Queen Bettie: Whip It

Two she-devils have wielded a whip with such startling sex appeal that they will forever be associated with the weapon in my mind: the magnificent Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman in Batman Returns (1992) and the Queen of Fetish Modeling, Bettie Page.

Michelle twirled and snapped a bull whip while Bettie stroked a BDSM riding crop whip, but they each dominated in their own inimitable ways. There’s definitely a strong Dominatrix connection between the two—as Devo famously sang, “I say whip it / whip it good.” Plus there’s that time Bettie played Catwoman herself:

Actually I think she’s a devil. Oh well. I digress. Seeing as this series celebrates Bettie, you can go here and here for some of my gushing praise of Michelle’s iconic performance as Catwoman. For now, here’s Bettie looking sultry while threatening to crack that whip. Many of these photos were during her sessions modeling for Irving and Paula Klaw in New York City.

🎶 Crack that whip 🎶

🎶 Give the past a slip 🎶

🎶 Step on a crack 🎶

🎶 Break your mama’s back 🎶

🎶 When a problem comes along 🎶

🎶 You must whip it 🎶

🎶 Before the cream sits out too long 🎶

🎶 You must whip it 🎶

🎶 When something’s going wrong 🎶

🎶 You must whip it 🎶