Bettie Mae Page April 22, β December 11, was an American model who gained notoriety in the s for her pin-up photos. After her death, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner called her "a remarkable lady, an iconic figure in pop culture who influenced sexuality, taste in fashion, someone who had a tremendous impact on our society". A native of Nashville, Tennessee , Page lived in California in her early adult years before moving to New York City to pursue work as an actress. There, she found work as a pin-up model, and she posed for several photographers throughout the s.
After years in obscurity, she experienced a resurgence of popularity in the s. In , Page converted to evangelical Christianity and worked for Billy Graham , [ 5 ] studying at Bible colleges in Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon , with the intent of becoming a missionary. The latter part of Page's life was marked by depression, violent mood swings, and several years in a state psychiatric hospital with paranoid schizophrenia.
Betty Mae Page, who in childhood began spelling her first name "Bettie", [ 9 ] was born in Nashville, Tennessee , in , the second of six children to Walter Roy Page β [ 10 ] and Edna Mae Pirtle β Page's parents divorced when she was 10 years old. Her mother worked two jobs; one as a hairdresser during the day and the other washing laundry at night. Page said he began sexually molesting her when she was 13 years old.
As a teenager, Page and her sisters tried different makeup styles and hairdos imitating their favorite film stars. She also learned to sew. These skills proved useful, years later, for her pin-up photography, when Page did her own makeup and hair and made her own bikinis and costumes. She enrolled at George Peabody College later part of Vanderbilt University with the intention of becoming a teacher. However, the next fall she began studying acting, hoping to become a film star. At the same time, she got her first job, typing for author Alfred Leland Crabb.
Page graduated from Peabody with a Bachelor of Arts degree in She and Neal divorced in In late , Page moved to New York City , where she hoped to find work as an actress. He suggested she would be a good pin-up model.
