Pin-up grrrls : feminism, sexuality, popular culture /

Buszek's appealing work charts the converging historical, visual, and theoretical paths of the feminist movement and the pinup from the 19th century to the present, offering a feminist interpretation of the pinup attuned to the kaleidoscopic nature of feminist engagement with issues of sexuality. Nineteenth-century cartes de visite of such actresses as Adah Isaacs Menken and Lydia Thompson are positioned here as precursors to campy photographs of Bettie Page and contemporary paintings by Lisa Yuskavage, establishing a useful genealogy of the genre that takes readers on a journey through a myriad of art practices, styles, and movements. Throughout, Buszek is also attentive to the history of the women's movement, primarily in the US and England, which provides a rich sociohistorical context for the visual material she scrutinizes. The downside of this expansive approach is noticeable in the earlier chapters, wherein, e.g., the social status of actresses is presented as a transatlantic monolith rather than specific to the theatrical context of New York City or London. For the most part, however, Buszek provides nuanced readings of pinups that bolster her claim for their significance as complex signifiers of feminist consciousness. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates through faculty. K. Rhodes Hollins University

Weaving commentary from academia with testimony from such sources as Salt N Pepa and sex worker Annie Sprinkle, Buszek's authorial debut shows how the evolution of the pin-up is inextricably tied to the femenists movement, for better and worse, providing formal and (as she demonstrates) well-deserved appreciation to an art form that's rarely given much respect. The term "pin-up girl," though popularly associated with a particular time period (pre- and post-WWII) and image (buxom and half-naked with a come-hither expression), had its first incarnation in the early days of photography. In using burlesque performers as subjects, pioneering photographers subverted the straightforward portrait form in the 19th century, well aware-along with their subjects-that they had the power to challenge ideas of what it means to be a woman. Drawing on a large body of research and commentary, Buszek smartly focusing on individual contributions and landmarks rather than sweeping claims. An academic, Buschek isn't afraid to dig deep into her subject, but she tempers her treatise with healthy doses of wit, grace and rhythm, and rarely falters. 103 photos. (July) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.