One of t he world’s most famous pin-up queens died earlier this month from a heart attack at the age of 85. If you were a male teenager living in the 1950’s, you were probably very intimate with Bettie Page. Her photographs helped to set the stage for the sexual revolution in the 1960’s, making men everywhere very happy.
Perhaps an unlikely centerfold, Page graduated from Vanderbilt University and worked as a teacher, secretary, and other odd jobs before being discovered by a photographer on the beaches of Coney Island, NY. Magazine photographs Page in bikinis and skimpy lingerie were tacked onto the walls in bedrooms, garages, and military barracks.
A centerfold in the January 1955 issue of Playboy magazine ushered Pager into fame, and with that notoriety came songs, biographies, websites, documentaries, and even comic books about her life. Though she is frequently hailed by feminists as one of the forerunners of women’s liberation, she was often denounced by moralists who disapproved of her nude pictures and sadomasochistic poses.
Hugh Hefner, founder of Playboy magazine, stated that “I think that she was…an iconic figure in pop culture who influenced sexuality, taste in fashion, someone who had a tremendous impact on our society”. Her signature dark bangs were revitalized by Uma Thurman in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction”, Demi Moore, and Madonna. However, later in life, Page refused to be photographed, stating that she wanted to remembered as she looked in her younger years.
So, the next time you see a racy picture, you can thank Bettie Page for making it all possible! Rest in peace.
