"If I am remembered today, it is because you, the reader, see something in me that I never saw in myself."
December 11, 2008 9:43 PM   Subscribe

Pinup icon Betty Page has died at age 85. A complex figure, Page is best remembered for the cheesecake photographs taken of her during the late 40s and 50s (NSFW).

Often credited as a harbinger to the summer of love, Page has remained a compelling underground icon, inspiring countless admirers and imitators. A recluse in later in life, she had a complicated love life, eventually finding God and even serving as a missionary. The Nineties brought about a Betty Revival, bringing with it a plethora of unofficial biographies. More recently, she was the subject of a feature film, which Page herself described as "unflattering".

An official memorial is here, but it is understandably clogged at the moment.
posted by Jilder (114 comments total) 16 users marked this as a favorite
 
Or rather, the memorial site is here
posted by Jilder at 9:45 PM on December 11, 2008


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posted by Joe Beese at 9:45 PM on December 11, 2008 [2 favorites]


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posted by Donnie VandenBos at 9:46 PM on December 11, 2008


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posted by oonh at 9:46 PM on December 11, 2008


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posted by krautland at 9:48 PM on December 11, 2008


Oh man, I heard on the radio that she was having health problems.

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posted by lekvar at 9:50 PM on December 11, 2008


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posted by CancerMan at 9:51 PM on December 11, 2008


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posted by booticon at 9:52 PM on December 11, 2008


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posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:57 PM on December 11, 2008


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posted by The Whelk at 9:58 PM on December 11, 2008 [1 favorite]


. I wonder how she would want to be remembered. Or mourned.
posted by Homeskillet Freshy Fresh at 10:02 PM on December 11, 2008


I was in a teenage rage for Betty Page. RIP.
posted by stinkycheese at 10:03 PM on December 11, 2008


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posted by vibrotronica at 10:04 PM on December 11, 2008


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posted by arto at 10:04 PM on December 11, 2008


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posted by gomichild at 10:06 PM on December 11, 2008


Awww, Betty. Thanks for bringing a lot of happiness into the world.
posted by serazin at 10:11 PM on December 11, 2008


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posted by jtron at 10:18 PM on December 11, 2008


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posted by gingerbeer at 10:18 PM on December 11, 2008


How have you managed to misspell her name?

Bye, bettie. I'll always remember your smile and the dimple in your left thigh. Thanks for bringing bangs back for my generation.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 10:19 PM on December 11, 2008 [3 favorites]


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I was glad to read that she finally started getting some money from the Bettie Page "revival" that went on in the 80s and 90s.
posted by mrbill at 10:23 PM on December 11, 2008


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posted by medeine at 10:27 PM on December 11, 2008


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posted by Iron Rat at 10:47 PM on December 11, 2008


inspiring countless admirers and imitators.

I never really thought of Dita as an imitator. Bernie comes closer in appearance to me.
posted by jfrancis at 11:10 PM on December 11, 2008


I would think the only appropriate mourning would be this:

(.)(.)
posted by tim_in_oz at 11:11 PM on December 11, 2008




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posted by ktrey at 11:20 PM on December 11, 2008


Yeah. Word came back that she had a heart attack and went into a coma a few days ago, so I was expecting this news sooner or later.

I used to buy The Bettie Pages back in the 80s, and I was fascinated with her in the same way that I was fascinated by E.C. Comics -- both were hounded by the Kefauver commission as somehow contributing to juvenile violence, and both represented a wild side to the 1950s that was generally left out of history books. In the real world, my nickname is Bunny, and I have always been pleased that I share it with Bunny Yeager, who is probably best remembered now for taking some of the iconic photos of Page. Strange point of reference, I suppose, but there you go.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:26 PM on December 11, 2008 [2 favorites]


Bettie (lovely, but not a graceful dancer.)

Bettie

Bettie


So strange that everyone knows her, remembers her, anddefines her for what was really such a short period of her life.

How odd it must have been to have images of her young self living this expanded alternate life while she went about the business of her own life, which was so different from the fantasy of the images.
posted by louche mustachio at 11:37 PM on December 11, 2008 [4 favorites]


RIP. Your hairstyle lives on.
posted by Artw at 11:49 PM on December 11, 2008


Most of Irving Klaw's negatives of the bondage and S&M (many of them of Bettie Page)
were destroyed by his own hand, after he was persecuted for creating and distributing
"obscene" material.
What a loss.
posted by the Real Dan at 11:50 PM on December 11, 2008


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posted by dragstroke at 12:08 AM on December 12, 2008


She helped clue me in that there were hidden worlds, subcultures, and people living lives that were not the norm, and that this was true, even in the 1950's, that there were these things that were not always apparant in the popular history.
posted by Snyder at 12:12 AM on December 12, 2008 [6 favorites]


One of the reason that her pictures seem different than many others is that she was in her mid 20's when she did most of her posing, and had the figure of a woman, not a girl.

But I think that the thing that was the most different, and the reason her pictures resonate, is that she seemed completely comfortable in front of the camera. She genuinely looked like she was having a good time doing whatever it was she was told to do. There wasn't any residual discomfort at all.

She did start getting money from the pictures in the 90's. One of her fans started giving her a cut of the royalties from the books he was selling. (Something like that.) I'll be damned if I can remember his name, though.

I'm glad they didn't publish any picture of her looking like an old woman. I want to remember her as the 24 year old of the posing sessions.
posted by Class Goat at 12:20 AM on December 12, 2008


I'm glad they didn't publish any picture of her looking like an old woman. I want to remember her as the 24 year old of the posing sessions.

Actually at 80 she was pretty cute :)
posted by jfrancis at 12:29 AM on December 12, 2008 [6 favorites]


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posted by [expletive deleted] at 12:29 AM on December 12, 2008


which Page herself described as "unflattering".

The article says, for the record, that she found the title unflattering. She does not give her opinion of the film in any other way.
posted by raysmj at 12:30 AM on December 12, 2008


The ever-so-delightfully naughty girl next door. I don't think I have ever seen anyone else that could so effortlessly combine an innocent glee with sheer carnal temptation.

Bye, Bettie.

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posted by Samizdata at 12:39 AM on December 12, 2008


(I hate my fingers.)
posted by Samizdata at 12:40 AM on December 12, 2008


Well, shit.

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posted by brundlefly at 12:50 AM on December 12, 2008


She had one of the greatest smiles I've ever seen on a person. I don't know how genuine it was but it draws my eye more than her gorgeous figure. Sex/Sexuality needs less pouting and more laughter.

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posted by slimepuppy at 1:26 AM on December 12, 2008 [10 favorites]


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posted by JHarris at 2:05 AM on December 12, 2008


As for many Bettie Page was a formative and formidable figure in my own adolescence and sexual awakening. She was the first hint that there was much more to sex than something people simply did to make more people, and that maybe girls weren't so scary and cooties might not be so... uhh...

GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY WHAT A CURIOUS NEW FEELING AND WOULD YOU LOOK AT THE SPARKY CURVES ON THAT DAME. Why, I think I could look at her for the rest of the week, at least. Don't let Harley Earl see her, he'll thrown in the towel after hanging himself with it. Better keep the Art Deco Stream-liners in the dark-park too, daddy-o, their fragile modern egos couldn't handle the competition. Humina homina hummus hoo boy howdy hootenanny, she's like... I don't know, cookies or cake for the eyes or something. Eye-candy, you say? Why, that's brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? Oh, right, I was playing Zork or Wumpus or something just a moment ago, huh? I'm suddenly not so interested in it for some reason. Can I go to the mall? I have a sudden urge to buy a bowling shirt or a skinny tie and lots of hair gel.

Thank you Ms. Page. By either intent or accident you brought a lot of joy in this world. I hope you enjoyed your life.



Found on Reddit - a brazillion Bettie Page pics: 1 2
posted by loquacious at 2:25 AM on December 12, 2008 [11 favorites]


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posted by chillmost at 2:25 AM on December 12, 2008


Erk - what a terrible misspell. She's been eulogised under both her given name (Betty Mae Page) and her performance name (Bettie Page), hence my use of her given name. Hell, you're supposed to make at least one mistake in your first FPP; at least mine was to use her given name.
posted by Jilder at 2:46 AM on December 12, 2008 [2 favorites]


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posted by kenchie at 3:02 AM on December 12, 2008


She added beauty to the world.

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posted by Faint of Butt at 3:16 AM on December 12, 2008


Rendering Bettie Page on Crescent board was a rite of passage for every serious airbrush artist. I don't know a single one who didn't have a couple in their portfolio. I feel like breaking out the ol' Iwata now.
posted by RavinDave at 3:28 AM on December 12, 2008


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posted by elfgirl at 3:51 AM on December 12, 2008


The reason myself, and a lot of other folks in the 1980's, discovered Bettie was because of artist Dave Stevens. He introduced a generation of comic book nerds to Bettie.

