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From June 11th through June 13th, the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California hosted the Ink N Iron Festival for hot rods, art, fashion, live music, and, of course, tattoos. A weekend of punk, psychobilly, and greasers, however, is only completed by a stunning burlesque show. The alternative pin-up scene, especially in Los Angeles, is as vibrant and burgeoning as the nuanced punk music it often accompanies. With great pleasure, I discovered that a childhood friend of mine won this year’s Miss Ink N Iron title.
Gia Genevieve flourished in a smart, black, traditional 50s pin-up dress. The sexy black frock oozed sexuality and confidence with a sharp red trim and front-side bow, which was cheekily placed between her two glorious breasts; her long black gloves matched serious FMPs. With her red hair, glistening green eyes, delicate cheeks and lips — all on a heart-shaped face — she seemed like the almost-obvious choice, just based on looks alone.
Without question, Gia Genevieve possesses a deep sexiness. However, Genevieve did not win a fashion or beauty contest — it was a test of attitude. Her gait and posture were ablaze with profound confidence — a boldness far more overwhelming than her dramatic curves. She was fiery, but maintained cool restraint on the stage while the other competitors varied in their authenticity. Gia Genevieve, however, stood out in her simple, sincere garb: the contest was based on the womens’ appearances in casual 1950’s dresses. While many might scoff and say, “Oh, another beauty pageant,” I don’t consider the Miss Ink N Iron to be merely just another forum in which the patriarchy have colonized our bodies. Rather, I think the variance in body styles and sensibilities of the competitors’ reveals that this award has more to do with a persona.
Other Miss Ink N Iron hopefuls darned outfits that awkwardly attempted at retro with contemporary “sexiness” in mind. Perhaps what made Gia Genevieve’s performance the overall favorite was a fundamental commitment to her loving her body, being comfortable in her skin, and of course, the era.
Clearly, Burlesque is a subversive and transgressive performance art form. It considers desire as something that can be owned and wielded. Bettie Page positively emanated confidence and talent, for example, as she single-handedly created her legacy of fashion, art, and modeling, for many pin-ups in the day were nothing without the artists that drew them, like Charles Dana Gibson or Art Frahm. The culture of burlesque is fundamentally a culture of exchange, having at least some of its roots in the exchange of scandalous photos among G.I.’s.
Modern pin-ups certainly rely on working T&A, but the art form emerges in the persona the create, embody, and live. When I knew Gia Genevieve, she was Argia Laws in the 8th grade. She was a very full-figured woman already… and everyone was aware, yet it’s amusing that the standards of “hotness” in one’s early teen years seem particularly warped and hypocritical. I, myself, remember the great ambivalence I had towards my rack—boobs were cool, but if they were too big, they were gross. It seemed there was a threshold for how much one’s body should be sexualized at that age.
Gia’s performance called to mind the burden that boobs can be. But ultimately, she fiercely exhibited that an individual defines the sexuality and sensuousness of their own body.
Congratulations Gia Genevieve, and keep rocking!
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I guess when your “friend” (wink wink) wins, beauty pageants aren’t so evil, eh?
Stories like this about women being applauded for embracing their sexuality makes me very happy. It reminds me of how my boyfriend calls me “smexy” (his term for saying that I’m alluring) and it gives me goosebumps (the good kind!).
I think Ms Genevieve is a beautiful woman, at least from the head shot above. I also agree with Keo, I like stories about women embracing their sexuality and their body unabashedly. From the article and the picture, it seems that Ms Genevieve doesn’t embrace all modern beauty conventions, and is completely comfortable being her own woman, achieving beauty as she sees fit. Inspiring.
I wonder if she took her name from that model with the drug problem,back in the 80’s. Now that was a beautiful woman! She died of aids,Angelina Jolie played her in a T.V. movie.
I remember in middle school when big chests were a burden, I had several friends who were ashamed to take off their giant boob hiding t-shirts to swim, it was sad.
They are still a burden.
It’s great that people so interested are embracing their sexuality, but not all of us want to. Some of us just want to go about our day and be appreciated primarily for our mind.
While smaller chests are seen as feminine, and can be played up when overt sexuality is desired, it’s very difficult to do anything about a big chest. You’re either covering all the way up, or you’re considered overtly sexual just walking down the street.
All kinds of things that small- and average-chested proportional women look nice in, and professional wearing, take on a whole new look on large boobs.
Not everyone wants to ‘own their sexuality’ when they’re just trying to walk to work.
This –^
I would just like clothes to fit thanks, I don’t care about the sexuality portion of it.
Well, anything will fit if you don’t mind half of you spilling over the top…
But yes, it would be damn nice to find something that would fit. I’ve already relaxed my skin standards just to be able to find some things. There are all sorts of cute little ‘petite’ things out there. If anyone makes clothing (basic office-wear – not fetish-y) for the big-boobed, I’ve yet to come upon it.
I’m just not getting the relevance of this posting at all.
Lighten up girl!
You may be right.
I’ve been busy cooking for my daughter’s High School graduation party tomorrow, so I am tired and cranky.
You are all invited, by the way :P
don’t you see? She’s am EMPOWERED FEMINIST! We should be INSPIRED by her OWNING her sexuality!!!
Remember – today, anything you want can be a feminist statement!
Nope.
Someone is in love with this chick and it isn’t me.
It may be somewhat interesting, although I feel the post could have focussed more on modern day burlesque rather than a gushing ode to a woman with “her red hair, glistening green eyes, delicate cheeks and lips — all on a heart-shaped face”.
I can possibly (and I’m stressing possibly) see this as having a place on EvilBeet – I’m just not feeling it for ZL.
In fact, I’m feeling insulted. There is nothing informative here. There is nothing that makes me think, nothing to make me examine my beliefs.
Just a juvenile love paen.
Yeah, but we get those periodically. It’s not an anomaly.
I just skimmed the article. I didn’t respond until commenters made it interesting. :)
Takes a special kind of author to make a lesbian love note boring.
Looks like a fun place to drop some acid,I really miss the 60’s.
Nope.
I took a nap.
Re-read it, Read it again and all I’m getting here is girl crush.
Meh.
She is exotic,but she doesn’t really get an indiscriminate semen spray rating from me.
[...] Meet Miss Ink N Iron 2010, Gia Genevieve! – Zelda Lily [...]
Thank you everyone for your comments. I appreciate the negative and positive. I’ve been through a lot of things that have made me into who I am today, and I won’t apologize for it. I am finally at the point in my life where I’m happy with who I am. Curves or not, I love who I’ve become, and not just the physical.
Thanks again everyone, especially page!
xoxo
Gia Genevieve
[...] book about Steward called “Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade,” due out next [...]