The Mushrooming of the Playboy Club Culture in New York - Literature review Example

I was a Playboy Bunny" by Gloria Steinem (Essay) Introduction Gloria Steinem is a reputed socio-political activist who is well known all over the world for her immense contribution to the women’s liberation movement which was triggered in the late 1960s. Steinem was a journalist by profession who started her early career in New York at a time when journalism was considered to be the male bastion. Being a female reporter amongst the male majority, she did not get many chances to cover challenging journalistic stories. But one of her undercover reporting pieces catapulted her to the seat of fame in the world of journalism as well as literature. This reflective piece called ‘I Was a Playboy Bunny’ was based on her investigative work as a Playboy Bunny in a New York Playboy club. It was published in her noted collection titled ‘Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions’. In this work, the author has revealed the real picture of the tedious work, unhealthy working conditions, unfair wages and exploitative terms of employment borne by the girls in those jobs which apparently were upheld as the hallmarks of glitz and glamour. But Steinem acknowledged that, according to her, nothing in the life of a Playboy Bunny has anything to do with glamour or luxury. They are trapped in a world of falsehood and suffering where at every step they need to compromise their dignity, interests and choices for the sake of a meagre amount of wages. At the end of her article, Steinem makes a very strange but true claim that all women are “bunnies” in their daily real lives. This is because in their day-to day lives women have to play various roles based on their gender, just like the Playboy Bunnies, so as to extend their services to men. "I was a Playboy Bunny" is not straight journalism or conventional nonfiction Though the article was originally written as a piece of investigative journalism, with the passage of time and the addition of newer meanings to it, it eventually grew into something much more than plain news reporting or straight journalism. It began to be put alongside the noted works of literature that enjoy an altogether different ethos and carry a completely different relevance for the readers. Though at one glance, it may appear to be somewhat a specimen of conventional no-fiction, a deeper understanding and reading between the lines will make the reader discover and appreciate the storytelling qualities of the author’s writing style in this article. There are certain elements in this work that make it differ subtly from conventional journalism as well as prevent it from being pigeonholed to the genre of regular non-fiction. This essay looks forward to exploring the writing techniques used by Gloria Steinem in ‘I Was a Playboy Bunny’ that make it more than just news reporting, straight journalism or conventional nonfiction. A thorough reading of the text will easily reveal some of the writing techniques used by the author which make the readers see her as a fabulous story-teller, rather than a plain reporter of facts and events. Some of these literary elements in the Gloria Steinem’s work are her autobiographical touch to the article, the realistic portrayal of facts through amply simple language, her attention to the miniscule details of each event of her story, the feminist overtones echoed throughout the article and above all, the relevance of this literary work which transcends all boundaries of time and place. The Autobiographical Nature of the Work The article ‘I was a Playboy Bunny’ is written in the form of a series of entries recorded in Gloria Steinem’s diary. The events in the course of her article include her early decision of joining work in a club as a Playboy Bunny under the alias of Marie Ochs, her vivid experiences during her tenure in the club and her final day on the job when she turned in her costume for the last time. The era of the 1960s saw the emergence of a number of journalists who used their own first hand personal experiences as a channel to arrest and capture the nitty gritty details of the happenings they reported on. Examples of such literary works are ‘The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test’ by Tom Wolfe, ‘The Armies of the Night’ by Norman Mailer and ‘Hells Angels’ by Hunter Thompson. Steinem followed the trend of her times and brought the startling realities of the glamorous Playboy clubs to the forefront through her own experiences as a Bunny in one of the most popular clubs in the city. The entire article is in the form of a story recollected by the author in first person narrative technique. The use of this technique not only lends a story-like flavor to the report but also adds to its autobiographical candor. The vulnerability and misery of the Bunnies working in the club has been conveyed by the author through an in-depth narration of her own ordeal. The biggest challenge for the author during this risky maneuver was to restrain herself from lashing out against the individuals who were cleverly exploiting her under the guise of patronizing her. One such instance is when Ms. Sheralee refuses to pay her for her work at the hat check stand by claiming that it was a part of her training and saying “You don’t get paid for training.” (Steinem, 70) She thus reveals the win-lose equation at the Playboy club where the owners of the club make easy and huge money at the cost of the health and dignity of the Bunnies. The Realistic Portrayal of a hitherto Unknown World Steinem’s article is a vivid social document replete with realistic elements from the world of the Playboy Clubs and the lives of the Bunnies. The realistic account portrayed by the author falsifies the claims of popularly held belief that a Playboy Bunny is “beautiful, desirable… the most envied girl in America, working in the most exciting and glamorous setting in the world.” (Steinem, 72) In the article ‘I Was a Playboy Bunny’ she describes how the club owners tend to objectify the Bunnies for gaining their business and how the Bunnies have to undergo various difficulties in return for meager wages. While the Playboy Club advertisement carries the message that the Bunnies earn a hefty amount of $200 to $300 on a weekly basis, the actual wages earned by them do not even come close to this figure. Apart from the low rates of wages received by them, another disheartening fact is that they need to incur the expenses for the cleaning and maintenance of not only their work costumes, but even their false eyelashes. To add to their misery, 50% of the amount they earn as tips from the customers on their bills charged for food and liquor are also taken away by the club authorities. Not only financial exploitation but physical exploitation too is shown as an unavoidable part of the life of the Bunnies. The lewd comments, incessant ogling and unwanted touching behavior of the customers are not the only instances of this. The club’s management and supervisors too do not hesitate to behave in an unjust manner. For instance, the lady in charge of wardrobe at the club stuffs the front part of her costume with a plastic dry cleaning bag to further enhance her bosom and make her cleavage more prominent. The girls who apply for the job of waitress are compelled to go through medical test for sexually transmitted diseases, most of the times against