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The Bunny Years: The Surprising Inside Story of the Playboy Clubs: The Women Who Worked as Bunnies, and Where They Are Now
A remarkable range of bright and ambitious women launched their careers while working as Playboy Bunnies. Kathryn Leigh Scott's memoir is based on over 250 interviews with former Bunnies and her own recollections of working in the New York Club while studying to be an actress.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1998
26 people are currently reading
456 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Leigh Scott
66 books154 followersKathryn Leigh Scott is an author/actress.
Her novels: September Girl (2019); Jinxed (2015); Down and Out in Beverly Heels (2013); Dark Passages (2012)
Recent nonfiction: Last Dance at the Savoy (2016); Now With You, Now Without (2017)
Kathryn has appeared in Blacklist with James Spader (2019); Woody Allen's A Rainy Day in New York (2019), soon-to-be-released The Eleventh Green (2019) with Campbell Scott, and Three Christs with Richard Gere and Juliana Margulies. She's also appeared in Hallmark Channel's Broadcasting Christmas (2016), Lifetime's A Wedding to Die For (2017), and has a recurring role as George Segal's girlfriend Miriam on The Goldbergs.
She wrote Dark Shadows: Return to Collinwood (2012), and appeared in a cameo role in the Johnny Depp/Tim Burton film Dark Shadows (2012). She is recording the audiobooks of all 32 Dark Shadows novels by Marilyn Ross, published 1966-1970.
Kathryn grew up on a farm in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. Upon graduation from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Kathryn landed the ingénue lead in the classic Gothic daytime drama Dark Shadows (ABC, 1966-1971), and starred in the 1971 MGM feature House of Dark Shadows. Kathryn played four roles in the series: Maggie Evans, Josette du Pres, Lady Kitty Hampshire, and Rachel Drummond. Kathryn wrote Dark Shadows Memories to coincide with its 20th anniversary, and Dark Shadows Companion as a 25th anniversary tribute.
Kathryn launched Pomegranate Press, Ltd., to publish books about the entertainment industry, including guide books, biographies, textbooks and coffee table art books. She wrote The Bunny Years (the 25-year history of Playboy Clubs told through the women who worked as Bunnies), which was sold to Imagine Entertainment's Brian Grazer. She also co-produced a two-hour special for the A&E Network and a one-hour documentary for BBC-1 and Canadian TV, based on the book. Pomegranate has published over 50 nonfiction titles, including Scott's books Lobby Cards: The Classic Films (Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Coffee Table Book) and Lobby Cards: The Classic Comedies, both of which were published in the UK by Bloomsbury. She published a trade paper edition of the hardcover biography Coya Come Home, with a foreword by Walter F. Mondale.
Kathryn's theatrical credits include a lengthy run with James Stewart in Harvey in London's West End. She has appeared in many television series and miniseries, including the "Who Watches the Watchers" episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Barbara Taylor Bradford's Voice of the Heart, as Dan Travanti's wife in Murrow, as George C. Scott's mistress in The Last Days of Patton, as Philip Marlowe's girlfriend in Chandlertown, and as a series regular with Brian Dennehy in Big Shamus, Little Shamus. Feature films include Providence, The Great Gatsby, Brannigan, The Greek Tycoon, Assassination, 187, Parasomnia, and Dr. Mabuse.
Kathryn maintains homes in Los Angeles and New York.
Her novels: September Girl (2019); Jinxed (2015); Down and Out in Beverly Heels (2013); Dark Passages (2012)
Recent nonfiction: Last Dance at the Savoy (2016); Now With You, Now Without (2017)
Kathryn has appeared in Blacklist with James Spader (2019); Woody Allen's A Rainy Day in New York (2019), soon-to-be-released The Eleventh Green (2019) with Campbell Scott, and Three Christs with Richard Gere and Juliana Margulies. She's also appeared in Hallmark Channel's Broadcasting Christmas (2016), Lifetime's A Wedding to Die For (2017), and has a recurring role as George Segal's girlfriend Miriam on The Goldbergs.
She wrote Dark Shadows: Return to Collinwood (2012), and appeared in a cameo role in the Johnny Depp/Tim Burton film Dark Shadows (2012). She is recording the audiobooks of all 32 Dark Shadows novels by Marilyn Ross, published 1966-1970.
