You Are All Idiots, And I Am A Genius

Subtitle: My Generation Sucks
Sub-Subtitle: Why I Hate "Hipsters"
Sub-Sub-Subtitle: Things I Find to be Sad and Disheartening

I very much wish that someone could please explain to me what the obsession is with "hipster" girls in my age group and pin-up girls.
I mean, seriously. What is it that makes you declare them as your own personal saviours on the "heros" section of your MySpace profile? What inspires you to plaster your homes with images of them? What is it about them that makes you want to dress as them for Halloween?

Here's my beef. From Wikipedia:
"A pin-up girl or pin-up model is a model whose mass-produced pictures see wide appeal as pop culture...Many "pin ups" were photographs of celebrities who were considered sex symbols. One of the most popular early pin-up girls was Betty Grable. Her poster was ubiquitous in the lockers of G.I.s during World War II."

All right. So they were pictures of attractive women in little to no clothing (particularly racy for the time) that were hung in soldiers' lockers. I see their pictures now, posted all over the hip, hip MySpace pages of hip, hip girls, these women in garter belts, posed seductively. Okay, fine. Let's move on.

Also from Wikipedia:
"A Playmate is a female model featured in Playboy magazine. The centerfold/gatefold Miss month is known as Playmate of the Month (or PMOM). The PMOM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, as well as a short biography and the "Playmate Data Sheet", which lists her birthdate, measurements, turn-ons, and turn-offs."

Honestly, the only real difference is a pair of underwear on one side, and some biographical data on the other. And even your precious Bettie Page was Playmate of the Month, January 1955. Now, no one's ever accused me of being a feminist, and for good reason. I've never been able to muster the energy for it.
But I know this: "hipster" girls would rather DIE than post a picture of say, Pamela Anderson on their MySpace heroes, because it would be considered trashy and low-brow, and degrading to women. However, considering the context of the culture in which they were created, pin up girls and Playboy Playmates are essentially images created for the same reason--the male erection.

So someone, please explain this double standard to me. I'd be thrilled to listen. However, there are arguments I will not accept.

1) It's an image of beauty. (Many people consider giving birth to be the most beautiful thing imaginable. Shall I start posting images of dilated cervixes? No. I didn't think so.)
2) They are cultural icons. (So is Carrot Top. End of discussion.)
3) You're just jealous. (I have a fabulous rack, and anyone who thinks otherwise is clearly wrong.)

So, someone please explain to me why one of these images is hip, classy and cool, and the other is trashy, lower class garbage.


(Images also from Wikipedia. God bless Wikipedia.)