their will, under the false pretext that it has been outlined by the State. But this white lie is unearthed when the author calls up the Department of Health, New York City to clarify her doubts on the same. These experiences, however disgusting they might have been, revealed to the author and to the readers the hard reality of the world of Playboy clubs which are otherwise regarded as glamorous and luxurious. The Author’s Attention to Minute Details The author’s use of a wide range of visual images in her detailed description of the locations, the people and the events helps the readers to connect to the happenings of the story. The readers can feel each and every element of the narrated story thorough Steinem’s skillful use of words to evoke visual and sound imagery. During her journey as a Playboy Bunny, she comes to learn the qualities and skills required by a Bunny. She fabricates a false biography of hers to meet those specifications of age, professional experience and background. During her selection process, he undergoes the medical tests for sexually transmitted diseases following the instructions of the club authorities. After being finally hired, she becomes familiar with the rules of work at the club such as the activities that can bring demerits or attract penalties, the different categories under which a Bunny might have to work and the group of club members whom she may or may not date. Her new status as a Playboy Bunny brought her face to face with the popularly held belief of people about girls in such a profession. On her very first day, she is greeted by the security guard who calls out to her: “Here bunny, bunny, bunny!” (Steinem, 34) Another instance is when she gives a detailed description of her Bunny outfit: “… my electric-blue costume … the tiny collar with clip-on bow tie and the starched cuffs with Playboy cufflinks. My nameplate was centred in a ribbon rosette like those worn in horse shows, pinned just above my bare right hipbone.” (Steinem, 51) The Feminist Overtones flowing throughout the work The article ‘I Was a Playboy Bunny’ was written and published in an era which saw the emergence of second wave feminism. It was a time when the world was waking up to realize and accept the rights of women as equals of men in every aspect. But Steinem was of the view that if the feminist movement is left entirely in the hands of male proponents, the movement would lose its essence and soon decline. Her assertion was supported by the fact that most of the male propagandists of feminism did not practice what they preached. An example was Hugh Hefner who was the founder of the Playboy magazine and was also the prime opponent of Steinem in the media world. While on one hand, Hefner proclaimed the emancipation of the feminist revolution in his monthly essays, on the other hand he was the proud owner of a chain of Playboy Clubs where women were treated as objects of glamour. Steinem’s decision to go undercover for reporting the truth of the workings of such clubs was an attempt to falsify the bunk claims of her media opponent as well as to contribute to the advancement of the feminist movement by revealing the grim reality of the life of women who worked as Playboy Bunnies. Through the power of her words and her journalistic vigor, the author was able to influence women across the world and help them realize their hidden potential to the change the way the world perceives them. In 1995, that is thirty two years after the publication of the article, Steinem writes in a postscript: “…long term results of this article were: …Realizing all women are bunnies. …I also began to take pleasure in the connections it made with women who might not have picked up a feminist book or magazine, but who responded to the rare sight of realistic working conditions and a group of women who supported each other.” (Steinem, 75) The Perpetual Relevance beyond Time and Place The period of the 1960s was marked by the creation of many works of literature that were based on the feminist ideals. Two most notable pieces of feminist literature that were published during this period were Sylvia Plaths The Bell Jar and Betty Friedans The Feminine Mystique. While most of her contemporary authors employed the mode of conventional literature to express their views on feminism, Gloria Steinem took recourse to undercover journalism to do the same. Her decision was daring and unconventional at a time when journalism was regarded as an exclusively male bastion. On top of that, very few journalists of her times had got a chance of first-hand experience of undercover reporting. Owing to the controversial theme of her article and the even more controversial nature of her approach, Steinem was initially apprehensive about the reception of her work by the readers and the critics when it was first published in 1963. But the eventual onset of feminism made the world realize that her report on the deceptive glamour world and the abusive employment policies of the Playboy clubs was not only realistic, but also symbolic of a new age. The article first appeared in the year 1963 under the title ‘A Bunnys Tale’ and since then it has been living a life of its own and carrying forward a distinct identity of its own. Twenty two years after its first publication, in 1985, it was made into a movie by ABC television. Later the story was renamed ‘I Was a Playboy Bunny’ and included in Steinem’s literary collection titled ‘Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions’. Thus Steinem’s groundbreaking and daring article that exposed the reality of the 1960’s Playboy clubs retains its freshness and relevance in all ages. That, according to me, is the distinctive mark of a true literary genius. Conclusion The changing status of women in society is a subject that has been consistently used by authors as a prominent theme of their works. The gender scenario in present times is characterized by the principle of social equality and egalitarianism that is free from the biases of gender. Today men and women enjoy equal rights in almost all walks of life. Today women no longer have to rely on the social workers and activists to initiate a feminist revolution so as to safeguard their equal rights in the society. But the situation was not the same a few decades ago. Going back in time, to the era of the late 1960s and early 1970s, one might witness the kinds of discriminations and dividing forces in society which were used to regulate the lives of women in their domestic and work lives. This was an age marked by the tendency of men to objectify and commoditize women for the sake of their own benefits in business. The same could be seen in the case of the New York Playboy clubs that hired young women by offering the lure of glamorous and rewarding jobs in the clubs. But the reality was far from this and this reality was presented to the entire world by Gloria Steinem, through a beautiful blend of her first-hand experience as an undercover journalist and her literary genius as a gifted author. Thus through the portrayal of the reality of the 1960s which saw the mushrooming of the Playboy club culture in New York, Gloria Steinem succeeds in giving us a taste of the times that we, fortunately or unfortunately, never got a chance to experience. Reference Steinem, Gloria, I was Playboy Bunny, Web. May 19, 2014 http://www.gloriasteinem.com/storage/I%20Was%20a%20Playboy%20Bunny.pdf Read More