Border Town Betties celebrate vintage fashion with modern values

By Abigail Blonigen

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Vintage fashion, not vintage values” is a common saying in the pin-up subculture, which local businesswoman Becky Sherf has been acquainted with for nearly 20 years.

Scherf has always been drawn to vintage fashion and started collecting it at a young age. Dressing in her unique style introduced her to others who were into vintage and pin-up. Sherf now co-owns Wrong Side of the Bridge Vintage in Superior.

She is also co-founder and president of Border Town Betties, a Duluth-Superior organization whose mission is “to celebrate the beauty of all women and empowering women to share it with our community with boldness, poise, energy and outreach,” according to their website.

The term “pin-up girl” came around in the 1940s, as soldiers in World War II would “pin up” posters of beautiful women to boost morale. Pin-up girls were even painted on the exterior of airplane bombers.

“It kind of just became a subculture again — in the ’90s into the early 2000s — with rockabilly music and as a way for women to reclaim femininity in a powerful way,” Sherf said.

For many, the pin-up girl is seen as a symbol of women’s liberation, as it became more socially acceptable to wear formfitting or skimpy clothing. Women’s bodies were being celebrated instead of hidden under layers of fabric. Additionally, according to History Collection, illustrations and photos of pin-up girls showed women in a variety of careers as women were entering the workforce during the war.

On the other hand, the popularization of the perfect pin-up girl also led to the objectification and commercialization of the female body. As stated in History Collection, brands quickly realized that sexiness sells, so pin-up girls were used to promote everything from war bonds to magazines to CocaCola, reducing the woman in the picture to a marketing tactic.

Border Town Betties, along with many modern pin-up groups, reject the outdated values associated with the ’40s and ’50s and instead focus on uplifting each other and their community while sporting the fun pin-up style.

“The pin-up culture is based on female empowerment and body positivity in a way to take (the narrative) back, whereas back in the day, women didn't really get to do that,” Scherf said.

Border Town Betties was founded in 2019 by Scherf and Molly Stonesifer. Their inaugural event was the Miss Motorhead Pin-up Contest. Similar to drag, each member adopts a name and persona to go with their pin-up persona.

The Betties host a handful of contests each year, which are pageant-style events where participants are judged on vintage fashion, makeup and stage presence. The second round asks a question of contestants where they are judged on the content of their answer.

Some of the contests have themes: Miss Liberty for the Fourth of July car show in Superior, trains for the Proctor car show in honor of the railroad, rockabilly greaser style for Miss RockaBettie Rendezvous Pin-up Contest in Mahtowa, whereas others — such as Miss Motorhead in Duluth — are general pin-up fashion.

To stay true to their mission of uplifting the community, the Betties participate in charity events year round. They have hosted benefits for organizations such as the Center Against Sexual & Domestic Abuse and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and for more direct community needs like medical bills and Christmas shopping.

This year they hosted a “fashion through the ages” show at the Douglas County Historical Society. Recently, the group shot a pin-up calendar to support the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center.

Border Town Betties is in the process of becoming an official nonprofit organization. The group — which is currently about 30 strong — is open to anyone passionate or curious about vintage fashion. Members pay a small yearly fee and participate in as much as they are able to commit to.

Keep up with the Border Town Betties at bordertownbetties. com or on social media @bordertownbetties. D