Tori Rodriguez - The Little Book of Bettie: Taking a Page from the Queen of Pinups

B ETTIE PAGE SPARKED MY TRANSFORMATION from Heather Sweet into Dita Von Teese in more ways than meet the eye. Bettie was her own woman. She was athletic. She had imperfect teeth and a slightly droopy eye. She was deemed short and too hippy to be a fashion model, by no less than Eileen Ford herself, who rejected Bettie for her agency. But despite not fitting within mainstream beauty standards, and despite the hard knocks of her childhood, Bettie Page lived on her own terms.

I first spotted her in a fetish magazine around 1990. I was captivated. Here was a woman genuinely smiling her way through pretty intense bondage scenes, and doing so with a mischief wrapped in warmth and humor. She was unabashed about her sexuality. For her shoots, she did her own makeup and hair and made her own bikinis and other costumes. That Bettie could do all of this while pushing the boundaries and having fun, and a lifetime later, have such a celebrated legacy, motivated me to at least give my own pipe dreams a try.

Launching my career as a modern-day incarnation of Bettie Page led to a radio show call with the actual woman herself. It remains among the great thrills of my life. Years later, Bettie invited me to go to church with her. Even during her modeling days, she attended church, as she didnt believe a God who put Adam and Eve here as naked as jaybirds would disapprove of nudity. I was living abroad, so I never did get to meet my muse, my hero.

Long before her kind invitation, I had let go of the literal homages to her. Id realized, to truly honor Bettie Page meant going my own way. Bettie stood apart then and continues to do so now because she wasnt trying to be anyone but herself. If I was going to emulate anything about her, it would be how she lived: by her own convictions, exuding a strong will, coupled with a playful sensuality and generosity of spirit.

Some five years after Bettie died, I got a call about a suitcase under security in a Vegas warehouse that was part of the Irving Klaw Studios/Movie Stars News archives. It was filled with shoes from those infamous bondage shoots. It was also apparently headed for auction. I handwrote a letter to the owner explaining what it would mean for me to be the caretaker of a pair of her shoes. Faster than the crack of a whip, I was on a flight to look through the suitcase. Among the scruffy gems, they were there: those signature bump-toe black pumps with a distinct solid, sky-high heel that curved just so. They are unlike anything Id ever seen then or have seen since. Shoe size: six and a half. I wear size six and a half. These were the very same ones in those first snapshots of her I fell in love with. They came home with me that day. Did I try them on? Of course! But I dont wear them. They are a talisman, a lucky charm, the embodiment of how central Bettie Page remains in my life. (And no doubt in yours, since youre holding this book in your hands.) I occasionally share this treasure with guests at book signings or other appearances. After all, Im not the only one who found myself because of Bettie Page.

DECEMBER, 2017