Former Pin-up Girl Bettie Page Hospitalized Following Heart Attack

One of the most well-known and recognized pin-up girl models from the 1950's has been hospitalized following a heart attack that took place on Tuesday.

The raven-haired beauty is a pop culture icon whose photos and image have persisted in influencing the work of artists and fashion designers. Images of Ms. Page are perhaps the most striking representations of pin-up art and have continued to remain as popular with a certain subculture as they were when she was at the height of her career. Her trademark short, straight bangs, jet black hair, and bright red lipstick, are some of the things that make her stand out in our mind.

Her curvy figure and striking looks, coupled with her good girl/bad girl duality created a persona that has persisted to show itself in art and image.

Page's agent and attorney Mark Roesler said on Friday that the 85-year-old is "critically ill". Born Betty Mae Page in 1923, this Tennessee girl became famous in the 1950's for her fetish modeling and pin-up photos. She was also one of the earliest Playmates of the Month in Playboy magazine before she virtually faded away in the 1960's.

Her provocative images violated the sexual taboos of the time and invoked a United States Senate Committee investigation. She never gave interviews and she secretly fled her life as a model and gave her life to Jesus Christ. While she made a comeback in popularity starting in the 1970's, Page remained reclusive and craved her privacy.

Ms Page has achieved widespread notoriety and fame, yet remains a huge mystery to us and it seems she will continue to do so unto the end.

Resources

Wikipedia, Bettie Page

Sydney Morning Herald, Bettie Page Critically Ill

IMDb, The Notorious Bettie Page

Ken Savage, Who is The Notorious Bettie Page

BettiePage.com, Who is Bettie Page?