Kathryn grew up on a farm in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. Upon graduation from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Kathryn landed the ingénue lead in the classic Gothic daytime drama Dark Shadows (ABC, 1966-1971), and starred in the 1971 MGM feature House of Dark Shadows. Kathryn played four roles in the series: Maggie Evans, Josette du Pres, Lady Kitty Hampshire, and Rachel Drummond. Kathryn wrote Dark Shadows Memories to coincide with its 20th anniversary, and Dark Shadows Companion as a 25th anniversary tribute.
Kathryn launched Pomegranate Press, Ltd., to publish books about the entertainment industry, including guide books, biographies, textbooks and coffee table art books. She wrote The Bunny Years (the 25-year history of Playboy Clubs told through the women who worked as Bunnies), which was sold to Imagine Entertainment's Brian Grazer. She also co-produced a two-hour special for the A&E Network and a one-hour documentary for BBC-1 and Canadian TV, based on the book. Pomegranate has published over 50 nonfiction titles, including Scott's books Lobby Cards: The Classic Films (Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Coffee Table Book) and Lobby Cards: The Classic Comedies, both of which were published in the UK by Bloomsbury. She published a trade paper edition of the hardcover biography Coya Come Home, with a foreword by Walter F. Mondale.
Kathryn's theatrical credits include a lengthy run with James Stewart in Harvey in London's West End. She has appeared in many television series and miniseries, including the "Who Watches the Watchers" episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Barbara Taylor Bradford's Voice of the Heart, as Dan Travanti's wife in Murrow, as George C. Scott's mistress in The Last Days of Patton, as Philip Marlowe's girlfriend in Chandlertown, and as a series regular with Brian Dennehy in Big Shamus, Little Shamus. Feature films include Providence, The Great Gatsby, Brannigan, The Greek Tycoon, Assassination, 187, Parasomnia, and Dr. Mabuse.
Kathryn maintains homes in Los Angeles and New York.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
June 11, 2016
Forget the new books with playboy or bunny in the title, many of them are about playmates NOT BUNNIES, and in our age of reality TV want to spin their experience into something controversial and negative because controversy gets people talking, tweeting, etc.
This book gives a view of Bunnies that is unique. Unless you worked for Playboy corporation, or knew well someone who did, you probably have a lot of misconceptions about the ladies who worked as waitresses, casino dealers, cigarette girls, photography, coat check, etc, etc. Bunnies could be in the magazine, but that was not their main job, always their choice and not that common.
After all the clubs were closed and there were no Bunnies to go on promotional appearances, centerfolds (called Playmates) were fitted with bunny costumes to cut ribbons, give awards and the other sorts of things we did on promotions - and further confused the issue of who the Bunnies really were. If you want to know what it was like to be a Bunny, read this book. This is the only one you want. You'll be surprised at the positive tone all the alumni have and amazed at the different places Bunnies ended up when their "Bunny Years" were over.
My only regret is that the book stops just a little before the last club shuts down (later others were reopened but as far as I know London and a club in Mexico have the only current Bunnies). It would have been a nice ellipsis to follow it from start to end.
As a former bunny myself I can testify that this really gives the most honest assessment of the experience - no other interview or article I have EVER read had EVER approached the reality.
This book gives a view of Bunnies that is unique. Unless you worked for Playboy corporation, or knew well someone who did, you probably have a lot of misconceptions about the ladies who worked as waitresses, casino dealers, cigarette girls, photography, coat check, etc, etc. Bunnies could be in the magazine, but that was not their main job, always their choice and not that common.
After all the clubs were closed and there were no Bunnies to go on promotional appearances, centerfolds (called Playmates) were fitted with bunny costumes to cut ribbons, give awards and the other sorts of things we did on promotions - and further confused the issue of who the Bunnies really were. If you want to know what it was like to be a Bunny, read this book. This is the only one you want. You'll be surprised at the positive tone all the alumni have and amazed at the different places Bunnies ended up when their "Bunny Years" were over.
My only regret is that the book stops just a little before the last club shuts down (later others were reopened but as far as I know London and a club in Mexico have the only current Bunnies). It would have been a nice ellipsis to follow it from start to end.
