Ah yes, Bettie Page. I can remember reading articles when I was young (and no one saw me). I remember one photographer pointing at her and telling that she couldn't show THAT. Bettie said, "what?"

THAT he said again, and pointed to her vagina. She did it anyway and the rest is what Flopsy tells us about Capital Hill. (like they're any better). LOL

If you weren't a communist you were a pornographer.

Great job, Flopsy.

B

It is probably impossible to define and describe, but she had that something that shines through and never lets you forget that there is a human being behind the facade. A bit like Marilyn Monroe, I suppose, a touch of innocence and naivety — and pure fun.

Her photos seem fresh yet today, over fifty years later. Fresh and... alluring. And provocative. And sexy.

Great article, flopsy.

Betty was an exciting exotic model who took the world by storm. She found her niche and became the poster girl for all that is alluring and sexy. I can see how she paved the way for women like Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield and all the other bombshells of the 60s.
It seems we are suffering through another resurgence of ultra morality in the states with the Tea Party who wish to turn the country into a Theocracy that denies women the right to make their own choices, choose their own way.
I enjoyed your article, Flopsy, your are a superior researcher, and bring these glamorous, but turbulent times from so many years ago, alive.
Wonderful job!
IC

Very fine article. A case could be made that Bettie was the First Lady of spanking models, and paved the way for the rest.
Spanking or not,her photos are very erotic and sensual. And I love the vintage lingerie of that era.
My favorite Bettie episode is Bettie Paige Queen of the Nile where she ,after a catfight, gives her fallen foe who is supposed to be Queen Cleopatra, a spanking on her bare bottom. And it appears to be quite a painful one!

Bettie holds the title of being the most photographed person in the world. She often posed for private camera clubs as well as professional photographers and was photographed more than a half a million times.

It took a heck of a lot of courage to buck the morality of the fifties. It is easy to judge actions that now seem irrelevant falsely against our values, rather than truthfully against the values of the authoritarian world in which they were actually staged. It would have been a daily battle against petty moralisers.

She seems wonderfully irreverent and looks as if she had a good time in her youth. Pity the road she chose was so hard and she had the psychlogical problems later. I hope she found some peace at last. RIP, thanks for being a pioneer, Betty. We have all benefitted.

Thanks for the biography too, flopsy.

Good article and a nice tribute to queen of vintage lingerie and female-female spanking, bondage and kinky pictures.

A classic of her time, these picture will be come highly valuable if not already. I can see a London Sotherbys auction coming up one day.

Thanks for a fascinating article - I didn't know she'd had psychological problems later in life. A fitting tribute here.

I have always thought that Bettie Page is one of the loveliest women I have ever seen. She possessed what you might call a beautiful kind of prettiness. I think she was gorgeous.

Thank you Flopsy. I have heard about Bettie Page for years. I was told at one time that I had a "Bettie Page" haircut. She was a beautiful woman, ahead of her time, and it is a shame that she had so many problems in her life.

I remember buying record albums solely because she was posing on the cover. The famous jungle leopard look was a particular favorite. She was a timeless beauty.

Bettie was wonderful. It's a pity she had such a sad life, not only having psychological problems for many years after her heyday, but never really enjoying her life before and during her notorious prime years. She had a failed marriage and said in an interview that she never even liked sex, even though she participated in her share of relationships.

Her appeal, to me was of a "girl next-door type" (if the girl next-door was a fetish model) and she was really cute; friendly as well as beautiful and sexy as hell, athough she acted like she didn't know it). Her iconic hairstyle also gave her additional appeal, IMO, but really it was her seemingly down to earth looks combined with her raw sex appeal that made her one of a kind.

Thanks for the article.

It's amazing that what was once taboo has now achieved main stream success. Perhaps there's hope for the rest of us after all

My heart always would melt whenever I saw something with Betty in it she truly was most lovely and captivating. Thanks Flopsybunney

I've been a fan of Bettie for years and feel it's no small wonder that she set the tone for fetish models for decades. So often imitated but still at the head of the class.
Sad her career ended as it did and that she had problems later on.
-- Bettie, my hat is off to you. Rest in peace.