Could anyone truly forget Vikki Dougan — the model once dubbed “The Back” of Hollywood? Known for her daring style and bold persona, she became a sensation in her heyday. Even decades later, those who witnessed her appearances — or simply heard the stories — still recall the impact she made with her unforgettable backless gowns.
Born Edith Tooker in 1929 in Brooklyn, New York, she spent part of her childhood in a boarding school in upstate New York after her mother sent her there.
As a teenager, she found early success on the beauty pageant circuit, earning titles such as Miss Coney Island and winning the eighth annual New York Skate Queen contest. These victories opened the door to a thriving modeling career.
At the suggestion of her agent, she reinvented herself professionally, adopting the first name Vikki — inspired by actress Vickie Lester — and taking her mother’s maiden name, Dougan, as her new surname.
In 1956, publicist Milton Weiss devised a bold marketing strategy to draw attention to Vikki: she would appear at events wearing dramatically backless gowns designed to create headlines. These dresses plunged daringly low, setting her apart from the prevailing fashion trends of the time.
The concept offered a striking contrast to the era’s emphasis on actresses known for their curvaceous silhouettes, such as Jayne Mansfield. In an industry often driven by spectacle and publicity, Weiss amplified the buzz by branding Dougan with the nickname “The Back.” He ensured she attended high-profile parties and premieres in her eye-catching outfits, and photographers quickly took notice.
Earlier, in 1953, photographer Ralph Crane had captured Dougan for Life magazine, with the October 26 issue featuring her on its cover — images that would go on to become widely recognized.
By March 29, 1957, the Hollywood Today column ran the headline “Vikki Dougan … Backs Into a Film Career,” while columnist Erskine Johnson quipped that her gowns dipped “lower in the back than a teenager’s hot rod.” Another reporter dubbed her “the most notorious ca-rear girl in town,” and Playboy magazine later praised her for her memorable “exits” in its June 1957 issue.
In January 1964, Cavalier magazine featured twelve nude photographs of Vikki Dougan in a pictorial entitled “The Back is Back”.
Dougan later filed a lawsuit against the magazine, arguing that it had published the photographs without her authorization. Although the images had originally been taken for Playboy, she ultimately chose not to grant permission for them to appear in print.
As the years passed, public fascination with her bold image gradually faded. Almost as quickly as she had captured Hollywood’s attention, she seemed to slip from the spotlight, becoming one of many hopeful stars whose fame proved fleeting.
Vikki married twice. At just 16 years old, she wed William Symons, the proprietor of the photography studio where she had posed for pictures. The couple welcomed a daughter, Debbie, in 1950, but their marriage soon ended.
Later, at age 25, she married actor James R. Sweeney. That union also dissolved after roughly two and a half years. Over time, she was romantically linked to several well-known figures, including Frank Sinatra for a brief period and actor Glenn Ford.
(Photo credit: Life Magazine / New York Times / HeavyNG.com / Grunge.com / Wikimedia Commons / Britannica / Medium).
(Photo credit: Life Magazine / New York Times / HeavyNG.com / Grunge.com / Wikimedia Commons / Britannica / Medium).
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