The fashion world suffered a tragic loss last week with the passing of the original pin-up princess, Bettie Page. A Jill-Of-All-Trades, Bettie was a true Renaissance woman whose free spirit will long be remembered as the voice of the sexual revolution and the beginning of the sexually liberated feminist movement.

From her trademark heavy, black bangs to her perfect hourglass shape, Bettie was a true trendsetter -- pin-up perfection and dominatrix diva, both in fashion sense and attitude, until she took her final breath. 

While she was the face of a sexually liberated era, perhaps more than anything Bettie's real charm was in her ability to be naughty and nice -- all in the same doe-eyed glance.

 From scantily clad fun in the sun to her hardcore (for the day) S & M flavored photos, one thing remains the same -- she was an original, in every way. Her legacy will long live on in the heavy bangs she was most noted for sporting (and which later became a fashion trademark in the gothic and retro communities) as well as her work as a model and B-flick actress. Black and white photography popped when Bettie was posing; her innocent eyes and naive smile hiding a darker secret, just below the surface and just out of reach.

Bettie died on December 11, 2008 in a Los Angeles hospital, after failing to recover from a heart attack. Only 85 years young, this sexy siren and fashion icon left us entirely too young.

A strong woman who refused Hollywood stardom based on sexual favors, she made her own way with the same good looks and classic charm that cost her a career in education. Her old fashioned southern belle attitude and modest outlook on her appearance made her an inspiration to women everywhere, while her refreshing ability to own her sexuality, relish it and rejoice in it changed an era – and inspired a revolution.

Fashion (and attitude) inspiration to the likes of artist Olivia, Madonna, Janice Dickinson, Dita Von Teese and Uma Thurman, Bettie is a shining star whose light, and legacy, will long be with the strong, sexually liberated women of the world.

For more info on the life and times of Bettie Page, check out the Bettie Page Memorial.

*Photos from bettiepage.com