complicated issues of women's sexual agency, Buszek offers a fascinating and lively . . . history of the American women's movement and its engagement with popular culture. Pin-Up Grrrls features ninety-four figures, many of which appear for the first time in print and provide ample visual support for her argument. . . . Buszek has tackled an enormous subject here, and her book should interest anyone looking for an overview of historical developments in feminist thought and female representation.” -- Marlis Schweitzer * American Quarterly *
“With Pin-Up Grrrls, Buszek provides a unique blend of art, cultural, and women’s histories that will engage a wide and diverse audience.” -- Rachel Epp Buller * Woman's Art Journal *