With her jet black hair and red-lipped smile, Bettie Page was the iconic image of ‘50s pin-up girl style. Leopard print bikinis (and sometimes considerably kinkier costumes) became her signature style, but nothing was as instantly recognizable as her blunt cut bangs.
Page’s hairstyle and sassy sensibility have become iconic well-beyond the ‘50s, with music fans—particularly those in the punk-rock, goth and rockabilly circles—embracing her image by replicating her style or commemorating her in tattoos and songs.
Page’s days as a naughty poster girl and sometimes film star were followed by a surprising lifestyle shift that found the star limping off into obscurity to pursue a quiet life as a born-again Christian. Although she claimed that she wasn’t embarrassed by the photos taken of her in her youth, she refused to have her photo taken in her later years.
In recent years, the rediscovered star has been the subject of countless books, movies (including 2005’s well-received Notorious Bettie Page) and an authorized documentary set to be released in 2009 titled Bettie Page Bares All.
Although she wasn’t a musician, Page was a music icon in her own special way, and that’s why we’re bidding here farewell on this page. The 85-year-old icon passed away Thursday in Los Angeles.
Do you like Bettie’s style? Do you have Bettie bangs or a Bettie Tattoo?
Leave a comment and tell us what you thought of Bettie Page.
jessica says...
12.18.08 3:11 am
farewell bettie page… you will be missed. when i was just a young girl i remember sneaking into my parents bedroom when i got home from school, before they got home from work, just so i could look at their collection of porn magazines. thats when i remember seeing photos of bettie page for the first time, i was awe-struck, S & M, bad-ass! She’s a real porn icon, i loved her “bad girl” image, it was naughty, captivating, temptingly seductive. just one of the various role models in my life. thanks for letting your hair down, “bangs too.”