Interview With Violet Valentine
by Cary
Classic pinup has become a huge phenomena lately, what about it first captured your interest?
I was a little girl when pinup first captured me. I saw my first pinup photo framed in an antique mall when I was out shopping with my mom. The only thing I could think of was "goddamn, I hope I get tits and ass like that someday"! I was hooked! I would decorate my bedroom as a teen with cut outs of beautiful girls from such artists as Petty, Elvgrin and Olivia. As a young adult, I would frame pics all over my apartment and would dress to match my favorite pin-ups. I love them but never thought I would ever in a million years be one! I just loved their carefree sweetness! Even when a girl was about to drop her groceries and flash you with a sudden gust of wind up her skirt, she always looked cute in the pictures! I always felt that when something like that happened to me that I looked like a total dork! I slipped on a grape and totally wiped out while carrying my groceries out of a store, everyone looked at me like I was insane! I assume I wasn't cute at all! How I started doing pinup was when I was a go-go dancer at a seedy club on Hollywood Blvd. That was were I was "discovered" to model for a large pin-up fashion company. Everything just took off after that! I am so lucky to be apart of something that I have loved so much from afar! I love that is still so huge after all these years!
What do you think about pinup becoming part of the mainstream culture?
I think its great! Why not? Pinup has been around for quite a while, I love how much its still being embraced! Women look so pretty in the pinup style! I think its great that it's popular!
What is it that excites you about pinup modeling?
Oooo lala! I love the fashion! I love how classy pinups are! There could be a freakin' atomic bomb going off behind them but they always look so together and happy in photos but I have to say that I don't get excited when I model. I'm mostly concerned about how my butt looks in an outfit and making sure I smile and look pretty during poses. Believe or not, pinup posing is really, really uncomfortable! I've been told that if you aren't in pain than it won't be a good picture.
Are there any other creative mediums you work in?
Well, actually I am starting a small business of Violet Valentine baked goods! I'm still working on building it but like all small businesses, it takes time and trial and error. I have a passion for cooking and baking. I hope my venture becomes something! If not, I will just continue to cook for my hubby, friends and family. I think that one should never give up on their passion just because they don't gain fame or fortune from it. There is a beautiful peace in loving what you do no matter what comes from it!
Before I ever got involved in pinup, I have been a burlesque dancer. I do shows all over the place! National and international. I am absolutely in love with burlesque! I love all the glamor and excitement I get from the costumes and being on stage! I think I enjoy myself more than who ever is seeing my pasty tassels twirl about! Its like a volt of adrenalin! I get goose bumps and feel a fire inside before I go on stage! More so, I love the costumes!! What's not to love about old school glamor! My bedroom is all costumes, high heel shoes and anything that shines. Much to my husband's dismay, almost everything I own is either covered in rhinestones or has some on it . In fact, when my dog Lucy was a puppy I had let her out to do her business, when I went to do clean up I noticed something sparkly in the yard. Unknowingly to me, she got into one of my costumes and pooed a bunch of rhinestones! She went to the vet and is totally ok but for a second, even my dog's poop was rhinestone encrusted!
What are your favorite types of outfits to model in?
Well, as you can see from the former question, I love over the top costumes! Old Hollywood glamor is my favorite! It can never have too much rhinestones or feathers or fringe! Corsets are my absolute favorite to model! I like being bound in by corsets. I love how feminine I feel when I ware one especially when I go out!
What are your least favorites?
I'm not a fan of cheap stripper attire. I think its because I wore them so much during my younger stripper days that it brings back bad memories of everything I went through in the beginning. I once had to do a photo shoot for a magazine and the photographer insisted I ware really awful, cheap 1980s stripper outfits. At one point, he had me in a horrible skin tight red number holding a samuraI sword with a crushed velvet back ground and bad lighting. When I would pull the dress down to cover my crotch, my boobs would pop out the top. Maybe that was his evil plan all along. I felt like at any moment White Snake was going to bust through the door while belting out a power balled! I couldn't stop laughing and goofing off so he had me change into something more flattering that I had brought. I don't have anything against 1980s style, I just can't pull it off.
What kind of music do you like?
Man, that's a tough question to answer! I looove music so It really does depend on my mood or what I'm doing. When I cook, it's usually either something relaxing like Portishead or Edith Piaf. I love opera so, I might play anything by Puchini. In the morning when Travis and I are having quite coffee time, its Glenn Miller. The rest of the time I love The Cramps, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and ACDC.
What do you like to do for fun?
I am a very quiet gal and sometimes like to visit the Getty museum for some art and to sit out in the garden to have a glass of red wine and a cookie. The Getty is my favorite place to escape to in LA, it's so peaceful! My husband is a writer/director and we often put together shoots for short films on the weekend. They are very campy and styled after old retro B-movies. I have friends be apart of it whether it behind the scenes or in front of the camera. I make a party of it with pizza, and beer. Some of the films can be seen on youtube but we are putting together some more that will be sold on DV. Its kinda nerdy, but everyone has lots of fun!
See more of Violet Valentine at:
www.violetvalentine.com
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