Bunny Yeager Philosophy featuring Sarah Robla - PINNED Podcast: Episode 36

Have you ever heard about Bunny Yeager? You might know her a the model/photographer that photographed Bettie Page. This week I sit down with Sarah Robla and we discuss Yeager's motivation and mindset that really set her apart from the rest of the photographers in her time.
 

Been recovering from COVID - finally got my negatives!!

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About  Sarah Robla
Sarah is an artist. She works as a graphic designer by day, a baker by night, and general know-it-all craftster on the weekends.


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For more information
Instagram @sarahrobla
Instagram @abakedtart

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Transcript

Miss Pinup Miami: 0:04

Hello, and welcome back to the pin podcast. We're on episode number 36. And at the pin podcasts, I bring you a modern topics with a vintage flair. I'm your host Pinup Miami and I want to say thank you if you are a first time listener, I hope you stick around. And if you are a returning listener, thank you so much without you. I don't know what I do. And Valentine's just happened and I'm so grateful and thankful. And I really truly I say it every time. I love you all. If you haven't followed the podcast on Instagram, check us out at the pin podcast official to find out about guests. If I know when new episodes come up, or follow my Instagram at Pinup Miami, and if you'd like to get a little more personal, you could send me a text to 183348 pinup. That's if you want to be a guest have any questions for upcoming guests or just want me to talk about a certain subject. Today I have a South Florida local as well. Her name is Sarah. How are you Sarah? She's a baker. Tell us a little bit about yourself, Sarah.

Sarah: 1:14

Hi, everybody. I'm Sara as Jen has. So I know pretty much a little bit about everything. I'm a jack of all trades, or Jill, if that's where you want to go with it.

Miss Pinup Miami: 1:29

And then this today's episode I want to talk about um, bunny Jaeger babe. Yeah, she's also ended her life in South Florida. And I ended her life by her life and did here in South Florida. And just talking about the life I know we all know her as a photographer. That's a photos of Bettie Page. That's what most people know her for different things in her life and how she's in her life philosophy,

Sarah: 1:57

mostly her life, you know, her life was pretty. Her life was pretty, you know, black and white. She had a one philosophy, which was she was very inclusive in a time that was even more segregated than the NIC feels like now, whether it was pictures with Sammy Davis Jr. or pictures of Betty. She really only catered to one gaze, and that was her own. She was the first photographer to do the first centerfold for Playboy, she was instrumental in bringing the bikini into the modern view. And she did so because she wanted to feel comfortable in her own skin. Whether it was actually looking good in in bathing suits, because she was she was a model herself. She was 510 she was tall, statuesque, and all the clothing models of the time had a much shorter torso than her so she would start making her own suits. And at the same time, she wanted to know more, you know, behind the lens, as she started taking, you know, photos of herself she started taking selfies before that was in so you know, before Kardashians before anything Bunny, you you're in the 50s in the early 50s was taking selfies in bikinis that she made herself to make herself look and feel good. She always had a message of, of just letting women express themselves as naturally and as beautifully as they wanted with Betty nudity was an option, the first model of the time to give bunny the the opportunity of doing that. And they created magic in a few short months. I mean, the photo is the iconic Bettie Page photo on playboy hanging the the ornament on the tree with nothing but a Santa hat, you know,

Miss Pinup Miami: 3:51

yes. But she did. So

Sarah: 3:54

with her models, enthusiastic consent, which is amazing. She had she was years beyond what we can think of. Now, you know, as photographers don't

Miss Pinup Miami: 4:05

really, I had the last week we had Charlie here and she talks about male she had the experience with male photographers would ask for things without consent. And she suggested to have a modeling agreement so they know what to do not to do. Consent is a big issue now. So for her to make sure that everyone's comfortable bunny gager at the shoot

Sarah: 4:28

in the 50s. You know, things were still segregated. The women's right, right movement hadn't happened yet. It was revolutionary and to her. You hear you hear interviews of her as late as you know, the year of her death in in 2013 that she didn't care. She just did her own thing. What she thought was right and what she thought was right was giving all humans respect and autonomy over their own bodies. That's just that's mind blowing. That that is coming. That was something I hadn't 17 years ago by a woman. And then you start realizing all these photos and all these classic poses, pinup poses when you start researching well, who was the first one that really did it? She either photographed it or was it? And a lot of times we confuse that with Oh, well, all these photos are just for the male gaze. Not with Bunny, bunny did it for her, what she felt comfortable with what her model felt comfortable with. And if that push boundaries, and if that excited people, then so be it. But it was, it was different. And it was, I think that's why it's been still so well received. Because it's that energy has never been duplicated, at least not that I have seen.

