Words to Live By: Bettie Page
The "Queen of Pin-Ups" on living fearlessly and never being the girl-next-door
By Amanda Brohman
Take a note from the most iconic stars of yesterday-quite literally. Words to Live By is a compilation of the most memorable quotes from Old Hollywood on love, style, life, and more.
Bettie Page was never a shy one. Rising to fame as a model in the strictly conservative 1950s, she quickly stirred controversy for her semi-nude and nude shoots, as well as for being one of the earliest Playboy models. Known to many as the "Queen of Pin-Ups," her style, beauty, and life approach would influence female artists and models for decades to come. Here, CR rounds up some of her most memorable words.
"I was never the girl next door."
"[Jerry Tibbs was] the one who got me wearing bangs. For years I had my hair parted down the middle in a ponytail, tucked down around the sides. But he said to me, 'Bettie, you've got a very high forehead. I think you'd look good if you cut some bangs to cover it.' Well, I went and cut the bangs, and I've been wearing them ever since. They say it's my trademark."
"I never kept up with the fashions. I believed in wearing what I thought looked good on me."
"Young women say I helped them come out of their shells."
"I like being outdoors. I like to go cavorting in the nude in the forests. It is just another world. To take sunbaths in the nude."
"I don't know what they mean by an icon. I never thought of myself as being that. It seems strange to me. I was just modeling, thinking of as many different poses as possible."
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