NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A famous face still influences pop stars, fashion, hair, and modeling 70 years after she arrived on the scene. She's a Nashville native, too. This famous face will now be forever associated with her hometown.
Something you should know about Ben Wilkinson is he's all about everything pop culture and nostalgia.
"It's a lifestyle. It's just part of me," Ben smiled. "That includes old comic books, old movie stuff. I love all that stuff."
That interest includes Bettie Page, the queen of the pin-ups.
"She was a cultural phenomenon," Ben said. "Every time she took a picture, it was like she was looking right at you."
As the story goes, Bettie started posing for photo clubs which led to her iconic pin-up photoshoots of the 1950s. Her image is still so familiar, including a character designed after her in The Rocketeer comics.
"Bettie designed her own clothes, her swimsuits, her dresses, she designed all of that," Ben said. "She had a look that was unparalleled at the time. It's the bangs. Some people call them Bettie Bangs, and she popularized that look back in the 50s."
Bettie famously said she was never the girl next door, but she was someone's neighbor. Ours. A Nashville native, she went to Hume-Fogg Academic High.
"Bettie graduated in 1940," Ben said, flipping through an old yearbook. "She graduated salutatorian of her class. When I learned about her Nashville connection, that's when I really got interested in her. Wow, a worldwide icon, someone known all over the world is from right here in Nashville, Tennessee."
That's what made Ben decide to send an application to the city.
"I wasn't sure if I would ever hear back," he said.
He did. On Saturday, Ben stood downtown next to Hume-Fogg.
"She became a trailblazer, a cultural phenomenon," Ben said to a crowd. "She's timeless. Bettie Page is timeless."
He turned and unveiled a historical marker for Bettie Page. It stands right next to her former school at 700 Broadway. After sending in the application and leading a fundraising effort to pay for the marker, Ben's played key roles in making this happen.
"She had a lot of kindness and did everything with a little wink and a smile," said one woman taking a picture with the marker. "She's finally getting her flowers."
"She started a whole movement, really," added another woman. "She didn't apologize. She was just herself."
Bettie Page died in 2008. The marker unveiling fell on her 100th birthday.
"If she's watching us right now, she probably thinks we're being a little ridiculous," Ben smiled. "She was a really humble person. She deserves it. She lived an extraordinary life. Extraordinary. She deserves to be celebrated any time we can do so. If there was a Mt. Rushmore of Nashville's pop culture figures, Bettie would be on it. It's time. It's time for Nashville to formally recognize she's from here."