Miss Pinup Miami: 5:57

I see a lot of people that want to it sounds like she, well, she empowered the model in the photo and the people viewing it could see that empowerment in what the vision is being created. You can see that a lot in both wars nowadays. Like how they're promoted, you can see them saying, you know, do this photoshoot for you. It's not for your man. A lot of single women do bids wars, and they feel much better about themselves, not much better, but you know, they feel confident, like a different sense of confidence.

Sarah: 6:28

It's a different, it's a fantasy. And it's, it's a great fantasy live live in, whether it's it's every day or just for the shoot, if that's how you want to authentically express yourself, you should be able to do it with somebody that number one makes you feel comfortable, and how you feel comfortable because your idea of what you think is sexy might be different than the person you're shooting for or with you know if you have a partner in the shoot or not.

Miss Pinup Miami: 6:55

That so because somebody might think like I think sexy forbids wars is like implicit like maybe like a robe and like, you know, stop lingerie for other people. It's all about like scrappiness and more dark colored and you know, so everyone has their own mood, mood or what they're feeling for the moment. But that's the beauty about women and how we could just be ourselves in our own skin. And coming back to bunny Jaeger is she created these things.

Sarah: 7:30

Not only that she created. She famously said she's never been in the same thing twice. That was her, you know, paraphrasing. Yeah, she's never been photographed and the same thing twice. That was her people don't know that. And she not only created clothes and bikinis for herself, but she created clothes and bikinis for each and every individual model to highlight their assets and and hide and diminish their flaws. What I find so refreshing about the few interviews I've been able to see a funny agar because there are very few you have to really dig for things about bunny agar that are not 100% tied to Betty page or a blurb in Betty pages story, which is what I fear she's become to a lot of people. They don't realize that bunny was her own women's right movement before it was even a term. You know, but she was she had that same energy like Georgia O'Keeffe. I'm going to do what I like to do. And if you consider it vulgar, then that's on you. I consider it beautiful. And that's all she all she did was present her art in were in a manner that she thought was most beautiful. Her her subject in art was women. Her medium was photography. She just wanted to make her subject look and as beautiful as possible. How do you make a living subject, a living, breathing subject, beautiful. You make them feel beautiful, you know, especially human, we emote so much with our face. And you see those photos, those women looked relaxed. Those women look happy to be there. If they if they want to project sexiness, they project sexiness they want to project flirtiness that they do that but you see it. You don't see any forcefulness in any of the facial features or of the poses. It's all dynamic. That's another thing that she really brought to not only fashion in like bikinis and lingerie, but to the fashion world where dynamic poses most of the poses if you see in the 50s and the 40s are very stiff. They're very she brought movement into the photo, and to the fate, you know, to the face to everything you know you have Betty, when she has those two cheetahs, just different things, you know, be expressive. She just that expression and that joy is something that I, I think everybody has has really strived to to achieve. Whether they're modeling in front of the camera or behind it,

Miss Pinup Miami: 10:38

why do you think that Bettie Page is like the like the most remembered piece? Is it because it's Betty page, you think? Or were her photos different?

Sarah: 10:46

Because she was the one that well, Betty was in that point of time doing more fetish and bondage, and underground photos, Bernie really brought her to the forefront. It was that picture in playboy when playboy was just starting out that Christmas that brought all these three powerhouses together. And it just created a supernova like nobody's like nobody had seen before. It was just so iconic, first of all that color, then that just the tree that you see this elaborately decorated tree, I mean, that had all the trimmings, all of the modern at the era, you know, the tinsel and the silver and the every color ornament you could possibly think of and then all you see is lash. Just a body and the only thing that she's wearing is a little red hat, holding a little ornament. And she's just in the happiest like, Oh, hey, babe. Like you just caught her. Like, I just wanted to do this right before you got home. You know? Okay, and you can see in her expression, it wasn't a it was a like, like, Hey, babe inviting Come on in, like, come on. And that was that's just the difference. A facial expression can make a look in her eyes. And she just seemed happy. You were invited in? It was inviting. And it just that captured obviously. Whew. Laughter Yeah. And it captured the rest of the world. And it still does.

