User:Ruthy Flint/Playboy

We wish to add a section to the Playboy article about the different scandals involving women as well as update some citations throughout the article. As of now, there is no “controversies” section of the article that displays these important stories.

Female Perspectives and Experiences

Gloria Steinem 1977, photographed in her home. Years after writing her Playboy Expose.

Gloria Steinem

Bunny Girl outfit, worn by employees of the Playboy clubs.

Gloria Steinem, an American activist and journalist went undercover as an employee in 1963 at the New York City Playboy club. In 1963, she wrote an expose article called "A Bunny's Tale", discussing the inner-workings of a Playboy Bunny, which was later turned into a TV film. Steinem, going by the cover name of Marie Cathrine Ochs, applied for the job of a Playboy bunny. Her goal was to research and investigate the alleged mistreatment and harassment of women at the Playboy club. Steinem prepared a whole background story, very careful not to be discovered. Steinem arrived at the club in New York City, and filled out an application to be a Playboy Bunny. When applying, she was told that as a 24-year-old, she was considered relatively old to work there. Additionally, Steinem detailed how Playboy didn't want any backstory, but just wanted their employees to be a pretty face for the company.

When applying, Steinem was told the expectations of the workers. Bunnies had to maintain a certain level of personal maintenance, such as always having their makeup, nails and hair done without flaws. The Bunnies were instructed to always be perceived as happy and optimistic. They were also expected to weigh a certain amount, and to have a certain bust size, or else they would get fined. There was a club motto that the Bunnies were hired for 1. Beauty 2. Personality 3. Ability, and the order was very important. Steinem was hired on the spot, and told to come back in a few days for training. She was given the "Bunny Bible", a rulebook with all the etiquette information. The club had fine lines around prostitution. No Bunny could seem interested or available to customers, however if a top client or a "key-holder" expressed interest, they were encouraged and suggested to comply. Additionally, the club would take 50% of tips earned from the first 30$ of the night, 25% of tips up to 60$ and 5% of tips after that.

Steinem detailed many forms of harassment she allegedly received during training, including customers touching her costume, putting their arm around her, breathing heavily down her neck, along with multiple instances of being yelled at when refusing to go home with a customer. Steinem claimed to have worked long night shifts in uncomfortable clothing, with no breaks or food. The Bunnies were told they would make around $200 - 300 a week, when in reality they had to share tips and they were underpaid. Steinem also observed and noted in her expose how Bunnies of color were called "Chocolate Bunnies" and were given lower ranking jobs in the club.

Jennifer Saginor

The Original Playboy Mansion

Jennifer Saginor, author of her memoir Childhood: A Childhood Lost Inside the Playboy Mansion, experienced the infamous Playboy mansion at the age of six years old for the first time. Her father, Mark Saginor, was Hugh Hefner’s physician, otherwise known as “Dr. Feelgood”. Mr. Saginor was the primary reason that Jennifer was introduced to the mansion at such a young age due to his residency there. While her parents were still together, Jennifer and her sister would spend a good amount of time at the mansion with their father, having a plethora of adult experiences sprung on them at a young age. Her mother fought, trying to prevent her daughters from stepping foot into that mansion. She went as far as getting a divorce with “Dr. Feelgood”, hoping for full custody, as well as court orders.

After Jennifer’s parent’s divorce, Mr. Saginor spent significantly more time at the mansion than prior, bringing his children along with him. No matter how often her mother would forbid them from going, Jennifer would lie about her whereabouts to spend time at the “playhouse”. Jennifer yearned for her father’s love and affection, so, she would insist on going to the mansion with him. Unfortunately for Jennifer, this would lead to years of processing her broken childhood, which she is continuing to work on in present times.

A specific story that Jennifer references in her memoir is, again, at the age of six when she ventures to the mansion for the first time, meeting Hugh Hefner, and is left to her own devices by her father. As she walked through the mansion, surrounded by half-naked strangers, she ran into the butler who showed her to the pool. Once getting to the pool, Jennifer discovered a secret tunnel under the water, leading to an underground jacuzzi in a separate section of the house. Here, she walked in on John Belushi having sexual intercourse with one of the Playboy Bunnies. She was six years old at the time, but describes her response to this experience as “I am no longer six. I have grown to full maturity in a matter of seconds.” Jennifer’s experiences display just one of the hidden stories of the Playboy Mansion that haven’t been addressed or brought to light for the masses. Throughout the rest of her novel, she discusses several stories involving herself and others, sharing what really went down in the mansion during her time residing there, including the sexual relationship she was involved in with one of Hugh Hefner’s girlfriends.

Sondra Theodore

Sondra Theodore, Hugh Hefner's girlfriend from 1979-1981, lived with Hefner in his mansion with her children throughout the duration of her relationship. One of the most famous playboy bunnies, Theodore was featured on the cover of Playboy in 1977 and had many centerfold photo shoots throughout her time as a Playboy bunny. In the documentary series Secrets of Playboy, she spoke out about her experience and the mistreatment she received during her time in the house. Theodore also spoke about her experience in a joint interview with her daughter for People magazine. In the interview they discuss the vastly different experiences and perspectives they had living in the mansion.

In the documentary, Theodore spoke about the pressure she felt to engage in sexual acts, not only with Hefner, but also with other men and women who frequented the house. She also alleged that she was forced to be a "drug mule" for Hefner, stating that he forced her to retrieve drugs, including cocaine, for his personal use. Many other former bunnies called out Theodore saying that she was "chasing fame" and alleging that her accusations were false due to the fact that she didn't speak out for years. The backlash that Theodore faced was in part due to the fact that after their split she remained on good terms with Hefner. She ended up marrying a close friend of Hefner. She also returned to the mansion many times after her split with Hefner and when she eventually divorced her husband it was Hefner who gave her money for a divorce lawyer.Their close friendship, even after their romantic relationship ended led many to question the validity of Theodore's story. In the documentary Theodore acknowledges how she waited to speak out due to blocking out traumatic memories and believing that she didn't have a voice. The documentary gave her and other former bunnies a chance to share their experiences. In response to Theodores allegations and the documentary in general, Playboy released an open letter stating that "today’s Playboy is not Hugh Hefner’s Playboy".