Gorgeous and racy, with her trademark blue eyes and bangs, Bettie Page is one of the most enduring sex symbol of the last sixty years. But Bettie was more than just a pretty face. This mysterious creature was a Pin-Up Queen turned actress who was forever known by her many lovers as ‘the One Who Got Away.’ This week we Dare you to explore the pose, the clothes and the expression of the immortal Bettie Page.

Truth: Bettie the Starlet
“Bettie is sexuality in its sparkly cleanest most beautiful charming smiliest!” noted Leonard Maltin. A famed photographer added that she could give you any ‘look’ you wanted, and that she could “smile with her whole body.”

Bare: Set aside time this week to explore the ‘Starlet’ in you. Mix and match light colors and innocent-looking ensembles with sheer, silky garments underneath. Practice posing as sweet, bubbly, and flirtatious. What does it feel like to smile with your whole body?

Truth: Bettie the Bombshell
“God gave her a lovely body, and she knew it,” wrote one admirer. Bettie the Bombshell gave herself permission to be gorgeous. Whether in risqué outfits or posing nude, Bettie was strong and direct. Yet there was always an openness and vulnerability to her pictures.

Bare: What clothes and poses does the ‘Bombshell’ in you long to explore? Perhaps super long black gloves and a haughty smile or a bustiere to match the saucy look in your eyes? And don’t forget, whether posing alone or playing with others, the Bombshell’s vulnerability is her greatest strength.

Truth: Bettie the Goddess
“No one ever dominated Bettie,” said Brigadier General and former lover Charles West. “She was her own person.” Bettie the Goddess was always comfortable with her own body and her sexuality. In fact, a favorite pasttime of hers was the ‘air bath.’ She describes it in her 2012 documentary Bettie Page Reveals All: “You don’t have a stitch of clothes on. You’re running around the house for 15 to 20 minutes, [and] you gotta have the windows open. You oughta try it sometime!”

Bare: Fan the flames of your inner ‘Goddess.’ Strip away all the clothes and the baggage and just bathe in the air. Take five minutes or take thirty. Own the moment. Breathe deep. Let go.

Yes ladies, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
and is all about the Ta-Tas.

All this stress over the lady chest is meant to bring awareness to the staggering rates of breast cancer in America. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women of all races. About 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and 40,000 women will die from it this year alone. Men account for less than 1% of all breast cancer cases but have a higher mortality rate percentage due, primarily, to lack of awareness of symptoms.

So how can you limit your risk of breast cancer?

• Don’t smoke. Limit alcohol. Research proves that significantly increases your risk of cancer.
• Have ‘the talk.’ If you’re over 40, it’s time to talk to your doctor about screenings and mammograms.
• Stay fit. Considerable evidence suggests that obesity and being overweight play a significant role in developing breast cancer.

In addition, October 13 is also No Bra Day (which is also known as Wet T-Shirt Contest Day in some countries). So the folks here at Exercise Buff would like to pose a challenge to all you fabulous women (and yes you men can get in on it too) to the following challenges!

Bare and Aware Challenge:
Challenge #1: Make a donation to the Susan G. Kommen Breast Cancer Foundation like we did ) or your favorite foundation.
Challenge #2: If you’re feeling daring and inspired, we invite you to take the Bare and Aware Challenge. Send us a photo of your bare chest and your breast cancer-related story (if any). Remember, breast awareness is all about the Ta-Tas and maybe your photo and story will be the one to motivate and inspire even one woman to get ‘the’ check-up? Everyone’s welcome to take the challenge.

The Top 3 most inspiring photos and/or stories will win an Exercise Buff workout shirt or tank top of your choice and have their photo and story posted to our BLOG.

How to: Simply send us a photo and story along with your name, contact email address and statement that you are at least 18 years of age to: contest@exercisebuff.com

All content submitted for consideration will become the property of Gymnos Media, LLC (Exercise Buff) and will be used solely for the Bare And Aware ‘Contest and Blog’ and any related relevant social media posts for Breast Cancer Awareness. By submitting your photo and story you agree to these and all other terms of use.

Have you wondered what it is, in the 21st century, that makes a man a man? Morgan Spurlock’s new documentary “Mansome” tackles just this question.

Spurlock, who received an Oscar nomination for 2004’s “Supersize Me,” gathers together a star-studded cast to help him examine modern masculinity. Celebrities like Judd Apatow and Paul Rudd take up the question with varying degrees of humor and humility. Grooming, fashion, and body image are chief among the topics explored. Spurlock also interviews competitive ‘beardsmen,’ professional wrestlers, and everyday men and women in search of the Holy Grail, er, Holy Male that is.

While “Mansome” does have moments of genuine hilarity (John Waters ponders retiring from moviemaking by shaving off his iconic moustache and eating it in front of a live audience), in the end it’s too thin and shortsighted to be truly engaging. But Will Arnett and Jason Bateman debating masculinity during a men’s spa day, complete with facials and pedicures, is almost entertaining enough to make it worth the video rental fee.

Nudity isn’t always about sex. Don’t get us wrong, there’s nothing wrong when it is– but sometimes to go naked is to reclaim your power, to face your fears, and to love your body.

So this week, we offer you a little game of Truth or Bare, inspired by the first and most misunderstood sex symbol, Ms. Marilyn Monroe.

TRUTH:
Marilyn famously revealed that she did wear bedtime apparel. When asked what it was, she responded, “Why, Chanel No. 5, of course!”
BARE:
Why not spend some time this week exploring the scents you find most relaxing, arousing, or inviting? Perhaps light a lavender candle while meditating or some incense while reading your favorite book…clothing optional, of course!

TRUTH:
MM once said that sex and nudity were simply a part of nature, and then added, “I go along with nature.”
BARE:
Take some time this week to go along with nature, even if it’s just stripping down and lounging in the backyard. Just don’t forget the sunscreen.

TRUTH:
Ms. Monroe once delivered a handwritten answer to a reporter’s question about posing nude. In it, she simply stated, “The body is meant to be seen, not all covered up.”
BARE:
Pamper your body in any way you’d like: a long bath, a ferocious workout, or your favorite lotion or body oil. Then stand in front of a mirror for a full five minutes and simply look at yourself, without judgment or shame. Dare to go Bare…and love every minute of it.