You may not recognize her from the front, but you likely recognize her backside — hence her nickname, “The Back”.
Vikki Dougan
50s “it girl” Vikki Dougan got this flattering nickname by wearing provocative dresses, cut inappropriately low at the back, even just to run around town.
She inspired a lot of pop artists.
Her images were not only collected by English pop artists, but even inspired works, such as Richard Hamilton’s $he (1958-61).
$he explores the imagery of consumerism and female identity.
‘Sex is everywhere, symbolised in the glamour of mass-produced luxury – the interplay of fleshy plastic and smooth, fleshier metal’, Hamilton wrote. ‘This relationship of woman and appliance is a fundamental theme of our culture; as obsessive and archetypal as the Western movie gun duel.’
Photographs by Ralph Crane for LIFE Magazine
