A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Bettie Mae Page came from a humble background. She wanted first, like everyone else, to become a movie star but failed to make it in the tough movie world. Considered too small and too voluptous to be a classic model, she met by chance an amateur photographer on a beach in Coney Island who took her first pin-up pictures. Her instantly recognisable look, square fringe of black hair, wide smile and playful radiant body in bikini & high heels made her a well-known figure.
She displayed an image which combined sex and freedom at a moment in time when it was taboo. Playing around what was prohibited by law, Bettie will appear in pictures naked which was very daring even though these images seem pretty innocent by today’s standards.
Nobody knows her name, but then everyone knows her image. Bettie will then appear in fetish scenes now inseparable from her personal iconography and often wearing leopard print accessories declined in both the decor that surrounds the young woman in the few clothes that reveal the do they cover it.
Yet in these images of sometimes dubious taste, Bettie never appeared vulgar but frank, smiling and happy, very far from salacious or pornographic. She reached the pinnacle of this singular anonymous celebrity to becomes one of the first Playboy playmate magazine in January 1955.
However, subpoenaed in an investigation of the senate against pornography, she suddenly disappears. After converting to religion, she sinks in mysticism then into madness and will very slowly get better after long years of unrest. Following been totally forgotten, her image reappears gradually in the 80’s by been used repeatingly on the most varied marketing materials and eventually becoming the object of a cult.
In her later years, she will also eventually helped by fans to allow her to collect profits on a ranging marketing that existed after all thanks to her. She died in 2008 but this time her charming picture is now finally associated with a known name. 
Moreover, she is now a key figure in American popular culture that inspired many reincarnations, like the imaginary Poison Ivy or the very real like Dita Von Teese.
This late superstar status may explain why, on all images, she is always smiling. Her style is still inspiring many women today. Her black heavy fringe, which she was advised to wear as her forehead was quite big, bold painted red lips, feline eyeliner is still the look used today by retro and vintage style lovers all over the world. Bettie was the complete queen of pin-up and her images will stay with us. AM x