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Comix reviewed at Hollywood Jesus with visuals and insights.
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BETTIE PAGE
Page had spent years posing for cheesecake photos and acting in cult films when she abruptly disappeared. Today her image is a pop culture phenomena. Few people know of her conversion to Jesus Christ and her work for Evangelist Billy Graham. |
This page was created on June 7, 2001
This page was last updated on
June 15, 2005
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Biography
"She was the Michael Jordan of modeling. The best that there ever was the best there’ll ever be." - Art Amsie, Photographer |
 Birth Name: Bettie Mae Page
Birthdate: April 22, 1923
Birthplace: Nashville, TN
Occupation: Model
Claim to Fame: Fetish pinup star of the 1950s; often pictured in black leather, fishnet hose and animal skins
Marriages: Married Billy Neal, February 15, 1943 and divorced November 1947. Married Armond Walterson on November 26, 1958 and divorced 1963. Married Harry Lear on February 14, 1967 and divorced January 1972
Factoids: She disappeared from the public eye in 1957 after becoming a born again Christian. Her image became a pop cult icon and she never knew it. She is still alive and living in an old Victorian home somewhere in Southern California. She doesn't like being old and has arthritis.
BETTIE SPEAKS: " I was not trying to be shocking, or to be a pioneer. I wasn’t trying to change society, or to be ahead of my time. I didn’t think of myself as liberated, and I don’t believe that I did anything important. I was just myself. I didn’t know any other way to be, or any other way to live." |
The E! Network BETTIE PAGE
True Hollywood Story |
 From Pinup to Sex Queen:
Bettie Page
The Hollywood True Story
E! Network
Premiere: October 11, 1998
Rebroadcast: June 5, 9, 2001 and more.
Network Synopsis: She was the most successful pinup of her time, shocking society with her erotic attitude. She was also the subject of a government investigation. And at the height of her fame, Bettie Page vanished. Interviews with celebrity fans Hugh Hefner, Todd Oldham and Debi Mazar and clips of her famous burlesque films illustrate the controversy around Page and why she left the limelight. What's more, Page herself speaks, in her first onscreen interview in decades: "It just surprises me...They keep saying I'm some kind of icon and that I started the new generation's sex movement. All I did was pose in the nude." An inside look at the life of an American orginal.
--(c) E! |
How Bettie Page became
a follower of Jesus Christ |
 RealVideo Clip
Bettie's conversion to Jesus Christ
Video clip is
(c) E! Network. All Rights Reserved
Bettie's desire to dance led her to a Baptist church where she gave her heart to the Lord.
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The E! Internet Video Clip leaves out
Bettie's Reference to God |
 The E! Network Clip: "Despite dropping from the public eye, Page claims to have no regrets about her days as a sexy model" boasts E!. This Internet clip, however, was edited by the E! network, and leaves out the fact that she regrets the nude modeling and how she asked God to forgive her. In the clip you will hear her as she sounds today.
No regrets (E! clip)
RealPlayer
Windows Media
Video clips are
(c) E! Network. All Rights Reserved |
The Full Unedited Clip of
Bettie's Act of Confession to God |
RealVideo Clip
Full Version
The Backstory: America's sexiest pinup queen made for one of True Hollywood Story's strangest interviews, asking to be filmed entirely in silhouette. Page had spent years posing for cheesecake photos and acting in cult films when she abruptly disappeared. Since then, her photos and films have attracted collectors and spawned a cottage industry that continues to thrive today. --(c) E!
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THE MEANING OF
BETTIE PAGE
Visual Commentary By David Bruce |
This is an amazing and bizarre story. If it were not true it would be totally unbelievable. This is the story of a woman who has been serving the Lord since 1957. That's over 5 decades of dedication, telling others about Jesus Christ. Suddenly one day she discovers that she has impacted the world in a phenomenal way, but not as she thought she would have as a Christian -rather in a very different way. You see, prior to becoming a Christian in 1957 she had been a model for a mere seven years. Her work from those years has made her the number one model of all time. Her image now dominates the pop culture world and has changed it forever.