Here's a blog I stumbled on with a variety of pictures of Bettie.
posted by marxchivist at 4:00 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]


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posted by sandraregina at 4:15 AM on December 12, 2008


I'm pretty sure she inspired this doll too.
posted by mippy at 4:21 AM on December 12, 2008


I remember the LATimes piece linked by Ottereroticist above -- was it maybe part of an FPP here? It was the first time I'd seen her in a context other than the cheesecake photos.

Anyway, what I always found interesting about Bettie Page, as a teenager in the 1980s, was how intensely a lot of girls I knew felt a connection with her. I never knew any guys with a big Bettie Page fixation, but lots of young women I knew did.

My feeling, looking through about 40 pages of photos of her that were linked above, is that she stands out because she looks like she is having fun. She has this great smile, and it just lights her up. And because she's having fun, the inane costumes and the tacky props don't diminish her at all, but just emphasize how she is appealing and confident.
posted by Forktine at 4:30 AM on December 12, 2008 [2 favorites]


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posted by mikelieman at 4:36 AM on December 12, 2008


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(one-handed)
posted by davelog at 4:39 AM on December 12, 2008


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xmas will never be the same again. (nswf 1955 playboy)
posted by dabitch at 4:51 AM on December 12, 2008


Aww damn, what a gorgeous, smiley, deliciously curvy woman she was. From cheesecake to woman-in-bondage shots, she was just so photogenic.

I hadn't even heard she was so recently unwell.

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posted by bouncebounce at 5:06 AM on December 12, 2008


Knowing how RavinDave feels, Loquacious' link is fantastically classy ammo for the lifedrawer in anyone.
posted by 6am at 5:13 AM on December 12, 2008


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posted by localroger at 5:37 AM on December 12, 2008


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2008 has been killing our icons like a mu'fucka.
posted by grubi at 6:04 AM on December 12, 2008


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posted by Monk at 6:16 AM on December 12, 2008


"There are certain women, even certain men, in whose look there is a certain aesthetic that hits a golden mean. Bettie is that. Marilyn is that."

- Harlan Ellison
posted by grabbingsand at 6:28 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]


Is it wrong to have noticed the serendipitous placement of this headline:

"Golden Globe Noms"

...at the bottom of the article?
posted by jquinby at 6:31 AM on December 12, 2008


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posted by tommasz at 6:50 AM on December 12, 2008


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posted by pointystick at 6:54 AM on December 12, 2008


Aw man. I'm gonna dig out my 3d comics of Bettie Page. R.I.P.

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posted by Sailormom at 7:03 AM on December 12, 2008


Like many, for me Bettie was not only an icon, but also an entry way into the far more interesting world of culture below the mainstream surface. I remember in the early 80's picking up a book on pop culture that had 3 Irving Klaw photos of Bettie that absolutely captivated me in how incredibly cool they looked. Obviously the playful bondage was a shocking image for a high school kid that didn't even know that world existed, but Bettie's haircut and apparent confidence stood out, and that smile hooked me. When I think of Bettie, she'll always be in black and white.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 7:04 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]


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posted by -t at 7:17 AM on December 12, 2008


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posted by The Great Big Mulp at 7:20 AM on December 12, 2008


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My dad's an artist, he did a lot of figure drawing and kept an inordinate amount of "research" material. Some of that was a trove of Bettie Page material which I'm sure would be worth a fortune today. I think my mom got rid of a lot of it at one point and sadly the Bettie Page collection was part of it.

I remember being in grade school when my dad was in the basement with my uncle. He was kind of showing off to my uncle and grabbed some pastels from his never ending supply of art materials and drew her on the sliding doors in just a handful of strokes.
posted by substrate at 7:33 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]


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posted by brujita at 7:39 AM on December 12, 2008


Lavay Smith has kind of a Bettie Page thing (especially this photo).
posted by kirkaracha at 7:48 AM on December 12, 2008


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posted by Smart Dalek at 7:48 AM on December 12, 2008


(nswf 1955 playboy)

But imagine how much more thrillingly, sweatily arousing that photo would be if she wasn't sucking her stomach in as if she was wearing an invisible 3" corset. Relax, Bettie! Unclench! We can't have a happy Christmas if you're pretending.
posted by Beautiful Screaming Lady at 7:59 AM on December 12, 2008


