Bettie Page and Marilyn Monroe: The Beautiful Retro Foremothers of Modern Pin-up

Who is Bettie Page? Bettie Page is known notoriously as the Queen of Pin-ups...and with good reason! She personified that "good girl next door gone bad" image that made her a revelation within the modelling world.

Bettie got her start in the year 1950, after a bitter divorce with her first husband Billy Neal. They say that Bettie was walking through Coney Island and met a police officer who had a nack for photography. His name was Jerry Tibs, and he was the first to make Bettie's pin-up portfolio. After this first portfolio was put together, Jerry introduced Bettie's beautiful and sassy pin-up photos to other photographers...and Bettie's popularity blew up! She posed for many pin-up photographers and landed the covers of numerous magazines, including Tab.

What many people do not know is that Bettie was an educated woman. She possessed a bachelor's degree from the Peabody College in California. She had grown up with a desire and fire to become a movie star...well, this fire truly paid off in the end. Maybe she is not known for her acting but her movie star quality and her performing know-how sure shined through her photos and mini-films. Bettie was all the rage with businessmen in the early '50s and even landed herself the title of "Miss Pin-up Girl of the World" in 1955. She had the body of a Goddess...with measurements of 36"x23"x35". And oh...those legs!

Bettie Page can be found in pin-up photos spanning the bridge from cutesy beach poses to lingerie sets. You can find leopard-printed jungle pictures of Bettie, as well. Bettie Page did a little bit of modelling for almost every type of desire a man of the 1950's could have! It also did not hurt that Bettie had some sewing skills, and so she was able to design and create her own costumes for her portfolio. This ability gave her more of an edge over other ladies, as it helped her stand out even more. Not that she needed elaborate costuming...her gorgeous black hair with blunt bangs and mysterious blue-gray eyes could have caught the attention of a whole army alone! Bettie took risks that most other pin-up models of the time would not take. The funny thing is, the newest movie about Bettie's life, The Notorious Bettie Page, made it seem as though she was naive enough to not realize the raciness of the sets she posed and performed in. I believe quite the opposite of Bettie...I think she knew EXACTLY what she was doing and revelled in the exoticness and blissful fantasy of it all.

During the peak of Bettie's modelling success in the early 50s, Bettie was able to attend a performing arts school in New York and was taught a great deal of acting skills by a man named Herbert Berghoff. Because Bettie had already made a name for herself, she was able to find some acting roles in television shows and broadway-style performances. After her success in acting and modelling, in 1957 Bettie married for a second time after moving to Florida. During this same year, US Congress did some internal investigating into the industry of pin-up photography...specifically because everyone had heard and known about Bettie Page's naughty and taboo-breaking photos that were circulating around the entire country. They were being pinned up on garage walls and secretly stashed under mattresses all across America. As we all know, the fifties were sort of a conservative period in time so the big wigs who wanted to keep taboo out of families' homes decided they had to get together and end this pin-up epidemic.

Although Bettie fell off the map of popularity and society after the fifties, her photos have had a resurgence beginning in the nineties and still going strong today. Maybe the love and obsession with her beauty is even stronger today than it was in the '50s. Many rockabilly and gothic girls emulate Bettie's hairstyle with the black blunt bangs. You can also see Bettie's hairstyle and timeless facial features emulated in many modern pin-up models, such as Bernie Dexter and Masuimi Max. Many artists including the infamous Olivia find Bettie Page to be a muse for their artwork. You can buy Bettie Page artwork on almost anything these days, from fridge magnets to shoelaces!

Bettie would sometimes be seen in public and deny that she was the notorious Bettie Page, but her sexiness and beauty could not easily be hidden. She ended up passing away at the ripe old age of 85, but her legacy will forever live on.

Marilyn Monroe. This is a name and face that has gone down in history...and many times is surrounded by controversy.

Many people are not aware that Marilyn Monroe was actually born Norma Jeane Mortenson and ended up being orphaned by a mother who was committed to a mental institution when Norma Jeane was quite young. She bounced from foster home to foster home for many years, until landing a pretty stable spot with a family friend. Unfortunately, the family had to move and could not afford to take Norma Jeane with them so Norma Jeane was forced to marry her next door neighbor at the immature age of sixteen. The marriage did not last more than four years, as her husband was in the military and while he was away, Norma Jeane took to excelling in a modelling career. She was "discovered" while working in a factory. The photographer that discovered her insisted on taking shots of her and soon Marilyn's beauty thrust her into an acting career. She eventually changed her name from Norma Jeane to Marilyn Monroe. The last name Monroe was borrowed from her grandmother.

Marilyn's role models included Lana Turner and Jean Harlow, and so she studied their acting skills and moves while taking acting classes religiously. Marilyn signed her first acting contract with twentieth century fox in 1946 and her acting career took off to great heights after the signing. Marilyn can be seen in such classic movies as All About Eve (with the gorgeous Bette Davis) and Jungle; moreover, she starred in How to Marry a Millionaire and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (this is the movie including her famous "dress blowing up" scene, pictured to the side). Marilyn ended up marrying a very famous baseball player, Joe Dimaggio in 1954 but quickly divorced only six months later. I do not believe Joe was able to handle his wife's oozing sex appeal and increasing fame at that time. In the midst of her escalating acting career, Marilyn posed for multitudes of photographers in the fifties and many of these photos adorn the walls of homes and businesses all across America to this day.

