Bettie Page passed away

:cry:

He's an artist, specializing in portraits...
He honed his talents when he was younger by copying pin-ups of Bettie and others.
In fact, here's the trunk lid of his car (which was stolen/never recovered this past year):

...

and say goodbye. I remember seeing some of her pictures for the first time as a high schooler in the 1990s, and wondering who was that beautiful woman who looked like she was having so much fun in that leopard bikini?

She became one of the women who inspired me to dye my hair black (the other being Louise Brooks, but my hair is back to its natural auburn now). Her pictures also introduced me to backseamed stockings, spike heeled shoes, and yes, the occasional corset.

But more fascinating to me than her visual style was the story of her life. Bettie was a victim of abuse as a child, but never let that define her. She was in so many ways both the girl next door and a free spirit at the same time. She was the nice girl who liked sex and being sexual. When she felt her time as a model was over, she started a second, and later third, act in her life. Bettie was burned and disappointed in love, but never stopped looking for it. She suffered from mental illness but survived and rose above it. Then, near the end of her life, she embraced her legacy.

Goodbye, lovely Bettie. We love you, and may that love travel with you.

:cry: :cry: :cry: