Bettie Page - The Queen of Nylons, Garter Belts and Spike Heels
By Hannah Schmidt-Rees
Also known as the ‘Queen of Pinups’, Bettie Page became one of the most well-known American models in the 1950s. Known for her shoulder-length black hair, blue eyes and trademark blunt bangs, Page has become a muse for many artists and timeless figure of the pinup industry.
Born in Nashville in 1923, Page moved to Hollywood in 1941 to pursue a career as an actress. After trying her luck, she was rejected reportedly due to her Tennessee accent and the fact that she refused to ‘entertain’ the producers after her auditions. During her childhood, Page learned how to create makeup looks at hairstyles inspired by her favourite movie stars. She also learned how to sew, which became an important part for her pin-up career later on, as Page created her own bikinis, costumes and also did her own hair and makeup.
Page then moved to New York City in 1947 to pursue a successful career. In 1950, Page met NYPD Officer Jerry Tibbs, who has a budding photographer. In exchange for Tibbs photographing Page, Tibbs would assist Page to create her first pinup portfolio. During their photoshoots, Tibbs suggested that Page style her hair with bangs, to stop the light from reflecting off her forehead, and thus the iconic Bettie Page look was born. Her athletic yet curvy figure was seen as alluring, her charismatic personality shone through her blue eyes and bright smile, capturing the attention of photographers and men across the country. Many photographers described Page as hard working, often typing for secretarial jobs in breaks between posing. Cass Carr recalls, “She was a brilliant typist, and sometimes she would bring in work to do on my typewriter in between posing sessions. I would call her a most controlled young woman, quiet and composed. She didn’t smoke or drink and didn’t much care for those who did.”
Before she knew it, Page found stardom. Appearing in magazines like; Wink, Eyeful and Flirt, Page even appeared in the centrefold of the Christmas edition of Playboy in 1955. Named ‘Miss Pinup Girl of the World’ and the ‘Girl with the Perfect Figure’, Page appeared in everything from playing cards to record albums.
From 1951 to 1957, Page posed for photographer Irving Klaw (also known the Pinup King), creating pinup and underground BDSM inspired images and making Page the first famous bondage model. Producing lines of still photos and silent specialty films for clients, Page’s feature in these underground images has become some of Page’s most iconic work. In addition to this underground work, Page also appeared on magazine cover after magazine cover, reportedly appearing in more magazines than Marilyn Monroe and Cindy Crawford combined. However, Page’s underground work for Klaw became the centre of an investigation of crime syndicate in 1955, due to a ‘possible connection between the porn industry and organised crime’. Even though Page faced no judicial charges, she felt ostracised and condemned and began to fade from society, adding to her exit from the public eye at the height of her fame in 1957.
The rest of Page’s life however, was a little different to her seven years of fame. In 1959, she converted to Chrisitianity and attended Bible Colleges in Los Angeles and Portland, with the goal of becoming a missionary. She was then plagued by depression, violent mood swings and paranoid schizophrenia until her death in 2008 at age 85.
The Bettie Page phenomenon grew from the moment she started to appear in magazines, with her sudden exit from the public eye adding to her legacy. Over the past 20 years, Page has gained a cult-like revival and following, as some of the work with Irving Klaw wasn’t rediscovered until the 1990s, with many photographs being destroyed during the congressional hearings in 1955. Inspiring comic book characters, action figures, drag queens, films (such as Pulp Fiction), musicians, burlesque performers and artists, Page’s legacy will forever influence society, regardless of her short professional career. Transcendent through time, femininity and beauty, she’s the pinup you can’t pin down, the alluring figure living through photographs and surrounded by success and mystery.
“I want to be remembered as I was when I was young and in my golden times. I want to be remembered as a woman who changed people’s perspectives concerning nudity in its natural form.”