As a former bunny myself I can testify that this really gives the most honest assessment of the experience - no other interview or article I have EVER read had EVER approached the reality.
September 19, 2014
Nostalgic easy, name dropping read. It was a fair and accurate detailing from the mouths of the women who lived and/or worked within Playboy clubs as Playboy Bunnies. Most of the stories are from the original groups in New York and Chicago during the mid-1960's. The costuming methods, rules and training were especially interesting. Overall there was just too much reference and following of the few Bunnies, like Gloria Steinem, who worked for very short periods of time, did it for investigative reasons, or to access a particular key holder for another job.
Overall I did think it was a good look into a specific window of time in the 1960's when most women did not or could not go to college full time and were barely breaking in to any good salary business or service positions at the ages of these girls. Most of them were under 20. But never more so than in the particular detailing of those Bunnies' stories that had some poignant "getting away from a rude customer" tactics or specific method. Also, in the aspect of seeing how this was purely a 2 or 3 year gig for most of them to get into other sales or public relations or entrepreneurial fields. Because there were huge association and access benefits, far beyond the fantastic tips.
I was not surprised to read that most ('60's /'70's) and many very successful in life former Bunnies looked upon these memories very positively and with almost no regrets. On the other hand, this book made me sadder than I ever thought it could. So many of the Chicago stories were exactly where I was and at the very same times. And I do know and remember those places and how the audition and interview "felt" for many jobs where dress/poise/looks of upmost importance, and eating in spots just like that for 15 or 23 cents a meal. So different from now in respect levels in good intent too. So very different, sometime with more conflict and less advantage for women then, but always with far more hope to reach the moon than young have today! Bunny work was never looked upon as anything but a short term bridge to something else and this book supports that completely. So much between the line too in the demerit and fired rigmarole cycle.
So much more in these pages than just complaints about costume comfort or difficulty that bunny dip serving puts on the back and the legs as in Steinem's article. Sexy looks was essentially the packaging, but joy was part and core of the finished effect.
Overall I did think it was a good look into a specific window of time in the 1960's when most women did not or could not go to college full time and were barely breaking in to any good salary business or service positions at the ages of these girls. Most of them were under 20. But never more so than in the particular detailing of those Bunnies' stories that had some poignant "getting away from a rude customer" tactics or specific method. Also, in the aspect of seeing how this was purely a 2 or 3 year gig for most of them to get into other sales or public relations or entrepreneurial fields. Because there were huge association and access benefits, far beyond the fantastic tips.
I was not surprised to read that most ('60's /'70's) and many very successful in life former Bunnies looked upon these memories very positively and with almost no regrets. On the other hand, this book made me sadder than I ever thought it could. So many of the Chicago stories were exactly where I was and at the very same times. And I do know and remember those places and how the audition and interview "felt" for many jobs where dress/poise/looks of upmost importance, and eating in spots just like that for 15 or 23 cents a meal. So different from now in respect levels in good intent too. So very different, sometime with more conflict and less advantage for women then, but always with far more hope to reach the moon than young have today! Bunny work was never looked upon as anything but a short term bridge to something else and this book supports that completely. So much between the line too in the demerit and fired rigmarole cycle.
So much more in these pages than just complaints about costume comfort or difficulty that bunny dip serving puts on the back and the legs as in Steinem's article. Sexy looks was essentially the packaging, but joy was part and core of the finished effect.
September 12, 2009
SUPER fun accounts of working at the Playboy Clubs. Much of this book was a 'where are they now' style collection from various starlets, and a notably absent commentary is one from Gloria Steinham. In fact, this book seems to almost be in response to her famous account of her own few days as a Bunny. Rather than falling into her exploitation paradigm, these women are grateful for the experience (and money) they got from their time at the Clubs.
Many of these women formed lifelong friendships and business partnerships from their experience. While these are probably somewhat selected based on their positive experience, there are certainly more stars and corporate higher ups than I expected to find wearing a tail.
The Clubs are clearly a relic of the not-so-distant past, they operated with a combination of titillation and class that would seem almost passe if they opened today. However, at least according to this account, they were a place where women could earn good money by being good waitresses - like a upper-class Hooters, if you will. Many of these women used the Club as a starting point for their careers, and look back fondly at a place where they were able to exert some power as women.
