ConstantlyAlice: Betty Page

I'm sure by now it's no secret to you, my dear readers, that I have a moderate obsession with vintage pin ups. The wholesome style, the sweet innocence of it in comparison with the glaring images we now face on a daily basis, is just so refreshing to me.

Bettie (or Betty, I've never quite found a definitive answer on the correct spelling) has long been one of my favorites. In fact, I did a Calendar Girl post on her that you can find here. I love her signature bangs, bright smile and cheery demeanor, so I was delighted when I discovered that Gretchen Mol had portrayed her in The Notorious Bettie Page.

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Gretchen did not disappoint. Her portrayal of Bettie was as sweet and sensitive as I could have hoped. She gained 20lbs for this movie to be able to properly replicate Bettie's curves, and the weight suits her just beautifully. She did a great job putting across Bettie's sunny, naive outlook on life and her role in the pin up industry.

The movie itself was hard for me to watch at times. As a sensitive soul, I found the repeated victimization of Bettie to be difficult to watch. The movie touches briefly on her sexual abuse as a young woman and her difficult marriage but does not delve into them. Other reviews have criticized the movie for not focusing more on this as a character development, but I feel that the suggestion was enough. I wanted a feel for who Bettie was and who she became, not to see the movie exploit the sordid details of her life.

Best of all, Bettie's humor came across beautifully. I believe it is what helped her overcome the hardship and scandal in her life to end her career and live peacefully and quietly off the radar for the rest of her life.

The movie was visually amazing, the pictures and images are stunning and the costumes are to die for. Definitely a must watch!