Bettie Page: Who's That?

From The Hunter Envoy

While the bondage photos were highly taboo for their time, involving Page in Estevez Kefauver's Senate driven smut hunt into "the dangers of pornography," there was something intriguing about her that kept the prints from seeming vulgar. Even when she was tied up, Page seemed like she was having a great time. Her head was tilted back in dramatic euphoria. Beneath the blindfold, you could imagine the sparkle in her eyes.

Bettie's big break came in January 1955, when she appeared as a Playboy centerfold, wearing only a Santa hat. Hugh Hefner says Bettie's appearance in Playboy was a milestone, and that "she became, in time, an American icon, her winning smile and effervescent personality apparent in every pose."

It seemed that Page was destined to become the next Marilyn Monroe. But in 1957, at the height of her fame, she vanished completely from the spotlight, her whereabouts a mystery for three decades.

According to Roeslar, Page tried to defend the privacy she craved. When people recognized her on the street and would ask her if she was Bettie Page, she would simply respond "Who's that?"

In recent years, the truth of her disappearance was revealed. After two unsuccessful marriages in Florida and a stay at a mental institution in California, the legendary Bettie Page decided to give her life to Jesus Christ. While Page was absorbed in the Church, she was completely oblivious to her profound impact upon America's sexuality and pop culture, not to mention the thriving industry that had arisen around her celebrated image.

Indeed, in the late 80s and 90s, America experienced a Bettie renaissance. The media launched a country wide search for her. Madonna entered her dominatrix phase, largely inspired by Irving's immortal photos (and she even had the quintessential red lips). There were Bettie Page action figures, fan clubs and look alike contests. Dave Stevens created a comic book hero called "The Rocketeer," with a love interest clearly inspired by Page; Disney made a movie version starring Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Connelly. Uma Thurman rocked the Bettie bangs in Quentin Terrentino's Pulp Fiction. From designers like Vivienne Westwood to Fiorucci Jeans, the fashion world treated Bettie as its muse.

According to CMG Worldwide, the company that markets her images, Bettiepage.com received more hits in recent years than the websites of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. The normally interview-shy cult legend admitted to being astonished by this resurgence. In a 2006 interview with the LA times, she proclaimed, "I'm more popular now than I was in the 1950's!"

Bettie Page will always be remembered for her exotic beauty, intelligence and the force of her dominant presence. The pinup that no one can pin down, Page's legacy will continue to inspire and intrigue the world for generations to come.

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