BKSTS GIRL (China Girl/Leader Lady)

[Paul Forsdick]

Hi all,


My mum was the BKSTS GIRL and I'm here to find out as much as I can about Leader Ladies/China Girls.


I grew up with this image being just a snap of my mum. We were aware of how it was used and occasionally would cross over into 'real' film (Superman the Movie, Death Proof and a Woolworths advert!)


I'm especially keen to hear from projectionists who are familiar with the image and any stories they may have.


Cheers

[Benjamin Ruder]

You should reach out to the Chicago Film Society and their Leader Ladies Project.

https://www.chicagofilmsociety.org/projects/leaderladies/

[Paul Forsdick]

Cheers Ben,

I've already spoken with them, quite some time ago when mum was still around.

At the moment I'm interested in finding out just how prevalent her image was/is. There have been several arthouse films produced over the years that I'm aware of. No doubt more will come out in time. To be honest though I'm much more interested in what projectionists know about the image. I'm told that, years ago, it was commonplace for projectionists to collect and swap (trade) the images. That, along with any other human stories, is what that truly interests me.

[Paul Forsdick]

Apologies Ben, I assumed that https://www.chicagofilmsociety.org/p.../leaderladies/ was Julie Buck and Karin Segal's work. Have you got a contact there or is it just info@chicagofilmsociety.org

Cheers

[Leo Enticknap]

The practice has survived the transition to digital, too, with test pattern girls now:

ISDCF_v1_3D-LEFT_185_2K_r1-9_RGB.jpg

[Benjamin Ruder]

Apologies Ben, I assumed that https://www.chicagofilmsociety.org/p.../leaderladies/ was Julie Buck and Karin Segal's work. Have you got a contact there or is it just info@chicagofilmsociety.org

Cheers

I do collaborate and communicate with them frequently. Yes, that's the best email. Good luck!

[Kyle Mikolajczyk]

Paul, do you know how your mother became a Leader Lady? I am curious!

[Paul Forsdick]

Paul, do you know how your mother became a Leader Lady? I am curious!

Hi Kyle,

Mum used to work on a drawing board in the engineering department at Thames Television studio in 1970. I'm in touch with some of the department where she is remembered fondly for her happy demeanour and sense of humour. She was always quite photogenic so I'm sure that played a part in her being selected.

She had to try to sit still for the whole 'shoot' which took place over two days.

Have you ever seen her in a frame?