Miss Pinup Miami: 12:27

So we're awesome. And that was Bettie Page. And a lot of people a lot of pinups, fine. But

Sarah: 12:31

that's done with, that's done with the gaze of a female photographer. And I'm not going to assume her sexuality or anything of the sort, you know, because people will be like, Oh, she was like that, because she was A, B, or C, I honestly don't know, and nor do I care. She just saw what is most beautiful and happy, and allowed all of us that peace at that moment. And that's what photographers do. And she was the best at it. And she did. So being unapologetically feminist, she was completely anti racist. She was just a humble person that didn't care about competition. didn't care if people were mimicking her, if they were trying to steal her Look, she literally was just in her own lane, focused on her own things.

Miss Pinup Miami: 13:23

It's very empowering.

Sarah: 13:25

At least for me, I see a lot of these older photos in a different light because of it. It's like, Okay, this wasn't just for guys to get horny. This was something to make her feel good. And yeah, there's, you know, it got published wherever it was published. You know, because of the social norms at that time, you see it a little, at least I do. Again, it's just different. It's okay. It really is. What makes me feel good. And how am I going to make the person in front or behind the lens feel good, too.

Miss Pinup Miami: 14:05

I was just curious to know how you felt with when it comes to booking a shoot for yourself.

Sarah: 14:10

I want a photographer that is going to show my best assets. And one thing as somebody that is going to be in front of a camera needs to realize is that a lot of times what we think is our best asset is not what the photographer thinks is our best asset and you need to trust them. Because a lot of times we'll try especially when you pay for your own shots. You try to dictate and say well, this is what I want. I want to mimic this photo exactly, or I want to do this, but you have to trust the artist. And that's what a lot of these this is what all those women did with bunny they trusted the artist. It's like, I feel good. And I know you're gonna make me look good. It might feel a little crazy when Doing some crazy pose, you know, and holding up and whatnot, but really trust them because that's, that's when you're going to get the most natural shot.

Miss Pinup Miami: 15:12

That's what I tell people when they want to shoot, I tell them, you know, look into the photographer, that you're okay, First, you need to think about the style that you like, and then look at the photographer's portfolio because for example, I love bright photos, but they are photographers. I love the moody look that's like, darker, you know? So I will, you know, be like, okay, I'd rather not go with that photographer, because we were not gonna mess up. So you try to find someone that has your same vision, overall, like there

Sarah: 15:43

and you might be surprised.

Miss Pinup Miami: 15:45

Yeah, I'm not saying 100% before the, for when you're trying to look for a photographer, like one time, I wanted to do like a very goth shoe. So I went for a photographer that's more comfortable doing that, because if I go for somebody that does mostly cheesecake pinup, or bright colors, they're not gonna capture it the same way as somebody that has experience in that kind of vibe. So it's always interesting, like, like you say, trust the artists. So make sure you have an artist that has like the same vibe that you're going for.

Sarah: 16:13

communicate what you're looking for, from the beginning before they're even cameras. You know, in front of you communicate, what's the look, you're going for Pinterest boards are great for that. You know, this is the mood I'm going for. I like these poses. What do you think is going to work for my body because I love doing dynamic poses. But I'm a big girl. And it doesn't matter how crazy I do the the pose. flesh is flesh and there's only certain places it can move.

Miss Pinup Miami: 16:42

What is your favorite thing about Bunny, Jaeger?

Sarah: 16:46

How she didn't look to the left of her or the right of her. She didn't look at her competition. She didn't even think there was competition. She's like, oh, someone's doing something just like me. Fantastic. Next, I'm off to my shoot, I don't have time to worry about it. I'm doing something else. Goodbye. Like, I

Miss Pinup Miami: 17:07

feel like this. That's amazing.

Sarah: 17:10

We're so caught up in who's doing things and who's doing that or not even starting because we're like, okay, we're gonna start a project. And then you start researching. And then you start researching some more. And you're like, I can't do it like this. It's not gonna look like this. I'm not even gonna bother trying. I think you gave up. And that happens a lot.

Miss Pinup Miami: 17:33

I see a lot of it especially on on Tick Tock. I like people saying that, oh, I wanted to start this company. But I saw so many other people selling these camp, like they wanted to start a candle company and a lot of people are doing candles. But not everyone is you. So you have to realize that your style is going to be different than everyone else. And that's what I think people are afraid of is accepting who they are. And that yes, we could all have the same product. But it's all about our own. We all have our own vibe. You know our own spin. Yeah, exactly.

