Born Betty Mae Page on the 22nd of April 1923, in Nashville, Tennessee, Bettie Page was an American model who became an underground icon in the 1950s. She was often referred to as the “Queen of Pinups” due to her significant influence on fashion and pop culture.
Early life
The second of six children to Walter Roy Page and Edna Mae Pirtle, Bettie’s early years were challenging. Her parents divorced when she was young, leading to a period where she and her siblings lived in an orphanage. Despite these hardships, Bettie excelled academically, graduating as salutatorian from Hume-Fogg High School in 1940. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from George Peabody College in 1944, initially intending to become a teacher.
I never kept up with the fashions. I believed in wearing what I thought looked good on me.
Bettie Page
As a teenager, Bettie Page and her sisters experimented with hairstyles and make up to get the latest styles and fashions in their own home. It was also at this point that Bettie learned to sew. These skills were useful in her later life too, even at the height of her fame she still sewed her own outfits and did her own stylings for the majority of her shoots.
After leaving high school and being voted “most likely to succeed” by her classmates; she married high school sweetheart Billy Neal in 1943. It was a simple courthouse ceremony before he was drafted into the army for World War Two. For the next few years she moved around, from San Francisco to Nashville, and to Miami and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. And in 1947, back in the USA she filed for divorce.
Modelling Career
For years I had my hair parted down the middle in a ponytail, tucked down around the sides Well, I went and cut the bangs, and I’ve been wearing them ever since. They say it’s my trademark.
Bettie Page
In 1950, while walking along Coney Island, Bette was approached by amateur photographer Jerry Tibbs , who suggested she consider modelling. This encounter led to her involvement with camera clubs, where she posed for various photographers, quickly gaining popularity for her pinup and fetish photos.
In the late 40s, camera clubs were set up to circumnavigate anti nudity laws in the USA. These clubs existed to promote artistic nudes, but in reality many of these were fronts and a means to produce pornography. Bettie was a popular camera club model, and worked with Cass Carr to start. Her lack of inhibition soon made her a hit with her name and image becoming well-known within the erotic photography industry. In 1951, she had appeared in many men’s magazines including Wink, Titter, Eyeful and Beauty Parade.
Between 1952-1957, Bettie worked with Irving Klaw and his sister Paula. Posing for mail-order photographs they had a pin-up and bondage theme which resonates heavily even today. Bettie became the first famous bondage model with this work and was also used in dozens of black and white ‘speciality’ showreels which catered to specific requests. These silent speciality showreels showed women in lingerie and high heels acting out abduction, domination, spanking and bondage with Bettie alternating between being the stern domme and the helpless sub often being bound hand and foot. Klaw also took still photos during this time. His highest selling photo, featuring Bettie shown gagged and bound in a spider’s web of rope still had the crude look like the “stag” films at the time, never featured any nudity or explicit sexual content and had an all female cast.
Of these images, Bettie later said.
“They keep referring to me in the magazines and newspapers and everywhere else as the “Queen of Bondage.” The only bondage posing I ever did was for Irving Klaw and his sister Paula. Usually every other Saturday he had a session for four or five hours with four or five models and a couple of extra photographers, and to get paid you had to do an hour of bondage. And that was the only reason I did it. I never had any inkling along that line. I don’t really disapprove of it; I think you can do your own thing as long as you’re not hurting anybody else — that’s been my philosophy ever since I was a little girl. I never looked down my nose at it. In fact, we used to laugh at some of the requests that came through the mail, even from judges and lawyers and doctors and people in high positions. Even back in the ’50s they went in for the whips and the ties and everything else”
I wasn’t trying to be shocking or sensational. I just wanted to be myself.
Bettie Page
In 1953, Bettie began to take acting lessons at the Herbert Berghorf Studio, leading to several roles on stage and television. Appearing on a broad spectrum of pieces such as The United States Steel Hour, Sunday Costs Five Pesos, and acting and dancing in a feature-length burlesque film Striporama in which she was given a brief speaking role. These featured exotic dance routines featuring Bettie, Lili St. Cyr and Tempest Storm. All were risqué, but again none showed explicit content or nudity.
I never wanted to live a small, ordinary life. I wanted to be bold and daring.
Bettie Page
In 1954, during one of her annual holidays to Florida, Bettie met photographers Jan Caldwell, H.W Hannau and Bunny Yeagar. At this time, she was the top pin-up model in New York. Yeagar, who was a former model and now aspiring photographer, signed Bettie for a photo session at the now-closed wildlife park Africa USA in Boca Raton.
The Jungle Bettie shots from this shoot are easily her most celebrated. The leopard print Jungle Girl outfit, along with most of her lingerie by Bettie herself, and the shots include nudes with a pari of cheetahs.
After Yeagar sent shots of Bettie to Hugh Hefner, he selected one to use as Playmate of the Centerfold in January 1955. This famous shot shows Bettie wearing only a santa hat and playfully winking at the camera whilst holding an ornament. From this she became known as the “Queen of Curves” and “The Dark Angel” Outlasting many pin-up and glamour models, whose careers would usually span months, Bettie remained in demand for years continuing to model until 1957.
Scandals and Legal Trouble
I never really considered myself a sex symbol, just a woman doing her job.
Bettie Page
Bettie’s work, especially her fetish-themed photographs, attracted controversy during the conservative 1950s. In 1955, a Senate investigation into pornography scrutinised her work, leading to increased public attention and debate over obscenity laws. Despite the legal pressures, Bettie was not charged with any crimes, but the scandal contributed to her decision to retire from modelling in 1957.
Later Life
After leaving modelling, Bettie experienced significant personal challenges. She converted to evangelical Christianity in 1959 and briefly worked with Billy Graham’s ministry. Later, she faced mental health issues, including a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, which led to her spending time in a state psychiatric hospital. Despite these struggles, Bettie’s legacy endured, and she experienced a resurgence of popularity in the 1980s. She passed away on the 11th of December 2008, at the age of 85.
It makes me feel wonderful that people still care for me . . . that I have so many fans among young people, who write to me and tell me I have been an inspiration.
Bettie Page
Bettie Page’s life was a blend of glamour and hardship, leaving an indelible mark on American culture. Her influence can still be seen in fashion, art, music, and popular culture.