

Her self-assuredness and joyous expressions showed that she did not regard sexuality as shameful. What set Bettie Page apart from other early pinup models was the sense that she was in on the set-up. Soon after, Page became one of the most beloved pinup girls of the era.Īt the time, many pinup photos tended to focus on humiliation - the oops-I dropped-my-panties pose was a popular one. In 1950, she met Jerry Tibbs, a police officer and photographer who put together her very first pinup portfolio.
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By the late 1940s, she had moved to New York, where she enrolled in acting classes and had a few stage and TV appearances.
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She later graduated from Peabody College, a part of Vanderbilt University in Nashville.Įver the free spirit, Page moved around a lot after college and tried a few different careers - but none were quite a fit. And she was sexually abused by her own father.īut despite all her struggles, Page was an excellent student in high school, making almost straight As and graduating second in her class. At one point, she and her sisters spent a year in an orphanage. Her family moved around frequently in search of economic stability, and her parents divorced when she was 10. She had a rough childhood, to say the least. Known for her blunt black bangs and freely-expressed sexuality, Page inspired countless pinup models to follow in her footsteps.īettie Page was born on April 22, 1923, in Nashville, Tennessee. Often called "the queen of pinups," Bettie Page was widely admired for her naughty-yet-nice, simple-yet-exotic look. And a few of the lucky ones became superstars because of it. So even after the war was over, many models continued to pose for pinups in the hopes of achieving fame and fortune.

military unofficially sanctioned the distribution of these photos to raise morale during the war.Īs for the pinup girls themselves, posing for these photos was a chance to help with the war effort, to explore their sexuality, and to possibly make it into showbiz. Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, American troops began to decorate their lockers, walls, and wallets with photos of pinup models in various stages of undress. And considering how many American soldiers clamored to get their hands on these pictures, it’s no wonder why. While the history of the pinup didn’t begin or end with World War II, this era is often seen as the golden age of the pinup girls. From Marilyn Monroe to Betty Grable, the most famous pinup models were known for making eyes pop with their sexy photos during the 1940s and 1950s. Gerard Van der Leun/Flickr Bettie Page, one of the most iconic pinup girls of the 1950s.īefore the sexual revolution, there were the pinup girls.