Sarah: 18:09

And unfortunately, as social as we have gotten, the more antisocial it seems like we've gotten as well it just it's it is what it is. But again, what I admire most about bunny she ended everything with so many people celebrating her life, we still celebrate her life today. You know, she's one of those people that I don't I have not heard a single negative interview snippet snide comment about money from anyone professionally or or intimately everything you hear or read is, it's just about how beautiful of a person she was.

Miss Pinup Miami: 18:55

In South Florida. Sometimes I couldn't go to it. But before the quarantine, they had like a gallery displaying her artwork. It's very

Unknown: 19:05

Oh, yeah.

Miss Pinup Miami: 19:06

I forgot who organizes it, but they she's huge in Germany.

Sarah: 19:10

She's absolutely just a a Titan of a woman in Germany, apparently.

Miss Pinup Miami: 19:16

Well, she's. She's a Miami local, I think she went to

Sarah: 19:20

she was born in Pennsylvania. She moved here when she was 17.

Miss Pinup Miami: 19:26

She went she went to high school.

Sarah: 19:28

Mm hmm. And she just stayed. And you know what's great about it, too. She started with a crappy camera and she couldn't afford she couldn't afford backdrops. She couldn't afford props. So she would go to the beach. That's why there are so many photos of bunny agar at the beach and bikinis people are like why are the bikini is associated because it was out of necessity. She had no money. So she made bikinis and she had no backdrop so she used nature and she has been created with a crappy camera that she, she self admittedly has said the most iconic photos of Betty will some of the most iconic photos of Betty and other artists that it's it's astounding how much she said before as well. That it doesn't matter the equipment you have. It's the talent. It's the person. She was always about what you could do and how you can do it. Yeah, it was all just get started. Go. And that is the hardest thing to do.

Miss Pinup Miami: 20:32

I saw agree with that. I was so hesitant, like for the people that were close to me. When I first started this podcast, I was so hesitant in starting, because I was like, I don't have a mic. I don't have a camera. But you know, I was after like, a couple weeks, I was like, You know what, I'm just gonna start with my iPhone. The only thing I bought was this microphone. And from there on every time I had a little extra money, I add on new equipment. And now I've updated you. I know you've watched my podcast since the beginning, you've probably seen the quality, entire evolution, the quality and audio and the quality and like everything to improve because it's always a learning process. Even if I had all this when I started, I'm sure in on episode 36 that we are today it would be even better. So that's why when somebody like I want to do this, or when somebody says, Oh, you look so cute. I wish I could dress up like you. You know, I've always felt and that's why I started from South Florida. It's like, people sometimes need an excuse to just do it. So that's why I do the brunches or any events because they love the style but they just don't know where to start. So give them a little push. And yay and bunny Jaeger is like your Oh gee, I'm just gonna admit it here once the Oh gee Pinup Miami.

Sarah: 21:51

She is she is I've been telling Jen the entire time that you know she's carrying on a torch. Apparently. Apparently Miami women are very inclusive when it comes to to women empowerment. So let's continue the positivity cycle.

Miss Pinup Miami: 22:10

And what you said about her making our clothes was like who next year's calendar I'm making the clothes. Longer

Sarah: 22:18

sign up by the way, guys, because if not, I'm taking your spot.

Miss Pinup Miami: 22:22

Again. Yes. The pin pop up pins calendar comm if you want to join in, all you got to do is there's nothing you have to do just apply and you have to make sure that whenever the photoshoot happens, that you can come down to South Florida. It's going to be there Miami or Broward. That's as far so far that we've gone. Tell us about your experience on the pin calendar in 2012.

Sarah: 22:44

I did I was Miss September 2020.

Miss Pinup Miami: 22:47

And those shoes 2019. So yeah, all the shoots were in

Sarah: 22:50

August 2019. Guys, okay, we got to do a beautiful calendar release party. I'm sorry, the girls couldn't experience it this year. But the virtual one was great. It was the first time I did a photo shoot like that, that I got purposefully dressed up. And one thing about me is I dress in black, exclusively. So any sort of color like today I'm wearing red just because I love Jen. And I wanted to give her the surprise. But she put me in a very striped candy striped dress, which was wonderful. Lots of colors. And I got to wear my sky high heels, which was wonderful. I love my six inches. And there was a bunch of women there. There was six out of the 12 months there. Yes. And in April, we had two girls. So we had seven girls and we had at least there was a bunch of people here and I got to meet hair and makeup. I got to meet all of the girls for the first time because I hadn't been able to go to a brunch. So it was my first time officially meeting everybody that wasn't virtually and it was very comfortable and all different types of women and body types. Just having fun. And really encouraging one another. And Maddie was just a dream to work with a photographer. She took the best photos. I'm scheduling another shoot with her soon. Yay. A little a little risque for that one. But you know what we'll see. Maddie

