Bettie was born on April 22, 1923 in Nashville, TN, and had a somewhat troubled early childhood. Her father and mother eventually divorced, forcing her mother to put her and two sisters in an orphanage for a year. They were then reunited but still home life remained unstable. Betty was an intelligent child, voted Most Likely To Succeed in highschool, and went on to Peabody College for Teachers, where she graduated in June 1944. She then studied acting for 3 years and moved to New York to be an actress, but things failed to work out; later, on her second trip, she met the Klaws (Irving and Paula) in 1951, thus beginning her carreer as a model. She began doing the photos we've come to know and love, and even made most of the daring outfits she wore in those pictures (There are some very early photos of Bettie completely nude, taken in 1950... these were taken by a camera club who got her drunk for the first time in her life.) She was also the Playboy centerfold for January 1955. In all, she modeled from 1950 to the end of 1957, then, for somewhat mysterious reasons (some say it was because of the exposure of pornographic pictures that were manipulated to look like her, others say it was because of senate investigations directed at the Klaws and her), she completely disappeared. After modeling, she went to various bible colleges and became a Christian. And she did a great job of disappearing... staying completely undiscovered for over 30 years, until Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous found her, living with her brother. She was totally unaware that a completely new generation of fans had found her, this time respecting her unique beauty and charm, holding her in our imaginations, not as an object to be lusted over, but as a person to be admired and respected. She had not had an easy life out of the spotlight, going through divorces and poverty (she never earned a penny from any of her photos other than the standard 10 dollar and hour modeling fee), but her countless fans have come to her aid, buying specially autographed books and prints, and supporting her in other ways. She has, of this writing, done several interviews, and in part due to the internet, is as loved today as she ever was. In fact, she says she's more popular today than she was when she was actually doing the pictures. She still refuses to have her picture taken, wanting to remain the forever young, beautiful girl she left on film so many years ago.

In Bettie's own words:*
'I enjoyed all my modeling years--the fetish, the bondage, all of it. You had to do bondage working for Irving Klaw. I would do it all over again. I enjoyed all my modeling years. I would pose for two hours and make more than working all week as a secretary. I had plenty of free time to decorate my apartment. I had a nice little apartment with a small bedroom and living room, a small kitchenette, on 46th St...'

*from the Mr. Showbiz Celebrity Lounge interview in 1996