Friday, May 31, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Happy Birthday, Natasha Barnard
Natasha, 25 today, made a couple appearances in the swimwear
issues of the now-defunct SI South Africa.
She parlayed that into US rookiehood this year.
She might be my
favorite 2013 rookie.
(I can’t decide between her and Emily DiDonato.)
By the way, photographer James Macari has some fantastic
(and huge) photos from his 2013 shoot with Natasha (and Alyssa, Anne, and Nina)
on his site. Check them out—they’re gorgeous. There’s a lot less (or a lot
better) retouching on them, so the photos have a darker and more genuine feel.
I really think SI could take a cue from this. If the issue
was filled with more candid-feeling shots like these, it could be pretty
incredible. Instead, the magazine has taken to sanding away all wrinkles,
folds, freckles, goosebumps, etc.—anything that could be seen as a “flaw.” Take
a look at this comparison—SI on top, Macari’s personal Tash stash on the bottom.
I feel confident Macari’s image has been tinkered with. But
it just feels like a more genuine snapshot. The difference in retouching is
most apparent at the top of the chest, but everything (even the shadow
contrast) looks more human on the bottom pic. The top one, especially in
direct comparison like this, takes us to Uncanny Valley.
Anyhow. Here’s the birthday girl in FHM.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Pinups Within Pinups
I get a giddy little thrill when models display their own SI
photos at launch events.
Sometimes the secondary pinup is worn by the SI model. We’ve previously enjoyed Amber Smith’s 1993 bathing beauty tattoo.
And sometimes, the pinup is just part of the scenery. Like Jessica White and Ariel Meredith on these boats in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
It’s almost its own subgenre of photo. “Here I am in eveningwear, displaying a photo of me in a bikini.”
This puts me in mind of another subgenre that pops up from
time to time. “Pinups Within Pinups.” Sometimes the girls will pose with images
of other swimsuit girls in the shot.
Sometimes, it’s the same girl. For example, in this photo (I
believe from 2004), we see Elsa Benitez posing in a bikini, showing us a photo
of Elsa Benitez in a bikini.
Isabeli Fontana has somehow been
given a bikini decorated with self portraits in this shot from 2003.
And in this “intimate” video from 2011, Izabel Goulart snaps
a bunch of selfies and festoons her body with the Polaroids.
Sometimes the secondary pinup is worn by the SI model. We’ve previously enjoyed Amber Smith’s 1993 bathing beauty tattoo.
Jarah Mariano wears a swimsuit
girl pattern on her top in 2008.
In 2009, Jessica Hart wears a
bikini bottom, and a shirt with a bikini bottom design on it.
And sometimes, the pinup is just part of the scenery. Like Jessica White and Ariel Meredith on these boats in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
Or Damaris Lewis and Genevieve Morton on these planes in
2010.
In 2002, Chandra North and Josie Maran found themselves in
some kind of shack wallpapered with local pinups.
And in this preview tweet for
2011, Julie Henderson models what I’m sure is my favorite beer, without my even
having to taste it: Bikini Blonde Lager.
I think part of the joy for me is the tacit endorsement. The
models seem to be saying, “Yup, pinups of bikini babes exist. We’re cool with
them. After all, we are them.”
And if Julie, Chandra, Ariel, and company approve of photos
of bikini girls, who am I to feel guilty about enjoying them?
Friday, May 17, 2013
Three Hot Months
Catching up on some nice magazine appearances by our girls.
April
April
Esquire Mexico had a nice, racy Nina Agdal spread.
May
Anne V is (according to my meager Spanish) a “woman of risks” in GQ Mexico.
June
Then, just when it seems like all our models have fled south, the June US Vogue brings us a very pretty, very retro, and very WASP-y Kate Upton spread
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
One-Piece Wednesday: Josie Maran, 2002
Happy 35th birthday, Josie.
She joins Stacey Williams as one of the women I'd love to see get a massive retrospective.Look, I love Elle Macpherson. You know this about me. She's my single favorite model. But Swim Daily featured the same collection of Elle throwback photos twice in barely a month. Let's reexamine some lesser known ladies!
Monday, May 6, 2013
Happy Birthday, Hannah Davis
The 2013 rookie is 19 23 today.
Nineteen. Twenty-three.
I haven’t posted a “Rookie Math” this year like I did for
2011 and 2012, because I’m having a really hard time figuring out who the 2013
rookies look like. Hannah is the only girl I’ve figured out. I believe she’s a
blend of Kristy Hinze and Ana Beatriz Barros.
Happy19th. 23rd.
Happy
UPDATE: Speaking of math... Somewhere I got some faulty info that Hannah was born in
1994. A sharp-eyed commenter pointed out, she’s 23, born in 1990. Somehow,
that makes me feel a little more responsible staring at her.