Karen Bune
Victimology Contributor
Officer.com
The famous pin-up model, Bettie Page, is now 85-years-old and is hospitalized after suffering a heart attack and is rumored to be in comatose state. Page, a former secretary became an acclaimed celebrity when she modeled for a pin-up shoot. From that point on, she became revered as the famous pin-up gal who posed with an air of sensuality, provided alluring looks to men who crossed her path, and graced her mesmerizing legs with a pair of sexy, high-heeled stilettos.
Bettie Page symbolized what some men longed for and others just dreamed of. Page was, in many respects, the tantalizing eye candy for men who were enthralled by her sultry demeanor and spellbinding aura. Her enticing appeal invited a challenge for some to give in to their deep-seated desire to go over the edge and succumb to the flirtatious temptations they faced in their own lives.
Though, historically, society has progressed from the era of preliminary pin-ups to advanced Playboy centerfolds to totally nude strip clubs to unabashed visits to brothels in Nevada and elsewhere as places for men to engage their fantasies and satisfy their temptations, there are still some men today who struggle with their inner driven battle of conscience. They fight the turmoil within themselves of knowing they should “behave†versus acting on their driven impulses to do what they want.
For the unmarried in committed relationships as well as the married ones, they may be tempted by the lure of mutual attraction with someone with whom they quickly connect and have strong rapport, and a Betty Page-type charisma that envelops them both. The desire is strong, but the introspective debate is hard. They want what they know they should not have based on their circumstances. Some are willing to take the risk and figure what no one knows won’t hurt. Others consider the stakes may be high. Depending upon their job, their standing in the community, and their circumstances at home, they may fear getting caught and realize the Elliot Spitzer effect could befall them so they won’t take the chance and step over the edge with the potential result of ultimate personal and professional destruction.
Though many women contend they can’t be “just friends†with a man—married or otherwise—there are men who say they can’t handle that either. For individuals in these circumstances, it has to be an all or nothing deal. They can’t impose vital boundaries and live by them yet they can’t go over the edge for their own situational and personal reasons. Consequently, in the long run, they both lose because they deprive themselves of a friendship that could be strictly that and one that could enrich their lives in ways other than the mere magnetism of the Bettie Page type attraction.
For those who have the ability to know what they can’t have in the way they may want it but can formulate necessary boundaries to have a solid friendship embraced with continued but honest communication and platonic association, they are so much the richer for it. Bettie Page would be proud of the level of maturity, the demonstration of insight, and the ability to take the risk to do so.