 This 1949 photo of Bettie Page was taken in New York before her modeling career began. Little did she know then how she would impact the world.
In the 50s she entered the world of modeling. Her specialty was risqué pinup that was very cutting edge. God had gifted her with blemish-free skin, perfect facial features and a perfect 10 body. Her particular and unique style, jet-black hair and bangs became her unmistakable trademark.
A fellow student at her acting school, Anomie Aryl, states, "Bettie was a classy woman. She brought a wholesomeness to her work. That’s probably what made her the icon she is." |
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 Noted glamor photographer Bunny Eager remarked that "Bettie Page was number one. I have never known another model who had better knowledge of her body or how to work with it to make it look so good. Her skin was perfect, no blemishes. Perfect nose, beautiful straight teeth, and gleaming, shiny black hair that was always in place, always." |
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| Bettie grew in popularity. She specialized in lingerie, pinup, and bondage photos that became favorites in men's magazines. |
God, however, had other plans for Bettie. In 1957, wanting to go dancing, she passed by a Baptist church. She went in. And before she left she had become a born again Christian. (RealVideo Clip:Bettie's conversion). So profound and life changing was her conversion that she totally left modeling and dropped completely out of the public eye.
Accordingly, she enrolled in a Los Angeles Bible College, Biola, and begin helping various Christian causes. She was a volunteer worker for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. She passed out Gospel literature in airports. She was totally involved in the life of the church.
She had completely dropped out of Pop Culture secular world and had fully entered the Christian Evangelical world. No one ever spoke to her about her former modeling career because no one in her new spiritual world knew anything about the former world of Bettie Page. Those were two very separate worlds. No connection whatever.
Little did Bettie know, but she was achieving legendary status in the secular world she had left. Rumors abounded about her disappearance. Some reports said she had died. Such rumors only enhanced her in the popular imagination. Her image has become an icon and guiding light for current generations. There are so many examples of how she as impacted pop culture. |
 For example, clothing with animal prints, that are so popular now, she pioneered, as a model, 40 years ago. The popularity of black leather, black underwear, kinky S&M, fetish, macro bikinis, the list goes on and on, are all due in part to her legacy. She was so far ahead of her time, that it boggles the imagination The fact that she is so widely imitated today gives testimony to that fact.
Her unmistakable image has become a standard in comic book art. Comic book conventions worldwide feature numerous displays of Bettie Page photos, comic art, books and videos.
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   Although Bettie hasn't modelled for a pin up since the 50s, artists have increasingly used her image in pin up art. An example of Philippe Berthel's famous work is to the left. And, artist Jim Silke, curiously used Bettie Page in a religious manner to illustrate the Biblical women Delilah and Salome. |
   Far left is Greg Theakston's depiction of Bettie in Mars Attack. Next to it is Dave Steves' wonderful comic work. And, Olivia De Berardinis' glamor portrait of Bettie to the right. The examples are endless. |
   Again, born again Bettie had no idea of the marketing frenzy surrounding her name and image, until, that is, in 1992 when she accidentally came across some of merchandise in a store bearing her name. What a shock that must have been. She discovered a host of porcelain statues, photos, comic art, posters, T-shirts, videos and even a lunch boxes--all sporting her image and name! Bettie had to now bring her two worlds together. What an amazing experience and journey this must have been for her.
What God has did was to put back those two very different worlds of Bettie Page together. Now when people seek out the woman behind the image they come into contact with her decision to follow Jesus.
This brings me to my point. And a point I hold to firmly. It is a central issue with me in terms of my web site, Hollywood Jesus. And that is: Spirituality should not separate a person from the secular world.
There is a motto, "Don't be so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good." I agree, because there is a danger in spirituality that isolates.
