I discovered 50's pin-up queen Bettie Page through the pages of the late Dave Stevens' Rocketeer comics, and Greg Theakston's marvelous fanzine, The Betty Pages. Like virtually every red-blooded man (and many women) who laid eyes upon her sublime beauty – a tantalizing blend of sultry sensuality, good-natured naughtiness and playful innocence – I became fascinated by her.That was the mid-Eighties, and back then, nobody knew what had become of the sleek, raven-haired model. Many believed that she had already passed away, never knowing that she had achieved a new fame and rabid fan following, comprised, in large part, of young men who hadn't even been born when she had last posed for a professional photographer.
Eventually, though, she was "found," and thanks mostly to Stevens, was able to financially benefit somewhat from her renewed popularity. She was made aware of the incomparable impact that her unique image had made on several generations of artists, musicians, filmmakers and admirers of female pulchritude.... and discovered, I hope, that she was greatly loved.
Bettie Page has passed away at age 85.
That's a very nice picture. I have to admit, though, that unlike most "red-blooded" American males, I never was particularly enamored of Bettie Page. I'm sorry she has passed of course, and I do hope she realized how much she was loved.
ReplyDeletePage starred in a few mainstream movies too, didn't she?
ReplyDeleteA lovely unforgettable woman. She has more personality in one photo than to be found in nearly all our current culture combined. I truly hope she's frollicking in the surf of some tropical island, youthful once again, naked and flanked by spotted leopards--a place where neither the sun nor her smile will ever fade. RIP, beautiful.
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