Marguerite Empey

About Marguerite Empey

Born in Los Angeles, California, Marguerite Empey was the daughter of Marguerite (née Andrus) and the multifaceted Arthur Guy Empey, who was a soldier, author, songwriter, actor, and movie producer. Under the name Marguerite Empey, she achieved prominence as Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month, appearing in May 1955 and again in February 1956. Russ Meyer, a director known for soft core pornography, captured the photographs for her 1956 feature.

Empey's early artistic pursuits included ballet lessons from the Russian ballerina Maria Befefi, which led to her work as a chorus girl at Bimbo's in San Francisco. In 1955, she married Joe Webber. She continued her career as a chorus girl while also pursuing formal ballet training. Her interests later broadened to nudism, leading to appearances in numerous nudist and adult magazines. Throughout her twelve-year career as a pin-up model, she graced the covers of publications such as Escapade, Frolic, Jem, Modern Sunbathing, Figure Quarterly, and Monsieur. Additionally, she was featured in an August 1975 issue of Esquire. Her presence extended to over thirty nudist and adult magazines between 1955 and 1967. The book Naked & Together: The Wonderful Webbers by June Lange, published by Elysium Inc. in 1967, documented the nudist lifestyle of the Webbers. Empey, under the name Diane Webber, posed for notable photographers including Peter Gowland, Bunny Yeager, and Russ Meyer. Her image also adorned the covers of several vinyl record albums, such as Les Baxter's Jewels of the Sea, Sea of Dreams by Nelson Riddle, Marty Paich's Jazz For Relaxation, Chile con Cugie by Xavier Cugat, and the RCA Japanese release of the Seiji Hiraoka & His Quartet album Bedtime Music.

In 1965, Empey traveled to Sioux City, Iowa, to provide testimony at the request of a US attorney in a trial concerning the distribution of allegedly obscene nudist magazines. From approximately 1969 to 1980, Empey dedicated herself full-time to instructing belly dancing at the now-closed Everywoman's Village in Van Nuys, California. She would occasionally perform this dance in public areas around Los Angeles, often accompanied by her most accomplished students and a band playing Middle Eastern music. Empey established Perfumes of Araby, recognized as one of the pioneering American belly dancing troupes. Her performances were characterized by a profound sensuality and a focus on artistic expression rather than audience appeasement. Notably, her shows, described as extremely scandalous, attracted a diverse audience that included many women and children. For several years, Empey orchestrated outdoor performances featuring up to forty Middle Eastern dancers. In Gay Talese's book Thy