Jesus said that believers may not be "of this world" but, they are certainly "in it." Jesus, as spiritual as he was, did not separate himself from the secular world. Despite his Orthodox Jewishness (spirituality) he hung with non-Jews, with the dreaded Samaritans, with whores, with sell-out Jewish tax collectors, with radical zealot terrorists, with the diseased, impoverished and the very wealthy. He told stories to the masses that revolutionized the material and secular universe on hill tops (the mass media of the day). It is a known fact that Jesus' worst enemies were the self righteous G-rated do-gooders of his time. He spent little time with them.
All to often being spiritual means checking out of the secular world and limiting one's self in some sort of a "spiritual" isolationism that has absolutely no connection with the ebb and flow of the material universe.
The Evangelical Christian world to which Bettie became a part of was so isolated from the pop culture world that Bettie had no idea of what was was happening out there with her image.
 Pulp Fiction writer-director Quentin Tarantino stunned the filmmaking world by exploding into prominence as a cinematic heavyweight contender. How did he do it? He understood the contemporary world and was not afraid to combine aspects of the spiritual universe with the secular (the same technique Jesus used, by the way). Oh my gosh, in Pulp Fiction, he combines dialogue about McDonalds hamburgers with Bible quotes and discussions about theology. And in addition, he throws in a Bettie Page type Uma Thurman. It is now a classic film with a huge following.
The Spiritual Evangelical world has some lessons to learn here.
Yet, sadly, the other day I attended a legalistic fundamentalist Boomer church and quickly learned that (for them)...
...viewing R-rated movies was sinful;
...I had to close my eyes to the world;
...I had to quit listening to secular rock and roll;
...reading secular books was a waste of time;
...the Internet was not a good idea (due to porn);
...and that the greatest spiritual ideal is to separate myself from the world. All of this, of course, is pure nonsense. I guess the big fear is in regards to sexuality and nudity. Religious types are just going to have to learn how to deal with it.
When God says "Come out of her, my people" (Rev. 18:4) he is referring to leaving the bankrupt religious system (Babylon), not the world.
Although we are not to love the things of the world (idolatry), as the Bible warns, we are to love the people in the world (John 3:16), and enter that world just as Jesus did (incarnationally). There should never be an "us against them" mentality. The spiritual battle is not with flesh and blood, rather it is spiritual.
Perhaps God is trying to speak through the experience of Bettie Page.
"Go ye into all the world..." and have no fear!
A WORD TO CHRISTIANS: I know, I know. I am outspoken. And it maybe hard for you to deal with pin up Bettie Page on a Christian site. But just so there is no misunderstanding to any thing I have written: I am an Evangelical Boomer Christian, which, I believe, gives me the right to speak out. I also love the church and never miss a Sunday. I believe that the Bible is the word of God and Jesus is my Lord. And, I am a single adult who is not sexually active. I also enjoy Bettie Page and pop culture, which for me is intregration (incarnational), and not contradiction (worldliness).
A WORD TO NON-CHRISTIANS: There is a big difference between religion and Jesus Christ. Religion is a thing that can be oppressive and judgmental. Jesus is about relationship with God. Jesus is about freedom from past problems, additions, and pain. If you would like to discuss the issue of Jesus with me via email, I encourage you to do so (email me). Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to me.
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Recommended books |
 Bad Girls of the Bible
and What We Can Learn from Them
by Liz Curtis Higgs
The Bettie Page types of the Bible. Fabulous book. Learn some lessons in good living from the Bible's bad news belles. Women everywhere marvel at the "good girls" in Scripture such as Sarah, Mary, and Ruth. But on most days, when they look in the mirror they see the selfishness of Sapphira or the deception of Delilah. They catch a glimpse of Jezebel's take-charge pride or Salome's misguided attempt to please her mother. What's a good girl to do? |
Pictures of Bettie Page
as two of the
Bad Girls of the Bible,
Delilah and Salome |
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 Bettie Page:
The Life of a Pin-Up Legend
by Karen Essex, Bettie Page, James L. Swanson
This is the book that the E! television bio is based on. It is the definitive work on the life of Bettie Page. It covers her controversial modeling career and her conversion to Jesus Christ. It is the only biography in which Bettie Page herself is one of the authors. It is the BEST BOOK on her life and her impact on the world. If you are a pastor you may want it sent to the parsonage rather than the church (joke).
