Saying goodbye to the late, great Bettie Page

Legendary 1950s pin-up queen Bettie Page has passed away. She died in a Los Angeles hospital from pneumonia last week at the age of 85.

I cannot tell you how many of my gay male friends wanted to be her, and how many of my lesbian friends wanted to sleep with her.

A one of a kind brunette beauty and one of America's first sex icons, Bettie was part girl-next store, part bondage babe, combining the two to portray the wholesomeness of the 1950s and with a sexuality that wasn't generally on public display in those days.

Bettie's work ultimately played a role in ushering in the sexual revolution of the 1960s, and these days her image is still seen on everything from lighters to shot glasses.

Just two years ago, The Notorious Bettie Page was released. The feature film cast Gretchen Mol as Bettie and was directed by Mary Harron, who wrote it with lesbian actress/writer Guinevere Turner.

Sadly, Bettie had a turbulent life. Born in 1923 in Nashville, Tennessee, she was the victim of molestation at the hands of her father, and she spent time living in an orphanage. She eventually went to study drama in New York and was working as a secretary when she was discovered by a photographer and started her career as a model. She quit modeling in her mid-30s, had three marriages that ended in divorce and suffered through depression and violent mood swings that ultimately led her to spend years in a California mental institution.

By the time she got out in the early 1990s, she witnessed a Bettie Page revival and gained a new generation of fans.

Were you one of Bettie's legions of fans? If so, why did you love her? If you'd like to express your condolences, we'll be sure to pass them on to her estate.

Here are a few clips of Bettie:

(Image courtesy of Amazon)

Comments

[P Roberts]

Page starred in a few mainstream movies too, didn't she?

[Wyatt1969again]

When I was 21 I got my first Betty Paige Card. Then I found these killer magnets with pictures of her – then tee shits and finally...

My Betty Paige tee shirts had special powers when I lived in Seattle in my 20’s. They had the ability to make hot – nasty – straight guys – from the Ballard Fire House – Date ME!

I owe the motivation to purchase my first pair of leather chaps to Betty Paige.

Betty knew baby – Betty fucking knew.

God bless you Betty.

[SandlapperNGa]

An enigma till the end--a testament to her class, which in itself is a bittersweet irony. No one since will ever come close to approaching her in stature, her stunning and delicious beauty, or joi de vivre! What would the world be without Bettie Page? . . much less interesting. But at least we have her on celluloid forever--smoking hot!