Betty Brosmer: Young Pinup And Fitness Queen, Then And Now

By | September 11, 2020

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Betty Brosmer on the cover of Photoplay, September 1957. Source: Reddit

Betty Brosmer might not be a household name, but in her day, her face and figure were inescapable. As a successful pinup model in the '50s, she graced magazine covers of the legion of men's magazines looking to duplicate the success of Playboy. While names like Bettie Page, Anita Ekberg and Marilyn Monroe live on thanks to cultural influence or celluloid success, Brosmer is less well known because she didn't transcend her era -- neither an actress nor a fashion trendsetter, Brosmer was simply an extremely good model, and extremely popular one. Though the term did not yet exist, Brosmer was the leading supermodel of the 1950s, with a status something like a Kate Upton, Elle MacPherson, or other Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover models. Brosmer’s career later took an interesting twist when she became a fitness advocate and bodybuilding expert alongside her husband, bodybuilding pioneer Joe Weider, proving she was more than just good looks and a perfect body.

Young Betty Brosmer Was A Tomboy

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Source: Pinterest

As a child, Betty Brosmer was naturally small and slender and even then, she desired more strength from her petite body. When she was just a pre-teen, she was extremely interested in fitness, which prompted her to lift weights and build muscle. Known as a “tomboy” in school, Brosmer was an extraordinary athlete who all her peers would want on their teams. As beautiful as she was, the career path she chose was unexpected to those who knew Brosmer in her youth.