Definitely a fun read with lots of interesting details about club policy, training, and guests. There is some sleaze when talking about the club owners (Hefner and others), but mostly just a gleeful recitation of girls playing at being naughty and nice.
Many of these women formed lifelong friendships and business partnerships from their experience. While these are probably somewhat selected based on their positive experience, there are certainly more stars and corporate higher ups than I expected to find wearing a tail.
The Clubs are clearly a relic of the not-so-distant past, they operated with a combination of titillation and class that would seem almost passe if they opened today. However, at least according to this account, they were a place where women could earn good money by being good waitresses - like a upper-class Hooters, if you will. Many of these women used the Club as a starting point for their careers, and look back fondly at a place where they were able to exert some power as women.
Definitely a fun read with lots of interesting details about club policy, training, and guests. There is some sleaze when talking about the club owners (Hefner and others), but mostly just a gleeful recitation of girls playing at being naughty and nice.
February 13, 2025
I'll be honest. I'd rate this a 3.5/5 based on the content, but because this book is so important to me, I'm rating it a 4/5. I've always been curious about the history of Playboy Bunnies in both a pop culture sense and a feminist sense. I wondered about the costume, I wondered what it was like to work in a Playboy Club during the sexual revolution, I wondered what challenges they faced and what good came out of it, if any. Most of all, I wondered what their lives were like after the hutch.
A friend recommended this to me in 2020 - she was a bigger Bunny enthusiast than I was at the time - and I remember begging my parents to let me get it because it seemed so interesting. Obviously they were hesitant. I mean, I was teenager asking for a book on Playboy Bunnies... finally they relented after reading the summary. Thank god. I read about half, then got busy with school and forgot about it. I have more time on my hands now, so I decided to revisit the text.
As far as feminism goes, this book has a lot of mixed perspectives. Some former Bunnies buy into it heavily and some don't. I suppose that's fine since it's not meant to be seen as feminist literature. In the simplest terms: it's a response to Gloria Steinem's 1963 article for Show Magazine. It was meant to clarify points she got wrong or didn't elaborate on. It was meant to highlight the careers of women she dismissed as what people might've called "Dumb Bunnies."
I thought it was really insightful. I think multiple perspectives are important in cases like this. Gloria Steinem was only a Bunny for the amount of time it took to write her article. Obviously her experience wouldn't be the same as the women who spent years working at the Playboy Club to pay off their college tuitions.
I recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about the daily-to-day activities of Playboy Bunnies, the sisterhood between girls who worked together at Playboy Clubs, and their life accomplishments after Bunnydom.
A friend recommended this to me in 2020 - she was a bigger Bunny enthusiast than I was at the time - and I remember begging my parents to let me get it because it seemed so interesting. Obviously they were hesitant. I mean, I was teenager asking for a book on Playboy Bunnies... finally they relented after reading the summary. Thank god. I read about half, then got busy with school and forgot about it. I have more time on my hands now, so I decided to revisit the text.
As far as feminism goes, this book has a lot of mixed perspectives. Some former Bunnies buy into it heavily and some don't. I suppose that's fine since it's not meant to be seen as feminist literature. In the simplest terms: it's a response to Gloria Steinem's 1963 article for Show Magazine. It was meant to clarify points she got wrong or didn't elaborate on. It was meant to highlight the careers of women she dismissed as what people might've called "Dumb Bunnies."
I thought it was really insightful. I think multiple perspectives are important in cases like this. Gloria Steinem was only a Bunny for the amount of time it took to write her article. Obviously her experience wouldn't be the same as the women who spent years working at the Playboy Club to pay off their college tuitions.
I recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about the daily-to-day activities of Playboy Bunnies, the sisterhood between girls who worked together at Playboy Clubs, and their life accomplishments after Bunnydom.
April 1, 2015
I liked the book and it is accurate. The author interviewed a random sample of a small number of the women who had worked as bunnies and so it was a collection of very short post-bunny mini-biographies. I liked that she included photos. The author had worked in the New York Playboy Club for a time and so she had a good understanding of this unique waitressing job.
