It's Wednesday already and after today we can quickly slip into the weekend. Hurrah! To celebrate I thought I'd dedicate my second blog post to the three women I constantly crush on, as they are not only incredibly beautiful, but also daring, brave and all round inspirational.
Bettie Page
Of course I had to start with Bettie, the Queen of the Pinups. She has recently been coined as the Notorious Bettie Page - a term she herself has refuted, as she saw nothing wrong in what she did. I recently watched Bettie Page Reveals All and I can't recommend it enough. It's narrated by the Queen herself, and contains unseen photos and video archives that are a joy to watch.
However underneath Bettie's enticing smile was a very dark and troubled childhood and adolescence, that she discusses very frankly in the documentary. Her willingness to carry on in the face of so much hardship, and embrace herself for exactly who she is is so inspiring to me.
One memorable anecdote from the documentary is when she confronted her first husband with divorce. He had returned from the war a changed man, like most men did those days, and Bettie wanted out. He yelled and threatened, and held a knife to her throat screaming; 'If you leave me I'll kill you!' but (in Bettie's own words) she 'did it anyway'. She never let any man walk all over her.
Bettie is beautiful, ballsy, brave, and her pictures speak louder than any words, so here are some of my faves.
Betty Brosmer
Ah another beautiful Betty. Betty Brosmer with the waist that just won't quit. I remember the first picture I saw of Betty, and I just thought 'wow! That waist can NOT be real!' but it is and she's all round amazing!
Betty was a model through and through, appearing on hundreds of magazine covers, and winning many beauty pageants - everyone loved her look. Betty was the first true glamour girl, and for me is the personification of Glamour.
She's often overshadowed as she appeared at a similar time to Marilyn Monroe, and as they were both blonde they were often compared. But Betty's insane figure and radiating smiles has always won me over.
Dita Von Teese
The Queen of the Tease, Ms Von Teese herself. The woman who arguably bought burlesque into the modern age. For me she is the performer who introduced burlesque to me, and has promoted it in such a positive way.
I have had the pleasure of meeting Dita three times and every time she has been lovely, sweet, and ridiculously good-looking (not to mention hr outfits, wow!). I also once saw her perform her Opium Den show, and there really is nothing like seeing that woman move on stage, I highly recommend seeing her perform if you can. Check out her website for details.
Most of all I love Dita's approach to life and being a burlesque superstar. She must be interviewed a hundred times a day but her answers are always so on point. A few of my favourite quotes below:
Physical beauty isn't so impressive to me.
I advocate glamour. Every day. Every minute.
Ignore the critics… Only mediocrity is safe from ridicule. Dare to be different!
You can be the ripest, juciest peach, and there's still going to be somebody who hates peaches.
I have included only 3 of my favourite femme fatales, but my list is endless. If you need any inspiration in either life, performing, or a confidence boost I suggest you check out: Miss Mosh, Raquel Reed, Gia Genevieve, Miss Miranda, Immodesty Blaize, Sabina Kelley, Masuimi Max - I've listed modern pinups so you can check out what they're up to now and perhaps catch them performing/appearing near you, each name links to their website or social media.
Please feel free to comment with your woman crush Wednesday, I'd love to learn about more amazing ladies either past or present.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
B
xxx
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