After this second divorce, Marilyn dove head first into the highest wave of her acting career and starred in movies such as Bus Stop and Some Like It Hot in the late fifties. These movies will always be remembered as Marilyn's farewell films. In 1962, Marilyn was found dead in her quiet home in California. This is where the controversy undulates...in the cause of Marilyn's death. Many people believe that Marilyn overdosed on pills but there are some that believe that the Kennedy family had her killed in secrecy, so as to remove her from the heat that was surrounding JFK at that time. As most know, John F. Kennedy was married to Jackie O'nassis but was supposedly wrapped up in an affair with Miss Monroe. As much as I disagree with cheating and as much as I promote monogamous relationships...who could blame him? My god...it was Marilyn Monroe for crying out loud! I do not think many people could resist her glamorous beauty and effortless grace. Marilyn may have been a troubled lady, but her glamour and charisma will bewitch the world and more especially the pin-up community for years to come. She is a beauty that is not easily forgotten...and is now inspiring young pin-up models all over the world. Famous musicians such as Christina Aguilera and Madonna have been inspired by Marilyn Monroe and used their inspiration in photo shoots and videos. How about Madonna's "Material Girl" in the eighties? Doesn't that video particularly remind you of the video below - "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend"?

Following in the footsteps of Bettie Page, many new-millenium pin-up models exert the bold and sexy allure of the Queen of Pin-ups. Some of the many Bettie Page look-alikes and faithful followers include the infamous and ravenous Masuimi Max. Masuimi Max is a performer, first and foremost. I, myself, have actually seen one of her performances live at a club in Ybor City, Tampa. She didn't just put on a sexy show..she also has the amazing ability to eat and breathe fire! A pin-up with a firey appetite! Pin-up doesn't get any hotter than that! Okay, enough with the euphemisms. Let's talk about Bernie Dexter. Oh, you haven't heard of her? Well, look her up, my friend and be enchanted by her retro and timeless look...so very similar to Miss Bettie Page. Bernie has a quiet and cheery attitude in all of her photographs that just sucks you in...just like her idol Bettie Page did. Her talented husband is her photographer and enjoys capturing Bernie's beauty in cheesecake fashion retro pin-up. You will have to look for yourself. There are many more Bettie look-alikes and modern day pin-up models to be found all over the internet...some that may eventually take the place of the Queen of Pin-ups. Or maybe not...that is quite a hard pair of retro high heels to fill!

On the blonde side of the pin-up spectrum, Marilyn's legacy is also thriving without a doubt. It seems that there is at least one highly loved and recognized Marilyn impersonator for every country in Europe, as well as the Americas. My personal favorite is Jami Deadly. If you saw one of her pictures, you may even confuse her for the real Marilyn Monroe. She has the vivacious curves and amazingly gorgeous facial features that Marilyn possessed in the fifties. Almost every single photograph...even those of Miss Deadly in shiny bathing suits...screams Old Hollywood Glamour! I almost cannot bear her extreme confidence and demure sexiness. I have also seen Jami perform in a show in downtown Tampa and I can assure you that she had the whole crowd in a lovespell. She is one pin-up model that you do not want to forget. What I really admire is that she is not a hundred pound starving model of the normal kind that you see on runways and in magazines spewing from the botoxed-filled mouth of Hollywood. Jami is a real woman...with real curves and she is more than proud to show it! Her confidence in her photo shoots outshines almost any supermodel on the Victoria's Secret runway by far. Other Marilyn-inspired pin-up models include Kay O'Hara and Doris MayDay. Also two extremely lovely retro models to not pass up but pin up!

There are many more modern-day pin-up models in the hot rod magazines and on rockabilly runways that are following in the footsteps of the Foremothers of Pin-up. Frankie Sin, Dayna Delux and Angela Ryan are only but a tip of the retro-modelling iceberg. Check out Frankie Sin in all of her fabulous pink-haired, vintage glory at her self entitled website. Frankie gives off a very retro pin-up appeal but also mixes this vintage vibe with contemporary ideas...such as her infamous gorgeous pink hair. The picture of Frankie to the right show her as a blonde, as she changes her hair color frequently but I think the absolute favorite hair color on Frankie is the pretty neon pink! Frankie is talented in other ways, as well...she designs some of her own costumes...just like Bettie Page did! A double-threat.

The wonderfully retro photosets where these lovely pin-up models' beauty can be enjoyed is all courtesy of up-and-coming pin-up photographers, such as Viva Van Story and Shannon Brooke. Shannon Brooke's photo artwork is renowned in the rockabilly and pin-up world and can be seen on various of models' websites, as well as in rockabilly and pin-up clothing stores and magazines, such as Pin Up Girl Clothing, Alternative Magazine, Traditional Rod and Kulture Magazine, Lucky 13 Apparel, and Tattoo Life.

Let's talk about the wonderful Viva Van Story. Her wonderfully tattoo-ed and sassy 1940s style pin-up sets can be found online. How eclectic her models are! She has demure blondes, tattoo-ed gingers, and rockabilly dollies all strewn about her photo sets. She has the stamp of a truly gifted pin-up photographer.