It was waitressing in a scandalous (at the time scandalous) sexy costume shortly after women started using the birth control pill which liberated many of them sexually. Imagine scantily-dressed fresh, young beauties agreeably working for tips, serving alcohol in a private club with dim lights and hormones flowing.
At the time, many were sure horrible debaucheries were rampant, and many daring men were lured to buy a key to the club and may have been surprised at the security and strict rules once they got inside.
The clubs were revolutionary at the time and I heard it said "the bunnies were pioneers in the sexual revolution". Many had nice success stories, and some were briefly recounted here. So far, this is the best book I have read dealing with the Playboy Bunnies.
It was waitressing in a scandalous (at the time scandalous) sexy costume shortly after women started using the birth control pill which liberated many of them sexually. Imagine scantily-dressed fresh, young beauties agreeably working for tips, serving alcohol in a private club with dim lights and hormones flowing.
At the time, many were sure horrible debaucheries were rampant, and many daring men were lured to buy a key to the club and may have been surprised at the security and strict rules once they got inside.
The clubs were revolutionary at the time and I heard it said "the bunnies were pioneers in the sexual revolution". Many had nice success stories, and some were briefly recounted here. So far, this is the best book I have read dealing with the Playboy Bunnies.
January 2, 2014
How did I come to read this book? It was on a list of unexpected feminist books, regarding exploitation of women. I found it to be very anthropological, as in it was written ethnographically, with accounts from the women on their own real experiences. I would say that I was surprised there wasn't much criticism from behind the scenes, as that would have sold well. The main conflicts recorded seem to have been along the lines of the bunnies protesting, sure, but remarkably one incident was about not being able to date who they wanted at the clubs. This is sort of the anti-Gloria Steinem Bunny Experience, with many of the women going on to be executives or own their own businesses or successful in some way or other. It does not, in fact, make much mention of the personal lives of the women after being a Bunny and or any challenges they may have faced. I feel this was missing for it to be a true ethnography. Not every woman could have had some magical fairy land existence. It's not so much questioning these women's veracity, as the feeling a lot has been left out.
October 23, 2015
An interesting look into a bygone era. It is part history, part anecdotal; however, if you are interested in either Playboy or the empowerment of women, I would recommend it.
The book tells the story of the rise of the Playboy Clubs from the point of view of the Bunnies who worked there. Each Bunny relates her experiences both in and outside the clubs. There are also contributions from celebrity Bunnies Deborah Harry and Lauren Hutton, among others.
The book tells the story of the rise of the Playboy Clubs from the point of view of the Bunnies who worked there. Each Bunny relates her experiences both in and outside the clubs. There are also contributions from celebrity Bunnies Deborah Harry and Lauren Hutton, among others.
November 3, 2021
The personal story of how Kathryn Leigh Scott became a Playboy Bunny in the 60s, the history of the Clubs, and a lot of bios of former Bunnies. The latter were interesting up to a point, but became a bit repetitive. The 'behind the scenes' bits about the costumes and rules that the Bunnies had to follow were quite interesting, and the book provides an interesting counterpoint to Gloria Steinem's infamous undercover Bunny piece for Show magazine.
May 14, 2014
Kudos for this book...too bad these bunnies don't exist anymore, too bad times have changed and not necessarily for the better. The bunnies will always be an awesome sisterhood of sexy gals. Glad I found this book, really inspiring.
April 25, 2008
Got a bit long towards the end, but mostly an interesting collection of personal recollections.
July 27, 2011
Interesting to see, as an outsider, what it was like to be a "BUNNY."
May 27, 2012
This book was an eye opener!! I absolutely loved it!! If you have never read it, don't put it off any longer!!! Cudos to the Bunnys who worked so hard and got such a bad rap!! Amazing job, Kathryn!!
January 4, 2013
Loved the insights into what it was like in the beginning all the way to the end from the very women who lived it!!!
May 22, 2013
Great book,fun book to read, made me wish the playboy clubs were still open, and that i was there.
Currently reading
September 24, 2008its sort of a big middle finger to gloria steinhem
July 14, 2023
There’s so much more to the bunnies than just ears and a fluffy tail.
