"Now, why is Page a feminist icon? Because of what she portrayed. An earlier generation of feminists would say that Page was exploited for her beauty, but the current generation recognizes that portrayals of female sexuality aren't a bad thing. Nudes in art have always really been about sex. It's kind of hard to argue that Bettie and Bunny's sunbather pics were exploiting women, while Botticelli's Birth of Venus is not. In fact, Page and Yaeger were an all female team - if anything, you could argue that they were two women using their considerable beauty, brains, and skill to exploit men.
And then there's Irving Klaw. A fetish photographer with more vision than skill, Klaw defines what we think of when we think of fetish photography. Corsets, black stiletto heels, stockings, opera gloves - all began with Klaw. And Bettie Page was his greatest model.
Like Rita Hayworth and Barbara Stanwyck a generation before her, Page was well cast as both the sunny sweetheart and the dangerous femme fatale. A gorgeous black haired woman with an hourglass figure, a million watt smile, and legs that wouldn't quit, she was almost literally the face of sexual desire. Klaw took that and turned it into the iconic 'kitten with a whip' - the Dominatrix who's gender is her strength and who's sexuality is her power plant."
http://griperblade.blogspot.com/2006/05/notorious-bettie-page.html__________________________________________________________
"Clearly Bettie is a very inspiring figure to young women because she had a strong independent streak. She did what she wanted to do and she wasn't just doing it for men. . . But I think it's a huge mistake to think of her as a conscious feminist heroine. As far as I can see, she didn't have an agenda, ever. She just followed her own path unconsciously. I don't think she thought of herself as a rebel in any way. She was kind of in her own world of dress-up." (Nerve.com)
Like Page, Harron also does not follow a strict feminist ideology, but has instead openly explored issues, instead of tying herself to a single perspective on gender. She is not aiming to create political films, but may end up doing so anyway, in her attempt to express a woman’s point of view. She says in an interview:
"I feel that without feminism, I wouldn't be doing this. So I feel very grateful. Without it, God knows what my life would be. I don't make feminist films in the sense that I don't make anything ideological. But I do find that women get my films better. Women and gay men. Maybe because they're less threatened by it, or they see what I'm trying to say better."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Harron__________________________________________________________
Interview of Gretchen Mol who played Betty Page
http://www.ugo.com/channels/filmTv/features/thenotoriousbettiepage/gretchen.aspUGO: Did you see what she did as a kind of a feminist act?
GRETCHEN: Well, I knew because I read interviews and heard her speak about it, that she didn't take that on herself. She wasn't trying to do anything but her job, and she just happened to have this kind of non-judgmental spirit. People were always able to look at Bettie Page and see what they needed her to be, and she just gave them that permission to do so. So, in that way, she's a feminist, but I don't think she was ever trying to be.