Rabbiting On

Now I sang the praises of the 1950s style Gil Elfgren pin-ups the other day, and I'm all for retro but I just cannot make my mind up about how I feel about the opening of the Playboy Club in London.  Is it cheeky kitsch charm?  After all, it's far more innocent than boobs(and worse)-in-your-face lap dancing clubs.  Or is it a bit more sinister than that?  Is it saying that things haven't changed for women since the 60s and we're all going backwards?  And what about Hef? Until recently, the Viagra-addled miniature octogenarian had 3 twenty-something identikit girlfriends who were happy to share him; now he's marrying a 25 year old.  Is he an old fashioned gentleman?  Is it true love? Or are basically, men driven by young girls with big tits and women driven by money and lifestyle?  That seems to be what the Playboy brand is saying.

I read an interview today with Hugh Hefner and he said:

We live in a post-feminist society where a lot of women have grown  up watching things like the popular reality show that was set in the Playboy mansion. The majority of viewers of that show were young women. I’m on Twitter and get fan messages, a lot from young women, who love Playboy and love the bunny.
Why do they say they like it?
It means different things to different people but for me it means personal, economic and political freedom. Maybe young women love the lifestyle represented in the TV show.
Other than the money, why do some women want to become Playboy models?
It’s a form of sexual emancipation. The very thing some feminists consider exploitation represents, for a great many other women, a form of sexual celebration.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/lifestyle/865460-hugh-hefner-i-get-female-fans-on-twitter-saying-they-love-playboy#ixzz1OaYcaU42

I don't claim to be a very good feminist but when Hefner, and his Playboy girls claim it's 'sexual emancipation' and  'empowering', I have to laugh.  The women are dressed to serve, and please the men.  They're not there for their waitressing or croupier skills.  They're making money from their face and bodies.  And yes, perhaps for a great many women, being looked at and told you're sexy or gorgeous is the ultimate achievement.  And the money helps.  But if my [hypothetical] daughter said it was her life's ambition to be a Bunny Girl, I'd wonder where I went wrong - where women's rights have gone wrong over the last few decades.

I've been in the consumer's position; I went to a hen party where we had a Butler in the Buff.  He looked good, and he was there to serve us.  We checked out his buns.  We giggled and leered.  His mojito making skills left a lot to be desired; however, if a chubby plain guy had turned up, we'd have kicked up a fuss, right?  But he wasn't doing the job to be 'empowered' by bending over in front of a gang of leering cougars, he was paying his way through university.  So when the Bunnies or their creator dress it up as post-feminist, I just don't get it.  We all like to look at good-looking things.  We'll pay for that pleasure.  Some people like money more than being respected.  Is that it?  Or have I misunderstood everything?

Mmm, now I fancy a mojito...