I picked up this book because I wanted to know more about the actual lives of the Playboy Bunnies. Not the women in the magazine, but the women in the clubs. This book tells just that and a bit more. There are pieces on each of the clubs and resorts, but most about the women who worked there.
As biographies and anecdotes about the women, the book hits the mark. This is a sneak peek into their world. What it was like to wait tables there, what it was like to get older while serving and some of the not so fun things that took place. This book, while interesting, seemed to do a bit of name dropping in places. Yes, a lot of famous people did time as bunnies, but it almost seemed like the book traded on that, rather than the real situations the women dealt with.
Still, it’s an interesting window into their lives and the way the supernova of the Playboy brand exploded. It’s fascinating and somewhat scary, but I’m glad I read it. Give this book a try.
I picked up this book because I wanted to know more about the actual lives of the Playboy Bunnies. Not the women in the magazine, but the women in the clubs. This book tells just that and a bit more. There are pieces on each of the clubs and resorts, but most about the women who worked there.
As biographies and anecdotes about the women, the book hits the mark. This is a sneak peek into their world. What it was like to wait tables there, what it was like to get older while serving and some of the not so fun things that took place. This book, while interesting, seemed to do a bit of name dropping in places. Yes, a lot of famous people did time as bunnies, but it almost seemed like the book traded on that, rather than the real situations the women dealt with.
Still, it’s an interesting window into their lives and the way the supernova of the Playboy brand exploded. It’s fascinating and somewhat scary, but I’m glad I read it. Give this book a try.
November 22, 2018
I went to the Playboy Club in NYC after my prom back in 1978 and what a night it was. How did I get into such an exclusive place? I was in awe of the Bunnies then, and still am. I was delighted to read some of their stories and learn how hard it really was to be one of them; and how successful some of them became. I heard they are trying to bring some of these clubs back, but they will never have the respect and admiration as the originals. I'm glad Kathryn Leigh Scott wrote this; it leaves a legacy of a bygone era that needs to, and should be, remembered.
May 28, 2025
It was interesting to learn what it was like to be a Playboy Bunny in the beginning of the enterprise. The book was not about the magazine. The girls were more innocent than my pre-conceived ideas thought they were. There were some famous people that I had no idea were Bunnies. It became a bit boring in the middle because the author gave biographies of unknown women and what became of them around that time.
February 22, 2017
Just as entertaining as I was hoping it would be, and much more thought-provoking and interesting than I was expecting!
May 5, 2019
While the beginning of the book was interesting, it quickly got boring as each of the women's stories were similar. I skimmed most of the last 2/3 of the book.
July 2, 2021
One of the most enlightening books I ever read, and extremely complex and multifaceted in its exploration of the subject. Made me nostalgic for a time decades before I was born.
April 8, 2022
Stories from former bunnies from all the locations around the world.
Some were good stories some weren't, overa an okay book. Not much insight into the actual clubs.
Some were good stories some weren't, overa an okay book. Not much insight into the actual clubs.
January 28, 2025
3.5 stars
September 19, 2011
How I Came To Read This Book: The lovely people at Simon & Schuster sent me a copy so I could review it for an upcoming issue of SANDBOX. It was originally published over a decade ago, but has been updated with a new forward by Hugh Hefner to reflect the new NBC show that's debuting tomorrow.
The Plot: Kathryn Leigh Scott is an actress that once worked as a Playboy Bunny during the peak of the New York club's operations in the 1960s. During her days there she worked alongside feminist Gloria Steinem, who infamously went undercover as a Bunny and wrote the expose on the club that launched her career. After the two women bumped into each other many years later, Scott was inspired to prove Steinem wrong - that there was life after Bunnydom, and a good one at that. She interviewed 200 Bunnies to learn about how they got hired, their experiences at the club, and how the forward-thinking, liberating policies of the Playboy empire helped (more often than not) springboard them to where they are today. The book is part memoir, part anecdotes from a host of former Bunnies around the world, and part pop-culture scrapbook filled with photos, news articles, and snippets from the Bunny training manual.
