Life & Work with Nikki Bee

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Nikki Bee.

Hi Nikki, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers. 
A Queens, NY girl at heart, I moved down south in December 2017 at 30 with my husband and dog, Peggy Sue, to become a Georgia Peach. We drove down in our 2000 Toyota Corolla packed high to begin our new chapter in search of a change of pace. I didn’t really know anyone here and was looking to find my tribe. Growing up, I always had a love for vintage fashion, classic movies, and rock ‘n’ roll.  

My sister and I spent a lot of time dressing up and creating outfits from anything out of the closet, including wearing tights on our heads and pretending to have long hair. I remember wearing a cowboy hat and fringe vest, gazing out our apartment window at the LIRR tracks, and daydreaming about being a rambling cowgirl. While I didn’t pursue that dream—I think I just liked the western boots and rhinestones—I had always been interested in being a pinup model. Not knowing anyone in Atlanta, I was eager to find my people. I was having serious anxiety being in a new city, experiencing panic attacks nearly every day.  

In March 2018, my husband encouraged me to do my first photo shoot. Not only was it an important first step toward finding purpose in a new city, but I found a group of girls who also celebrated vintage style (not vintage values). Georgia Pinup Posse is an inclusive pinup group that champions diversity within the vintage community and lifts each other up through our shared love of vintage and retro fashion, classic cars, and rockabilly music. We do volunteer work and events at car shows, and you can spot us on our float every year in the L5P Halloween Parade.  

Since joining the group in 2018, I have continued my pinup journey, creating a brooch collection called “Bee’s Knees” with my husband in collaboration with Daisy Jean Floral in 2020, modeling for brands such as Sourpuss Clothing and Audrey K Boutique, and creating my own content on Instagram and TikTok: Disney Bounds, lip-syncs, cosplays, (you name it). I’m also proud to have been crowned Miss Killer Queen 2021 and Miss Southern Devil 2023—Georgia pinup titles that suit the darker side of my style!  

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I always enjoyed being in front of the camera and doing fun makeup, but I was under the impression that to be a model, you had to be tall and skinny. My size never bothered me—I’m 5-foot short and curvy—but growing up in the early 2000s, there were very toxic and unrealistic beauty ideals.  

Being into alternative fashion and subcultures, I never fit a mold and never wanted to, and that’s what drew me to pinup and the vintage community. As a pinup, I feel empowered and in control of the gaze: I’m inviting you to look or commanding the attention. The camera also can’t tell how tall you are!  

I encourage anyone who wants to try pinup modeling to find a local group or photographer and go for it. At any size or age, you can do it! Embrace what makes you unique, and wear what makes you happy!  

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
With my pinup art, I think I am most known for my imagination and being a chameleon.  

I’m a fashion punk. I don’t do anything straightforward; I’m a risktaker and revel in breaking rules. If it’s a vintage shoot, maybe I am mixing decades or wearing werewolf gloves. I’m a Disney princess one day and a goth girl the next—It all depends on my mood. When I am out thrifting, I don’t pay attention to sizes or fret about what decade a piece of clothing is from—I try not to take it too seriously. If it’s cute, I will try it. You have to be an out-of-the-box thinker when vintage shopping or thrifting.  

I love the saying on social media: “I don’t dress for men; I dress for little girls who have been told life is not a fashion show.” I was that little girl once, but I was fortunate to have parents who always encouraged my sister and me to be ourselves. And now, at 37, I am living my full princess pinup fantasy. I feel like I keep getting better with age, which I also attribute to being a Capricorn. Fashion can make a statement, or it can be fun and lighthearted, and I enjoy doing both. As the iconic Iris Apfel once said, “More is more, and less is a bore”— I’m a firm believer. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilnikkibee/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikkibeepinup
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@lilnikkibee

Image Credits
Sarah Brown