2002 note: Since this page went up in 2001 the $30 book has sold out, and the used copies are going for over $100. Amazing investment. The 300% increase in price demonstrates the popularity of her image. The used book price continues to rise. Click the link and buy it if you can. |
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 Eyes Wide Open:
Looking for God in Popular Culture
by William D. Romanowski
"Calvin College professor Romanowski writes for the millions of "Christians who drink beer" those who, in tension with evangelical mores, partake of the fruits of popular culture, from Titanic to Bruce Springsteen to ER. His scope is ambitious, including a theologically informed chapter on the nature of culture itself, to treatment of sex, violence and materialism, to a thoughtful exposition of the story structure of the typical Hollywood film." -Publisher's Weekly. Romanowski is a friend of mine and this is a great book. |
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BULLETIN BOARD (rules)
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BETTIE STUFF
Subject: Bettie stuff
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001
From: marc
I thank the Lord that He has moved in Ms. Page's life with such a tremendous impact- I hope that she and her church will continue to utilize the popularity of the images she was part of to somehow show the secular world that Jesus can save lives (everyone's), and is indeed a real person.
I do hope the lines don't get blurred here in chasing the image of Bettie Page's pre-Christian life to the point of being detrimental to one's understanding of Christianity, and the Biblical (God's) view of iniquity and it's total lack of righteousness. If we're not careful here, folks may be led to believe that the images that abound in the world glamourizing nudity and leading to iniquitous behaviour and temptation, are "OK, cause it's a Christian woman". We have to remember, this was before Ms. page became a Christian, and the popularity of those images grew without her knowledge of, or involvement with, the phenomenon.
We as Christian's are truly "in the world", and it's our reponsibility to spread the Lord's Word in a righteous manner, and in an uncompromising righteous fashion; let's not allow the lines to blur between what the Bible profeesses to be be righteous in the Lord's view, and what is permissible in ours. See Solomon, for a bit of background on this- I pray the Lord blesses all who read this, and that He conmtinues to move in our lives to spread His Gospel- I thank the Lord that this site is on line, and continue with it!
Thanks for the poortunity to say a bit!
JUST WHEN I THOUGH...
Subject: David, just when I thought you couldn't surprise me again...
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2001
From: Joe Admire
...Hollywood Jesus leaves my jaw slack in delight and amazement, with your full-length treatment of the amazing Bettie Page (complete with pictures - it'd be illogical to write about the greatest of 'em all and not _show_ what one is talking about, right?) I think you could probably do a whole another feature on all the modern pop-culture references to Bettie. Not to mention the whole subculture of pinup modeling itself; you can _tell_ the difference between pre-Bettie and post-Bettie pinup art. (Compare Bill Ward and Fritz Willis with, say, Gil Evgren and George Petty, and you'll see what I mean.)
Not to toot my own horn - well, all right, I'm tooting my own horn - but my website, For the Love of Opera Gloves, has a big gallery page dedicated to Bettie:
http://www.operagloves.com/superstars/BettiePage/bettiepage.html
(Apologies in advance for any broken image links, I just moved the site to a new host last month and I'm still trying to catch up.) Bettie, as you know, frequently wore opera-length gloves in her shoots. In fact, you might want to start from the beginning:
http://www.operagloves.com/glovmain.html
and cruise around for more examples of how profoundly Bettie has affected American culture's idea of what is sexy in the past half-century. (For some bizarre reason - I must have been demented - I didn't get around to adding Bettie to the site's galleries until several months after I had founded it. Yeah, I know, shame on me...) If people are looking for Bettie websites, one of the best I know of is Planet Bettie.
-Joe- |
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