Body-positive pin ups! Woman, 44, celebrates her curves by recreating cheeky calendar shots of 1950s plus-size pin-up girl Hilda
- Amy Pence-Brown, a self-described 'fat feminist mother' from Boise, Idaho, was inspired by the work of Duane Bryers, the artist who created Hilda in the 1950s
- Bryers' paintings of the plump redheaded cartoon character appeared on calendars from the 1950s up until the 1980s
- The classic 1950s pin-up girl was slim and conventionally posed, but Hilda broke the mold with her full figure and lighthearted demeanor
- Pence-Brown, 44, has posed for 40 Hilda-inspired photos to date after starting her Reviving Hilda project in the summer of 2017
A body positivity activist has recreated some of the most iconic images of Hilda, a plus-size cartoon pin-up girl that appeared on calendars from the 1950s up until the 1980s.
Amy Pence-Brown, a self-described 'fat feminist mother' from Boise, Idaho, was inspired by the work of Duane Bryers, the artist who created the playful plump redhead, when she started her Reviving Hilda project in 2017.
The 44-year-old has posed for 40 Hilda-inspired photos to date, and for the third year in a row, she has created her own limited-edition calendar featuring side-by-side shots of the original paintings of the pin-up and her feminist updates.
Then and now: Amy Pence-Brown, a self-described 'fat feminist mother' from Boise, Idaho, has recreated iconic images of the full-figured pin-up girl Hilda
Calendar girl: Artist Duane Bryers created the plump redheaded cartoon character who appeared on calendars from the 1950s up until the 1980s
Recreation: Pence-Brown, 44, was inspired by Bryers' paintings of Hilda when she started her Reviving Hilda project in 2017
The classic 1950s pin-up girl was slim and conventionally posed, but Hilda broke the mold with her full figure and lighthearted demeanor.
Not only was the character one of the only plus-sized pin-up girls of her time, but she also displayed a fun, carefree, and somewhat clumsy attitude, making her all the more charming.
Hilda, one of America's longest-running pin-up girls, was nearly forgotten until the online gallery ToilGirls published prints of Bryers' paintings of the character in 2013, a year after the artist's death.
Pence-Brown explained on her website that hundreds of images of Hilda have resurfaced, and over the years, she has seen them shared by other fat activists as well as in body-positive circles.
'Here was a body that looked more like mine than many others I'd ever seen revered as something sexy enough to be on a flirty calendar,' she wrote of Hilda.
Breaking boundaries: The classic 1950s pin-up girl was slim and conventionally posed, but Hilda broke the mold with her full figure and lighthearted demeanor
Dedicated: Pence-Brown has posed for 40 Hilda-inspired photos to date
Props: To recreate the images, she used nothing more than a tripod, her iPhone timer, and supplies she purchased from the Dollar Tree and local thrift shop
New version: The activist took some creative license with her photos and swapped out any body-shaming messages for more positive ones
'Her imagery has been a positive breath of fresh air in the body shame and sex shame-filled media we've been used to consuming for so long.'
The mother of three noted that she 'thought Hilda's imagery could use a little more feminism and body positivity,' and in the summer of 2017, she started her project.
To recreate the images, she used nothing more than a tripod, her iPhone timer, and supplies she purchased from the Dollar Tree and local thrift shop.
The activist took some creative license with her photos, and in one image, she can be seen joyously throwing her arm in the air while reading 'Fat Activism: A Radical Social Movement' by Charlotte Cooper.
In the original painting of Hilda, the cartoon is striking the same pose while holding a blue book titled 'Plumping Can Be Fun.'
Feminist update: In one image, Pence-Brown can be seen joyously throwing her arm in the air while reading 'Fat Activism: A Radical Social Movement' by Charlotte Cooper
One of a kind: Byers did not base Hilda on a real-life model but instead fashioned her from his own imagination and fantasy
Interesting: Pence-Brown noted that 'one of the most fascinating parts' of her project has been examining how Bryers depicted his characters 'plus-sized body in his imagination'
Comparison: 'Real-life Hilda would have had belly rolls for days,' Pence-Brown wrote when she shared this recreation on Instagram
'While I totally believe plumbing can be fun, I'm really into reading feminist texts these days,' Pence-Brown wrote when she shared the image on her website.
Byers did not base Hilda on a real-life model but instead fashioned her from his own imagination and fantasy.
'She's a creation out of my head,' the artist told online pin-up gallery ToilGirls in 2002. 'I had various models over the years, but some of my best Hilda paintings I've ever done were done without a model.'
In a recent Instagram post, Pence-Brown shared a photo of herself naked and washing her foot with a washcloth just like Hilda was depicted doing years before.
She noted that 'one of the most fascinating parts' of her project has been examining how Bryers depicted his characters 'plus-sized body in his imagination and on paper.'
Pin-up girl: For the third year in a row, she has created her own limited-edition calendar featuring side-by-side shots of the original paintings of the pin-up and her feminist updates
Goal: Pence-Brown has more than 23,000 Instagram followers, and she uses her social media platform and blog to inspire others to be proud of their bodies
Celebration: Hilda shows us that at some time someone else found big girls' curves sensual, silliness sexy, softness endearing, confidence bold and bare skin beautiful,' she wrote
'It's remarkable how spot-on at times he renders her dimples and rolls and double-chin, but in others he puts her body in positions that are just not humanly possible, like this one,' she noted. 'Like me, real-life Hilda would have had belly rolls for days.'
Pence-Brown has more than 23,000 Instagram followers, and she uses her social media platform and blog to inspire others to be proud of their bodies no matter what shape or size they are.
In 2015, she went viral for stripping down to just a bikini in a public market and inviting strangers to draw hearts on her exposed skin.
'I've made peace with my body long ago, and I hope I'm helping more people do the same,' she told DailyMail.com at the time.
While all the images in her Revising Hilda series are playful and fun, she explained on her website that Bryers' paintings are also a much-needed celebration of full-figured bodies.
'Much like the art of Norman Rockwell, Bryers' Hilda reminds us of playful, sweet, and carefree days gone by. But she recalls more than that, too,' she wrote.
'Hilda shows us that at some time someone else found big girls' curves sensual, silliness sexy, softness endearing, confidence bold and bare skin beautiful. And that maybe, just maybe, we can find that in ourselves, too.'
