Justin Bisnauthsing
Naked Ambition provides an earnest and thorough look into the life and career of Bunny Yaeger, a prominent and overlooked pioneering force in pin-up photography at the beginning stages of the digital age.
Through stunning montages and insightful interviews, Naked Ambition brings a forgotten story to the foreground. The documentary transports audience members to Miami, Florida, in the 1950s, a loose and thriving city where nothing lasts forever.
Beginning as a model, Bunny learned the tricks of the trade firsthand. She saw how much success men found by shooting women and asked the age-old, life-altering question: Whynot me? She went from being in front of the camera to being behind it. This 180-degree rotation changed the course of media, photography, and feminism for the rest of time. With her modeling experience and sister-like effervescence, Bunny was able to permeate a barrier and make her muses feel comfortable in a way that a man could not. This produced photos that featured models sporting a carefree glow in artful poses and locations. The images easily translated to women around the country and made them feel beautiful and seen. In a time when women’s sexuality was too taboo to discuss, Bunny provided a sense of liberation with her lenses. She showed the world that it was changing and that a woman’s body has never been more powerful.
