Girls, Gags & Giggles" - this was publisher Robert Harrison's recipe fordishing up the American pin-up to the U.S. male. In the 1950s his girliemagazines sold by the millions, before becoming icons of pulp and trashculture. These skilfully illustrated girls with their curvaceous forms andinviting lingerie soon overtook America's national dessert, in terms
ofpopularity, and even developed considerable potential as a cultural exportduring the 1940s. "Never show everything," was always the motto. Smilingprettily at the camera, the models exuded just the right amount of sexappeal without seeming too sophisticated or artful. They were the 'girlsnext door' whose wholesome attraction soon made one forget the magazines'deliberately trashy presentation. Their rosy complexions and innocentallures still titillate even in an age when far more graphic material isthe norm. For everyone who enjoys pin-ups, push-ups and pulp style!