12.12.2008

BETTIE PAGE 1923-2008

Bettie Page, possibly America's most famous pin-up model, passed away this week.

Page began posing for photos in the 1940s, and by the 1950s her image was omnipresent. She posed in swimsuits, did fashion photography, became infamous for her bondage and s&m photos, and appeared in the then-young magazine Playboy.

Page retired from modeling in the 1950s, but she enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in the 1980s. She was often painted by brillinant cheesecake artist Olivia De Berardinis, and there was a movie made about her life: The Notorious Bettie Page, with Gretchen Mol portraying the famous model.

Bettie Page was as famous as Marilyn Monroe, and it's been suggested that Page helped usher in the sexual revolution of the 1960s. She will be missed.
James Lynch

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