100 Most Influential People in Fashion

Fashion Influential #60: Bettie Page

Photos of Bettie Page from the 1950s. Images via Style.com.

BETTIE PAGE
Born:
April 22, 1923 in Nashville, TN
Died:
December 11, 2008 in Los Angeles, CA
Posed for:
Playboy, Slick, Sunbathing, Sir!, Bold, Black Nylons
Fans:
Dita Von Teese, Rachel Evan Wood, Dolce and Gabbana, Christina Aguilera
Fan of:
Bette Davis

Beginnings.
Bettie Page (born Betty Mae Page) was voted "Most Likely To Succeed" in high school, but chances are her classmates didn't know what kind of career was to come. She studied acting in college and had a short-lived marriage to her high school sweetheart, Billy Neal. Soon after the divorce, she met Jerry Tibbs, a police officer with a penchant for photography. He began taking pictures of Bettie, and the two compiled her first pinup portfolio.

Career Highs.
In a matter of months, Page was posing for everyone (often nude), including men's magazines like Wink, Eyeful, Titter, and Beauty Parade. In 1955, she was awarded the title "Miss Pinup Girl of the World" and posed for Playboy's January centerfold. She was even called the "Girl with the Perfect Figure."

"I never kept up with the fashions. I believed in wearing what I thought looked good on me."
- Bettie Page

Bettie Page in a daring bikini.
Career Lows.
In 1950, Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver launched a war on juvenile delinquency. A young man allegedly died during a bondage session that was said to be inspired by bondage photos of Page. Many of the photos were destroyed, and the ones that survived were illegal to print. Irving Klaw's business, which provided mail-order photos with bondage and S&M themes (often featuring Page), was shut down.

Legacy.
Bettie Page is the original burlesque pinup girl who made the world safe for bondage. Her dark hair, curvy figure and lack of inhibitions made her a natural for stars like Dita Von Teese to imitate years later. High fashion houses like Dolce and Gabbana have appropriated the look as well, with fishnet stockings, corsets and lingerie-inspired collections.

Burlesque star Dita Von Teese.

Get the Look.
As Page mentions in the quote above, the greatest of her achievements is possibly her ability to dress her own body. Pay attention to your shape, and don't be afraid to try something body-hugging and daring. In this case, dominance is (clearly) sexy.

- Olivia