Miss Pinup Miami: 24:33

is great. abbatoirs

Sarah: 24:35

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And I got ideas. started early. It didn't take it didn't take very long. It didn't feel like it took long it seemed like the day just slipped by and it was just so much fun. We ended by five. It was a whole day thing. And you got to see all the women and all the different poses that they would do and Feel comfortable and what were their, what they felt comfortable, confident in what they felt, what what they struggled with. And at one point, you would see some of the girls really shy away from the camera. And there were at least two or three that would start hyping them up. And you would turn around and see what were these girls doing going.

Unknown: 25:20

You're gorgeous babe, I

Sarah: 25:22

love you like, this is so wonderful. And it's just these women you barely met hyping you up. And it's this choir that grew and grew and grew for each girl. That was just like a rallying cry of like, You're beautiful. And it was just really touching. And part of me is really sad that the girls this calendar year didn't get to experience that because it was so it was so motivational to see all these women together, and just really being there for each other. And I hope we get experienced at this year. That'll be great. The way things are going, everybody needs to keep their mask on and keep washing your hands, please, please, I want to have that experience again. And I want others to experience how beautiful they can feel in in an environment that that is so encouraging and truly is it's it's not. It's not a it's not a facade.

Miss Pinup Miami: 26:19

Yeah, I'm glad that you said that. Because that's exactly the feeling I want everyone to feel. And I was sad about last year. But I tried to make it work by adding cars and making it interesting. So people got to see each other but like passing because it was from one girl, and then the next girl would come. And then next year I'm keeping it a surprise until we have started shooting the theme calendar models because you know you want to keep it a fun release. And

Sarah: 26:49

no you need to keep it hush hush especially in this day and age all I can remember all I can be reminded of is how they had to have three fake scenes for Sex in the City when that was huge. When they did the movie they had to do they had to film the one of the scenes. They had to have two other scenes going on so that the folks that the photographers and people couldn't figure out the movie ahead of time like it was insane.

Miss Pinup Miami: 27:17

So nobody does the

Sarah: 27:18

same thing for like, like people yeah, people stealing Game of Thrones, you know, scripts and there's always somebody trying to

Miss Pinup Miami: 27:28

trying to get a sneak peek when asked here So Sarah, do you have any questions for me?

Sarah: 27:36

What's your second favorite color?

Miss Pinup Miami: 27:40

What do you think is my first

Sarah: 27:44

green?

Miss Pinup Miami: 27:45

My favorite my favorite colors red. My favorite color to wear recently is green. And my second favorite color after red is actually pink.

Sarah: 27:59

How Valentine's do for you

Miss Pinup Miami: 28:03

but yeah, but I My favorite color is red but I don't really wear it that much. Maybe just on my lips. I mean I say that and if you're watching yeah

Sarah: 28:10

because I never really see you wear red I always see you wear green or yellow or pink.

Miss Pinup Miami: 28:16

I wear pink and teal because it goes with like everything I've created with Pinup Miami and um, that's why my first hair color that was very, that was funky was red. And that's why the principal Florida logo is red. Because that was the first hair color that I had. And it's it's red and then pink.

Unknown: 28:38

Beautiful

Sarah: 28:40

Thing well if you ever want to know some more random nonsense about random nonsense, you let me know why I failed with random nonsense.

Miss Pinup Miami: 28:48

I want to invite you back in the future to talk more about you know, subjects that I feel like we're not you want to push it. I want to push the envelope and learn for myself and educate myself more about topics that I don't know about and hopefully the viewers as well. Next week, I have the total opposite. Episode 37 next Wednesday is going to be with Minch monster. She's campy glamour pin opee she's a YouTuber, we're going to talk about sizing conservatee she's very fun, fun, campy, I love that I love the word camping. So make sure to check it out. If and if you're watching on YouTube, please make sure to like and subscribe. It's a free way to help me out. And if you're on podcast, make sure to subscribe there on any platform. I would greatly appreciate it and love you next week