Bettie Page was an American model, an icon symbol of physical beauty and strong femininity, known for being one of the first and most famous pin-up girls. Active especially in the fifties, in addition to posing for fashion photographs and pin-ups, she also appeared in fetish images that have earned her popularity even outside the sphere closely related to the erotic visual arts.
At first Bettie posed for various photo studios, often nude, but her photographs were not published. In 1951, her photographs began to appear on the covers of men's magazines. Meanwhile, she posed for photographer Irving Klaw for mailed photographs with a bondage or S&M theme, making her the first famous bondage model.
Her "Bettie in the Jungle" photographs are among the most celebrated and include some nude photos with a pair of cheetahs named Mojah and Mbili. The leopard skin dress was made by Betti herself, who used to make her own lingerie.
Page began working with Cass Carr and her uninhibited style made her popular in men's magazines such as Wink, Titter, Eyefull and Beauty Parade.
From late 1951 to about 1957, Page worked with Irving Klaw, producing images with BDSM themes. She also appeared in short "special" films that Klaw produced for his clientele in "camera clubs," in which Page acted out their fetishes; her work was all female and never featured nudity.
These "camera clubs" operated under the guise of producing art photography, but were actually a front for pornography. Because of her work with Klaw, she was labeled the "Queen of Bondage," even though, as she said, she posed for pictures only for the money. She began studying acting in 1953 under Herbert Berghoff, while completing an apprenticeship at the Sea Cliff Summer Theater on Long Island.
Berghoff encouraged her to audition and she had roles in commercials, several off-Broadway shows, including Time is a Thief and Sunday Costs Five Pesos. She also made an appearance on the Jackie Gleason Show. In January 1955, she was the centerfold of Playboy. By this time, her pictures appeared everywhere from playing cards to record albums, and she was called "The Girl with the Perfect Figure."
Ghostwriter: Dark side of Barbie
Credits images: from web
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