NFSW: As it pertains to Japanese vinyl records when and how did the term, "Cheesecake" come to be?

I’ve never heard of this term being associated with the Japanese, whether on vinyl or otherwise. It has long been associated with “pin-up girls,” although this discussion indicates that the term is much older than that. I’m not sure I buy everything written there… the OED lists the first example of “cheesecake” to mean a sexy photo of a female as 1934 in an issue of Time magazine: “Tabloid and Heartsmen go after ‘cheesecake’—leg-pictures of sporty females.” But of course, they seem to expect their readers to know what they are referring to, so it must date back at least a little further than that.

There is also the term “beefcake” to refer to similar photos of men.

Are you sure you’re not thinking of creampie?

I grew up in an era when “cheesecake” was an accepted and understood part of the vernacular. It did imply a pinup girl. See examples below.

I have no idea what Japanese vinyl records have to do with it.

Alberto Vargas was the go-to artist for pin-up drawings and posters. One tame example

One slightly less tame one.

I wonder how cheesecake came to imply pin-up girls. Cheesecake isn’t exactly a food I would pick to describe a sexy girl….

Changes of meaning of words just happen. How did “suck” get to mean so many disparate things? Or “cool” or “awesome” (ahem)? Or “bling”? Or “fun” turning into an adjective? “That is such a fun thing to do.” One of the many mysteries of life, I guess. Sometime the etomolgy is clear; often it is not. (Of course, cheesecake is white, smooth and creamy.)

Also, in that era, being skinny was not considered attractive. Curves were the ideal.

^^ True. Mae West, Lsna Turner, Liz Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren,Gina Lollabrigida, Jane Russell, Betty Grable (the iconic pin-up shot)