Bye Bye Bettie !…

Dear posh readers,

It was impossible for me to start a new year without mentioning an icon who died at the end of last december. I was surprised not to read any post about her in the past few weeks… Well as usual I’m a liar : I’ve read maybe two or three mentions of this huge personality in Ingenue’s blog for instance.

Anyway, as a fashionista, a bit trashy, loving fifties graphics, contemporary art, vintage, New York 70’s, underground theater, I want to pay a tribute to the amazing Bettie Page died on the eleventh of december now 2008.

Why a post about Bettie in Posh Pride ?! Because she was controversial, famous, and disturbed rules and manners of her time, and because her life could be written or adapted to the cinema (which is the case actually)… Just like Cayce’s life and mine (in our dreams).

She of course had a terrible chilhood, but succeed in becoming an erotic myth , a trashy pinup, famous for her glamour, SM, bondage, « jungle », naked pics, and her sense of humour and self-derision.

It’s true she was a sexual object, but I’d rather say she was « refreshing » and provocative in an american society of the fifties where women were considered as housewives with no right to be desperate (smile, cook, or die !). She helped to raise the sexual revolution of the sixties. And the fact lot’s of artists from the 50’s to nowadays are inspired by her (from John Galliano to David Lynch…) ends to proove she has definitely entered the private sphere of Icons.

Of course we won’t speak here about how she eventually fell into religion thinking she had become a prophetess, and almost killed her family by enforcing husband and sons to pray in front of a Jesus picture… by « enforcing » I mean with a butcher knife ! How theatrical ! She of course experimented mental asylum but nobody’s perfect, and these are small details which make a person’s life almost incredible and rock n’ roll… despite I would not threaten someone with a butcher knife, except to offer me the last Balenciaga evening dress.

As a posh, I’m pride to show you some pictures as a tribute to Bettie Page… I thank Cayden for accepting to wear my shape and skin (I knew he loved being dressed as a woman :p) and I thank Cayce for keeping at least underwears ;)…

If you’re interesting by some of the items and want to know where we got them, just ask, and see more pictures on my flickr.

And don’t forget to express your inner Bettie…