Inspirations: Bettie Page

Queen of the Pinups!
Queen of the Pinups!

Bettie Page. A woman as mysterious as she was beautiful.  Bettie Mae Page was born April 22, 1923, in Nashville. She lived a pretty normal life until 1950, when an encounter with an amatuer photographer would change her life, and the world of pinup’s forever. In 1955, she was voted Pinup Queen of the World. I first saw a picture of Bettie thanks to Dave Stevens’ Rocketeer. This iconic print was all over the place in the 80’s, and after hearing that this was based on a real woman, I had to find out more about this beauty. I would read the fanzine, The Betty Pages, every time I could find it.

Dave Stevens Betty
Dave Stevens Betty

Remember, this was the 80’s, so all these underground zines were usually photocopied and sold in head shops and alternative bookstores. You had to really look for them here in North Texas. While the woman had a gorgeous body, it was her face that mesmerized me.  She had the smile of the girl next door; and her eyes made you wonder what she was thinking to make them sparkle like that. She could be so naked, but look so…pure. This wasn’t the face of pornography. This wasn’t a woman that had been jaded and burned out. This was a woman who was so at ease with her body, she looked natural while she was naked. She radiated a vibrancy that transcended a mere photograph. I would look at this woman and believe that she could make eye contact with you across a crowded room and make everyone else just disappear.

The eyes have it...
The eyes have it…

It’s like you could walk in on her and catch her totally undressed, and she would ask “Oh hi, you like some lemonade?” Even the bondage photos she did during Irving Klaw (what a name for a bondage producer, huh?) still had that tongue-in-cheek innocence to them. It was the way she was just at complete ease with her sexuality that made her so disarming. This was a woman that knew the power and beauty of the female form and she wielded that energy with a smile and a wink. Sadly, we lost her in 2008. But she knew how popular she still was, and she was amazed by it. If you’re a Bettie fan, check back here every Tuesday.  I think Suzi will be right up your alley. If this is your first time on the site, then please click on the header and check out the story so far. If you haven’t heard of Bettie, close this window and go look the woman up. There is so much more to her than a bunch of nude photos. Bettie has inspired women for over half a century and her influence continues to grow. I invite you to discover this for yourself. And if you do, let me know what  you think. I would love to hear from fellow Bettie fans

 all photos are copyright of the original owners.

11 Comments


    1. Thank you, Larry! Bettie was one of a kind, and I know there are a legion of fans out there that feel the same way we do!

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    1. Thank you so much, Stephanie! It’s awesome hearing from so many Bettie fans. I guess it goes to show that true classics are timeless!

      Reply

  1. I agree, Bettie was absolutely disarming. She reveled in her sexuality, but it was completely natural and never lewd. She was wholesome and sexy at the same time. Her body was perfection and her face was playful. I have never seen another female model that could project her enigmatic persona of beauty and sensuality in the half century since…

    Reply

    1. Thanks for stopping by, Sebastian! I could not have said it better, brother…

      Reply

  2. Well, I suppose I’m a wee bit older than the rest of you, but I must have discovered Bettie shortly after she became known. It would have to have been the early 1950’s. An amusement park in my hometown had a penny arcade that had vending machines that dispensed postcard sized pin-up photos. Bettie was one of the girls pictured on those cards. No telling how much of my allowance I spent on those Bettie cards.
    Then I started seeing her in the ‘mens’ magazines on the news stands. She showed up in a lot of them.
    Each summer we took the train to Harrisburg Pa to visit my Grandmother. Across the street from the station was a magazine store named ‘Penn News’ that also sold a number of Nudist Magazines and packets of nude girlie photos. Bettie was one of the girls featured in the photo packages. (Maybe 6 or 8 4×5 photos in each packet) Needless to say I bought as many of those packets as I could afford.
    So…I have been a loyal Bettie Fan for a lotta years!!!
    It’s wonderful for me to see that the younger generation sees the same qualities in Bettie that I appreciated so many years ago. She seems more popular today than ever.
    ps, Bettie showed up in a few ‘Nudist’ magazines back then too….
    pav

    Reply

  3. Wow, Paul, thanks for sharing that!

    You were right there.
    I can only imagine how much hard earned allowances were feed into that arcade machine!
    Bettie is a true classic, and I think she will get brighter every year as people try to keep those memories alive.

    I like to think she will still be around when we do finally start getting out into the galaxy.

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  4. A very rare beauty she was…..

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  5. All I can say is she helped keep our troops spirits up through the years. Thank you Betty!

    Reply

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