MARIE THE BUNNY

To mention Gloria Steinem's name is to mention one of the most influential female figures in the world. A journalist and activist, she is probably best known for her role as a well-known feminist since the early '70s. She's founded and co-founded many influential social organizations, including the Women's Action Alliance, the Coalition of Labor Union Women, and the Women's Media Center, and also co-founded the feminist-themed magazine - the first of it's kind - Ms. magazine. The magazine's first issue was sold out in 8 days!

But she was also a Playboy Bunny.

In 1963, Steinem took on a reporting assignment for an article for Huntington Hartford's Show magazine. The reporting task was no easy one, as she would be going undercover as a Playboy Bunny in the newly opened New York Playboy Club. The objective of the assignment was to dive directly into the world of a Bunny, without restriction, and see what it truly was like to be one.

Was there really a decent job as a Playboy Bunny? Were the girls really making top dollar and living glamorous lives, as the job advertisements of Playboy had promised?

This was daunting for a few reasons, one of the more obvious ones was the fear of being outed as an undercover journalist, reminded there were others before her who had tried but were exposed before they could learn anything of news value about the Bunnies and the Club.

Bunny pic of Steinem as 'Marie' from one
of the promotional shoots she did
for the Club during her investigation

But being the clever woman that she was, Steinem was successful enough in her disguise that she managed to stay a Bunny for about a month without ever getting caught. Steinem's report article was released to the public sometime after her brief bunny stint. The article is quiet lengthy but very well-written, especially being in the format of a journal Steinem kept of her days during the job, including every single detail she experienced and witnessed. From the "Bunny School" all the girls had to attend to learn everything about being a Bunny, to the mandatory bra-stuffing and long serving-hours they endured in heels, making it a very enjoyable and interesting read. It also includes a post-script, listing the after-effects the article had after going public.

After reading her actual report, I can assume the Playboy Bunnies then had more of a dignity in their image and the job description was less physical than it probably is now (one source I read discussing Steinem's experience called the Bunnies 'basically waitresses with tight clothes on'). But what remains the same is surely the treatment and attitude the Bunnies receive from 'clients', which, by Steinem's account, was rarely of any respect at all. If the men back then were already as ill-behaved, I can't imagine what kind of behavior the girls must endure in this time of era. 

Regardless of the occupation and what it stands for, Steinem reminds readers that these girls are more than just pretty things trying to make quick cash off their physic. "All women are bunnies" she notes, reminding us that these women are the same like any other women in other working fields. However you may look at their job, these were real women with real problems, trying to make a decent living in a poorly conditioned environment for the workers. This was a group of real women who supported each other in those unfortunate situations.

New York magazine did an issue a few months ago as a tribute of sorts, featuring Steinem's story and accomplishments for women in journalism. 

NY magz Oct '11 issue

Checkout the amazing online feature here !