If you’ve ever caught yourself trying to duplicate the come-hither poses of Dita Von Teese or Marilyn Monroe in the mirror, now you can make your sexy, pucker-up face in front of a camera. San Francisco-based burlesque star Bombshell Betty is taking her one-day workshop — which makesover real women into classic pinups — to New York’s Beekman Tower Hotel next weekend.
You don’t have to be a fan of Bettie Page — or an expert poser — to sign up. Betty, who’s something of an expert herself, having written the book “Plain Jane to Pinup Queen” and coined the term “burlesquercise” on her how-to DVD, walks participants through every step, from posing to styling to their photo shoot.
In fact, she lives for the moment when someone shy lets go of her inhibitions. “One lady picked up a riding crop, smacked herself on the bottom with it, and was transformed from the proverbial librarian to the vixenish femme fatale in the blink of an eye,” she laughs.
The range of personalities is what makes the workshop so fun.
“Usually when you get a bunch of girls together, there’s some cattiness, but there was none in that room,” says Clair Lamoureux, a 33-year-old married secretary who completed the workshop earlier this year with her sister Heather Snover. “But this was by far the most fabulous sisters’ night out ever!” Next time their mom wants to take the workshop with them.
Once introductions are made between the eight to 10 women who usually participate (and pay $250 to do so), there’s a lesson on the basics of pinup posing. Tips range from how to angle your body so it shows off your best curves to how to achieve the perfect naughty-but-nice glimmer in your eye. (Attained, according to Betty, by pondering a naughty thought.)
After posing, there’s a retro makeup lesson — think bold red lipstick and black cat-eyeliner — with Betty personally styling everyone’s hair with rollers, mousse and loads of spray for the ultimate pinup look. Says the Bombshell: “It’s always fun to watch people run over to the mirror to check out their hair and squeal in delight!”
Once everyone is beautified, it’s time to get dressed for the first round of shooting.
Participants are asked to bring their own outfits and shoes, but Betty supplies vintage negligées, boas, wraps, parasols, hats and other accessories.
For Samantha Pope, a single 27-year-old who works in education, transforming herself via a costume and makeup was the biggest motivation for her to sign up.
“I’ve never been one to put myself at the center of attention,” says Pope. “I never wore much makeup or the clothes I wanted to because the self-conscious, body-shy part of me would say, ‘Don’t make yourself stand out.'” Now, after spending just hours with Betty, Pope says, “I wear more dresses in a week than I ever did in a year!”
Once the ladies are dressed, Betty guides each of them individually through poses while her boyfriend Randy Johnson, a pinup photographer, takes the photos.
“I was so nervous I barely slept the night before,” says Tina Yuen, a single 30-year-old who works in finance. “But when I arrived at the studio it was like going to my girlfriend’s to play dress-up — the only difficult part was choosing which outfits to wear.” Luckily, Yuen found a way to make the decision easier: She’s taken the workshop again…and again… Five times total, in fact, posing as a cowgirl, schoolgirl, French maid, dominatrix, and the quintessential pinup.
Once everyone’s posed in two different looks, it’s a wrap. Participants are then mailed a disc of high-resolution images within a week.
Jenni Griffith, 26, who was given the workshop as a birthday gift, was thrilled with the results. “It was really empowering for me to have this experience. Conservative friends wanted to do it for their husbands — it surprised.”
Lamoureux was in Florida when she got the digital photos back. “I put the photos up on Facebook and my husband wanted me to come home right away,” she smiles. “He was very happy with the results.”
Bombshell Betty’s pinup workshop will take place on Sept. 5th and 6th from 3 to 9 p.m. at the Beekman Tower Hotel in Midtown. Details and reservations can be found at
bombshellbetty.net.