Style icons: ten sex goddesses
November 13, 2009 by Lena
These days the classic pin-up, sex kitten look seems to be everywhere. With the recent revival of burlesque pioneered by the likes of Dita Von Teese, vintage sex goddess style has made it onto high fashion catwalks from Chanel to Dolce & Gabbana. But who are the legendary femme fatales that we take our inspiration from? Aneequa Bhatti has listed 10 women who embody the sex appeal of bygone eras.
1. Bettie Page
Look up the word ‘pin up’ in any dictionary and there should be a picture of this remarkable woman. An iconic figure in popular culture, Page’s trademark jet-black hair with a short fringe, killer curves and cheeky smile are instantly recognisable and saw her become the first well-known fetish model and later burlesque dancer and actress.
Her looks included the classic pin-up style, known as cheesecake, as well as leather and bondage, which made her a pioneer for women to express their sexuality. Page died in December 2008 at the age of 85, however, her legacy lives on.
LOL! It’s great to see someone give credit to the gal that started it all. As a kid who loved cartoons as a kid (and still does) BB was my first exposure to cheesecake, spit-curls and garters. Just look where it got me!
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Sorry, Dita was known as the modern Queen of Pinup long before she ever met Manson.
I really like this site, but its really annoying to have to click through so many pages to read the content. You should have your articles all on one page, otherwise people are going to be disinclined to read them.
I really enjoyed this article included some of my faves, Rita Hayworth, Dita, LiZ
I’ve never been a big fan of Dita von Teese, nor Betty Page. I think unlike Monroe and Hepburn there lacks a bit of actual talent. I do think Page was a very good fetish model, but it’s hard for me to see her as an icon of an era considering she was rather niche. Some people who go into the vintage/retro lifestyle end up going for the psychobilly sect, which is fine but lacks accuracy. In the end you’re left with a jumbled mash-up of eras with little regard to history and circumstance. I have nothing against Page personally, but I find it rather hard to believe she had such a following as she does now. Von Teese herself would most likely never venture far out of gentleman’s clubs on the Vegas strip if our attitudes hadn’t changed so much over the years.