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posted by Capt Jingo at 8:13 AM on December 12, 2008


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posted by ahimsakid at 8:14 AM on December 12, 2008


She taught me to be in touch with myself.
posted by Postroad at 8:22 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]


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posted by cerebus19 at 8:23 AM on December 12, 2008


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A southern girl made good, in the face of all america had to throw at her.
posted by eustatic at 8:34 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]


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posted by waxboy at 8:35 AM on December 12, 2008


In the same year, we've lost both Bettie Page and one of her biggest, best fans, Dave Stevens. I can't help but think of her as a full-fledged collaborator on his great retro comic The Rocketeer.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:35 AM on December 12, 2008


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posted by Hands of Manos at 8:39 AM on December 12, 2008


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posted by shmegegge at 8:39 AM on December 12, 2008


she stands out because she looks like she is having fun. She has this great smile, and it just lights her up. And because she's having fun, the inane costumes and the tacky props don't diminish her at all, but just emphasize how she is appealing and confident.

This summarizes why, of the many celebrity Playboy pictorials I've seen - even those by prominent fashion photographers - Drew Barrymore's is the only one that artistically transcends its mercenary context. You can tell from her smile that the wild child is at play.
posted by Joe Beese at 8:46 AM on December 12, 2008


Wow, she's awesome! In her 20s and at 80. It's so happy to see a woman looking pleased at having fun and being beautiful in her body.
posted by Salamandrous at 8:50 AM on December 12, 2008


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posted by ilovemytoaster at 8:54 AM on December 12, 2008


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And ditto y'all.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:16 AM on December 12, 2008


Is it only the bangs that remind me of Dr. Spock, or is something else going on there?
posted by jamjam at 9:23 AM on December 12, 2008


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posted by Man with Lantern at 9:25 AM on December 12, 2008


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I loved her dark hair and her amazing smile.
posted by mogget at 9:34 AM on December 12, 2008


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posted by Crabby Appleton at 9:35 AM on December 12, 2008


A former girlfriend of mine made a documentary about Betty [sic], back when she was still "The Missing Pin-up Queen". She fell in love with her after I bought my first issue of The Betty Pages. One of the most salient point of all the photos was that they were an invitation to joy. Bettie was never less than radiantly wholesome in whatever getup she was wearing (or not wearing). She was pure sex and never scary. That was her secret, absolute sensuality with no trace of shame.

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posted by Listener_T at 9:42 AM on December 12, 2008


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posted by Tesseractive at 10:38 AM on December 12, 2008


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posted by Kinbote at 10:40 AM on December 12, 2008


The Page has turned. Goodnight love. I hope to meet you on the other side.
posted by doctorschlock at 11:16 AM on December 12, 2008


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posted by SPrintF at 12:22 PM on December 12, 2008


Wow, lots of icons going away this year.

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posted by paisley henosis at 12:39 PM on December 12, 2008


The thing I found most interesting was that she worked full-time for Billy Graham starting in the 60s. Didn't know that before.

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posted by aliceinreality at 1:53 PM on December 12, 2008


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posted by graventy at 2:31 PM on December 12, 2008


The thing I found most interesting was that she worked full-time for Billy Graham starting in the 60s.

Yeah, she lived a life of contradictions. She spent a long time contributing to the moral degeneracy of American culture. And before that she was a pinup/fetish/nude model.
posted by Justinian at 3:50 PM on December 12, 2008 [6 favorites]


my husband: awww, bless her, she shared... and not a lot of girls shared back then.

:) her voluptuous rump is why a lot of us hourglass girls have happy husbands. thanks betty!
posted by eatdonuts at 4:09 PM on December 12, 2008 [2 favorites]


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posted by lapolla at 5:04 PM on December 12, 2008


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posted by SuzySmith at 5:13 PM on December 12, 2008


very sad news. props all the way around for a classy legacy. rest in peace, betty/ie.
posted by msconduct at 6:06 PM on December 12, 2008


Truly one of a kind.

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posted by longsleeves at 7:37 PM on December 12, 2008


It feels just like that Who song, Pictures of Lily, where Dad gives son some nudie pictures. The son is soon smitten with the woman in picture, until Dad informs son that the lady died years ago.

"Pictures of Bettie...
Help me sleep at night."

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posted by jonp72 at 8:28 PM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]


.bummer
posted by bjgeiger at 9:52 AM on December 13, 2008


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