Girl in the Moon was a Wisconsin Majorette

For more than a century, Miller High Life’s “Girl in the Moon” has been one of America’s most recognizable advertising icons. First introduced in 1907, the image of a young woman seated on a crescent moon with a bottle of Miller High Life became synonymous with the “Champagne of Beers” and remained a fixture of the brewery’s advertising for generations.

Nancy Belle Gustafson, née Hicks, posed as the Girl in the Moon for the Miller Brewing Company. A Milwaukee native, a redhead, and a majorette at Riverside High School, Gustafson was part of the generation that represented the beloved character during the 1940s, when Miller refreshed its advertising following World War II. Her story adds a fascinating human face to one of American advertising’s most enduring symbols, connecting a real Wisconsin woman to an image recognized by millions.