The Good & The Bad: Honestly, the only bad thing I have to say about this book is it's a tad repetitive. The bulk of the book is anecdotes from the former Bunnies, and while their stories are impressive and almost consistently positive in respects to the clubs, they also make up the bulk of the content of this book - and by the end, you're just kind of done with it. Each story takes on a pretty similar format: how did you get hired? what did / do people think? what was it like for you? how did it get you to where you are today? what are you doing today? Although a few girls will hint at the darker side of the Playboy lifestyle (group sex and swinging anyone?), generally speaking the book presents a surprisingly enlightened and protective workplace that really did provide unprecedented opportunities for woman - as long as they were willing to don a corset, cuffs, and collar.
Of course, the book MUST be read with a grain of salt. We all know what the Playboy empire stands for today, and it's a far cry from the girls that frequently cite how stunned they were for being hired despite not being the 'prettiest, thinnest, or bustiest'. We also all know that education isn't really a Playboy priority anymore - Scott makes a point of noting almost every girl hired was a student or a mom or pursuing another career, and Playboy downright encouraged it. Today they want you to be eye candy and little else. It's hard to reconcile this supposedly liberating world with what we see today...but still, the book serves as a delicious slice of pop culture history, packed with stories that are both amusing, interesting, and in a few cases, inspiring.
The Bottom Line: Surprisingly insightful, if it at times stuffed with as much filler as a Bunny costume on an A-cup (hey-o).
Anything Memorable?: New show starts tomorrow!
60-Book Challenge?: Book #47 in 2011
The Plot: Kathryn Leigh Scott is an actress that once worked as a Playboy Bunny during the peak of the New York club's operations in the 1960s. During her days there she worked alongside feminist Gloria Steinem, who infamously went undercover as a Bunny and wrote the expose on the club that launched her career. After the two women bumped into each other many years later, Scott was inspired to prove Steinem wrong - that there was life after Bunnydom, and a good one at that. She interviewed 200 Bunnies to learn about how they got hired, their experiences at the club, and how the forward-thinking, liberating policies of the Playboy empire helped (more often than not) springboard them to where they are today. The book is part memoir, part anecdotes from a host of former Bunnies around the world, and part pop-culture scrapbook filled with photos, news articles, and snippets from the Bunny training manual.
The Good & The Bad: Honestly, the only bad thing I have to say about this book is it's a tad repetitive. The bulk of the book is anecdotes from the former Bunnies, and while their stories are impressive and almost consistently positive in respects to the clubs, they also make up the bulk of the content of this book - and by the end, you're just kind of done with it. Each story takes on a pretty similar format: how did you get hired? what did / do people think? what was it like for you? how did it get you to where you are today? what are you doing today? Although a few girls will hint at the darker side of the Playboy lifestyle (group sex and swinging anyone?), generally speaking the book presents a surprisingly enlightened and protective workplace that really did provide unprecedented opportunities for woman - as long as they were willing to don a corset, cuffs, and collar.
Of course, the book MUST be read with a grain of salt. We all know what the Playboy empire stands for today, and it's a far cry from the girls that frequently cite how stunned they were for being hired despite not being the 'prettiest, thinnest, or bustiest'. We also all know that education isn't really a Playboy priority anymore - Scott makes a point of noting almost every girl hired was a student or a mom or pursuing another career, and Playboy downright encouraged it. Today they want you to be eye candy and little else. It's hard to reconcile this supposedly liberating world with what we see today...but still, the book serves as a delicious slice of pop culture history, packed with stories that are both amusing, interesting, and in a few cases, inspiring.
The Bottom Line: Surprisingly insightful, if it at times stuffed with as much filler as a Bunny costume on an A-cup (hey-o).
Anything Memorable?: New show starts tomorrow!
60-Book Challenge?: Book #47 in 2011
November 13, 2016
An exceptional and informational counterpart to Gloria Steinem's infamous article that teaches a lot about the inner workings of the Playboy Club but also about the wide motivations and journeys of the forward-thinking women who worked there. Really makes you think twice about judging a Playboy Bunny just because of the brand or the outfit.
October 10, 2013
This was an enjoyable read. I came across this book at a thrift bookstore and I thought, why not? I always like reading about days gone by. This is entertaining, enjoyable and yeah, it was good. Easy read.
September 24, 2019
Very interesting, but also very innocent.
January 14, 2020
The inside scoop on the waitresses of the Playboy clubs. Learn how men from the past acted like pervs
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