• Source: Mudflap girl

Mudflap Girl is a silhouette of a woman with an hourglass body shape, sitting, leaning back on her hands, with her hair being blown in the wind. The image was created in the 1970s and was popularized on mudflaps. Subsequently, it went on to new featured on other trucking in the United States accessories as well as on clothing, jewellery, and personal accessories.




Creation


This image was originally believed to be modeled on Leta Laroe, a famous exotic dancer at the time. However, it is more likely that the design is based on Rachel Ann Allen, created by Bill Zinda in Long Beach, California, for his friend Stewart Allen.




Popular culture


The image of Mudflap Girl appears in many forms of media. Sometimes it is simply a nostalgic image on clothing or in jewellery and other times variations of the image are used for fun or a critical commentary.
Heather Joseph-Witham, a folklorist who teaches at Otis College of Art and Design and who has also debunked urban legends for Mythbusters Asked "Regardless of the precise truth of the narrative, the important issue here is: Why is this image so ubiquitous?". To her, the Mudflap Girl is quintessentially American. "Why do so many people feel the need to display it? What does it say about us?"
It can also be seen in popular media. In the 2023 stage production Mudflap Girl by Sya Sen, the image is seen through the eyes of people who have lived in different decades since the inception of the character. This includes a 1970s trucker, a 1980s homemaker, a 1990s feminist, a 2000s pragmatist, a 2010s cynic, and a 2020s optimist. The show also features the character of Mudflap Girl herself.




Variations


The image is also referred to as trucker girl or seated lady. Over the decades there have been many variations upon the original image including women portrayed with different and more diverse body types. There are numerous variations on the original image including:

Angel & Devil – Back to back, two girls, one with angel wings and halo and the other with devil horns, tail and pitchfork
Bride of Frankenstein – Sporting a trademark hairstyle, different than Original MudflapGirl
Chicken – Mudflap Girl as a chicken was used in the Wacky Package "Perdude Chicken", parodying Perdue Farms.
Cowgirl – Wearing a Stetson
Curvy Girl – Having a much fuller figure than the original
Elita One – In issue #4 of the Dreamwave Productions comic Transformers: The War Within, Optimus Prime is portrayed as having a mudflap with the silhouette of Elita One.
Flipping Off – The feminist blog Feministing used as its logo an ironic version of Mudflap Girl holding up her middle finger.
Megaphone – The "Feministas" protest group in Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder has a similar logo in pink that has Mudflap Girl using a megaphone.
Reading – Wyoming Libraries use Mudflap Girl holding a book, in an effort to attract readers.
Space Invader – Wearing a helmet and holding a raygun
Trucker – Silhouette stickers of a chubby male with a beer belly are also available.




History


The image is Rachel Ann Allen, mother of Ed Allen, whose father popularized the image.
Mudflap Girl received a trademark in January 2010 from registration from the United States Patent and Trademark Office."Trademark Registration Number 3742024". Trademark Status & Document Retrieval (TSDR). United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved 2020-11-13. The image commonly appears on clothing and jewelry as well as stickers and decals.




References

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