BETTIE

I’m sure over the next few days and perhaps weeks there will be a flurry of eulogies for Bettie Page and her passing. I have a few shots from my collection to share, and a few thoughts about her and what she represents as well.

Bettie to me was never a real person; she was a “TYPE”, curvaceous, long hair, spunky, intelligent, and most of all fun loving. I was never a bondage freak, or heavy into stockings, garters, and lingerie, but with Bettie anything she was shot in, or anything she was photographed doing just looked like so much FUN.

Bettie is an icon, simple as that, a memory of a time and feeling. I am a HUGE believer in intellectual property, but I also believe in exceptions. Bettie was never able to capitalize properly on her own image. She frankly had no idea of the trends she would affect later in history when she was posing for photographers just to get by, and I believe that of anyone and anyone’s image it should be her and all of her work that should be recognized as totally in the public domain. Frankly, no one deserves the rights to Bettie’s image except Bettie, and now that she’s gone no one should truly OWN outright a single image of her. This way she will remain what she already is immortal. Left to be copied, swiped, drooled over, turned into movies, characters, and what not for all time. Anyone trying to secure copyright on a single original photograph of her should be vilified and shunned. Those artists who paint her likeness, or use it in whatever way should retain their rights, but only to their own work and not to Bettie’s image itself, and her photos should be proclaimed as public domain for all to use and see as they see fit.

Bettie is immortal, as she totally deserves to be, a symbol of happier times as well as an example of what an ideal American woman should look like; round, bouncy, most always happy, even when she tries to be oh so serious, and flat out beautiful. She of all people and types deserves to be lusted after and loved by all. I KNOW of her history, and her anguish, and yes, for the most part Bettie is the highest example of exploitation, especially during the time she was in front of the camera, and I think she should be a lesson to learn from to an extent, but she should also be recognized for her personal work more, and what she represents, and frankly the face value that she left in front of the camera more than what happened behind it.

More and more often I’m noticing “Betties” in clubs and in everyday life. Some folks, on whatever level, understand the icon that she is and mimic and represent aspects of her, her on camera lifestyle, and the in general sexy fun that she will always represent. THAT’S the “icon” at work, THAT’S the positive mark she has left on our culture, media and society, and THAT’S what will always make her immortal. Frankly, THAT’S exactly what she deserves.

R.I.P. to the REAL Bettie Page, in our hearts may she always stay immortally young and fun! Now you other Betties and Bettie lovers, GET TO WORK and…

WAKE UP!