RIP Bettie Page

Bettie Page, the famous pin-up model, passed away at age 85. For good or ill, this most popular of post WWII models had an enormous impact on fashion, the sexual revolution, and how women are perceived in society.

Part of what makes Bettie's story so interesting is that near the height of her fame, in 1957, she disappeared from public and spent the next three decades living a relatively normal life with its ups and downs including a few failed marriages and a struggle with depression. She only reemerged as a pop icon in the 1980's and 90's, but was extremely reluctant to appear in public.

In fact, for most of those post-modeling years Bettie lived in poverty. The odd pair that rescued her were Hugh Hefner (of Playboy fame) and Billy Graham. Heffner gave her money and, I'm guessing, Hollywood connections to finally make money on her royalties. The Billy Graham crusade gave her a purpose, redemption, and even a job (she apparently worked as one of Billy Graham's advisers).

Despite being born-again Christian, Bettie never denounced her past or said that she regretted it. In fact, she said in interviews that she was proud of her role in shifting the lines of decency in American culture.

Photos of Bettie post-modeling career are extremely rare. The only one I know of was taken with her friend, Hugh Hefner, at the 50-Anniversary Party of Playboy. When asked about her reluctance to be photographed, she said, "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."

-t