The Story Behind Farrah Fawcett's Iconic Red Swimsuit Poster

Sizzling, stunning, and seriously iconic: Farrah Fawcett's red swimsuit poster has been a pop culture staple for decades. But what's the deal with a boys poster request starting it all? In early spring of 1976, Ted Trikilis then head of Pro Arts posters was working on his farm alongside his neighbor's son, Pat Partridge. Young Partridge, being of a certain age, fancied himself a certain model he'd been seeing

on television commercials and in fashion magazines. "Is this a commercial or something?" Knowing that Trikilis made posters of famous people like the Fonz, Partridge suggested that Trikilis make a poster of his new muse, Farrah Fawcet. Bemused by the fact that teenage boys were buying fashion magazines to gawk at some model, Trikilis followed his instincts and reached out to Fawcett's people. The decision ended up being a

boon for both his business and the rising star. In early '76, Fawcett was indeed an up-and-coming starlet. Spending the early 1970s as the fresh-faced "Noxzema Girl," as well as making several guest appearances in popular TV shows, she hit the big time in 1974 when she starred in a few episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man. Not only did Fawcett catch young Pat Partridge's eye, but she

also got the attention of Lee Majors, the star of "The Six Million Dollar Man" himself, whom she eventually married. According to Scene, after looking into exactly who this rising star was, Trikilis reached out to Farrah Fawcett's then-agent Rick Hersh. Pitching the idea of featuring his client on a poster of her own, Hersh relayed the proposal to Fawcett, who found the idea agreeable. As the actress stated

in a 1977 interview with The Washington Post, "The reason I decided to do a poster was, well, if you don't sign a deal to do one, somebody does one anyway, and then you get nothing." Her agreement came with certain terms, however. According to Biography, Fawcett retained control over the images due to her displeasure with past photographers. This time around, she brought her own photographer to the

shoot, freelancer Bruce McBroom. The shoot for the new poster was held at Fawcett's Los Angeles mansion, which she owned with her then-husband Lee Majors. The shoot wasn't without its hitches Pro Arts wanted the actress to wear a bikini and pose in a flirtatious manner. She refused both propositions, telling The Washington Post that she thought it would be more her style to appear happy and care-free, rather

than lustful. Due to some embarrassment over a childhood scar, the actress took to wearing one-piece bathing suits as a cover-up. Of course, it was this look that won out with Fawcett opting to go with several different one-piece suits for the shoot. According to Biography, after deciding she wanted control over the photoshoot, Fawcett also forwent the usual team of stylists, and even opted to style her own

hair. After the initial conflicts were resolved, the shoot went fairly well for most of the day. However, Bruce McBroom still felt they hadn't captured the spirit of the actress. Fawcett apparently felt the same way. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2009, McBroom told the actress, "You know how you look best. Is there anything else that you've got that we haven't shot?" Fawcett returned in the

now iconic red swimsuit, ready to grace the walls of teenage boys across the globe. According to Biography, the poster would go on to sell a record-shattering 12 million copies, with the actress accruing well over $400,000 in royalties. Speaking about the success of the photo, Trikilis joke to Scene, "There's an old expression, 'A picture's worth a thousand words,' and I said, 'A Pro Arts poster is worth

10 thousand.' That's what it came down to. We were the best." Shortly after the poster's release, Fawcett went on to star in Charlie's Angels, which earned her $5,000 per episode and cemented her place in pop culture history. As for Trikilis, his role in the creation of the famous poster earned him some fame as well he notably appeared on The Regis Philbin Show.