As we close out 2019, I want to give a special thanks to all our readers, pinups and editor Dave Cruikshank at Rod Authority for the continued support. We are sending off the decade with our December Babe of the Month all the way from Taipei, Taiwan, Miss Alice Meow.
Alice was crowned First Place in this year’s Pinup Contest at the Mooneyes Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show. Miss Alice also recently started United Pinups to connect and inspire other girls in the pinup community. Congratulations Miss Meow and with no further ado, let’s send out 2019 with a bang!
Name: Miss Alice Meow
Sign: Sagittarius
Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan
Current Residence: Taipei, Taiwan
Current Hair color: pink
Current Eye Color: gray
What drew you to the pinup culture?
I’ve always been obsessed with vintage and retro cartoons, movies, music, and small home decor.
You have your own vintage salon, how did you learn styling so well?
Well, we own a salon and my family and I run it together. My sister Ashlee has been a hairstylist for 11 years and my twin sister is a very talented tattoo artist. My younger sister is a professional barista and my husband Larry helps out and takes care of us ladies at the shop! I’ve developed my skills mostly by watching tutorials online and I practice constantly. Whenever I have time, I take more lessons from international hair artists to perfect my skills!
Tell us about your salon how long has it been open and where is it located
Our shop located in Taipei is a vintage-inspired hair salon and we opened three years ago. In the beginning, we offered a “simple pin-up styling“ for free to test how much people would like it and the response was better than we thought! After a while, people came in just to book my vintage-inspired hairstyling.
You recently started United Pinups how did that start?
My friends Amy Allynson from Venezuela and Rina Bambina from Germany and I started this group project together. It was our passion for pin-up style that brought us girls, together. That’s why we decided to share this passion and our experiences of being pin-up girls in different countries with the goal to connect and inspire other ladies who want to get started in the retro world. Our mission is to inspire more girls to be strong and confident with their individual style and to grow the pin-up community all around the world!
What pinup has inspired you the most and why?
Retro JoJo has influenced me at the beginning when I started pursuing the pin-up style. Why her? Because she always has colorful and super on-point hairstyling! She is one of the most talented and strong women that I know.
What is the car culture like in Taiwan?
Unfortunately, the hotrod custom market is extremely small in Taiwan. I think mostly because it is illegal to drive them on the road. That’s why I’ve only seen a few of them at special events, like tattoo conventions for example.
You recently attended the Mooneyes Yokohama show how many years have you been to the show and what do you enjoy most when you go back each year?
This year was my second year at the Mooneyes Yokohama Hotrod Custom Show. My talented friend Kasumi, who is the designer and owner of a vintage-inspired clothing brand called Psycho Apparel invited me to join her group as a guest hairstylist in order to put the Asian pin-up power together at the event! So, I got the chance to expand my styling work and to learn more about the pin-up culture in Japan and I’m really enjoying that!
You are the current Queen of the Mooneyes Yokohama Pinup Contest this year What did you enjoy about the experience the most?
I’ve learned how to prepare myself (my style and my mindset) for the pin-up contest and how to show myself to the audience from my best side. For a Taiwanese pin-up girl, winning this contest is one heck of an affirmation.
Did you have a favorite car at the show?
The Bathtub Rod impressed me the most, and I feel very honored to be able to shoot with it by the talented photographer Mitzi. Note From Editor – We covered the Barris Bathtub Hot Rod here. Look for an upcoming article soon on the journey to restore this car.
Who does your tattoo work?
They are from artists all around the world! Many have added their talent to my collection.
Any travel plans for next year?
After I won the contest, lots of people told me that I’m going to Viva Las Vegas, so I guess VLV?!
Favorite music genre?
I like many genres of music, such as rockabilly, psychobilly, original vintage music, Bossa Nova and Jazz.