Born April 22, 1923 in Nashville, Tenn., Bettie Page's influence in fashion, films and magazines is undeniable. She emerged as an icon of the 1950s with her popularity approaching that of Marilyn Monroe.
After a brief respite from the public eye, the model known as “The Dark Angel†has enjoyed a resurgence in her popularity. Heck, even Bettie will tell you that she’s more popular now than she was 50 years ago.
Need proof?
We've seen the worldwide release of the Bettie Page biopic, "The Notorious Bettie Page;" and the announcement that there will be a new store in Las Vegas dedicated to selling strictly Bettie Page-related merchandise. Obviously, Bettiemania is going strong.
According to PLAYBOY magazine, Bettie Page is "the Queen of Pin-ups. the model of the century, yet she remains one of its best kept secrets."
The girl with the trademarked black bangs, fabulous killer curves, and sweet smile, grew up loving movies, and dreamed of a film career. She should have been the next Marilyn Monroe. But her story is an impossible incursion of near misses, bad luck and lost opportunities. Full of contradictions, some have called her "The Dark Angel," for good reason, and for more reasons than one. Sometimes Bettie Page's puzzling persona both attracts us and repels us at the same time.
Bettie Page never gave interviews, not even when her silent photos were ubiquitous. And then this pin-ultimate pin-up was gone -- vanished from view. Like Garbo, like James Dean, like Jean Harlow. It was a mystery. Had she died? Was she hiding? No one knew. Fantastic rumors abounded. Nearly four decades passed.
Years ago the truth was revealed. While battling some fierce inner demons, the legendary Bettie Page had quietly, secretly fled New York and given her life to Jesus Christ. And incredible as it may seem, as yet another riddle in her complicated life, all this time Bettie Page was completely oblivious of her own profound impact upon America's sexuality and pop culture, not to mention the thriving industry that had arisen around her celebrated image.
Through the years, to protect the privacy she craved, when people would recognize her and ask if she was Bettie Page, she'd answer, "Who's that?"Layout made by
