What Playboy Clubs were really like for glam Bunnies – from strict rules to sexy uniform
Long before Hugh Hefner and his Playmates graced reality TV, women known as Bunnies served as waitstaff in his clubs.
The first Playboy Club opened in Chicago in 1960, and subsequently in New York, New Orleans, Los Angeles and Kansas City – before going global.
Bunnies were different from Playmates and clubs meticulously screened women for the sought-after roles.
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Playboy Bunnies were afforded a largely unprecedented level of financial independence, which was rare in the 1960s, and many were able to save enough money to purchase their own homes.
The jobs were understandably competitive; hundreds of girls often interviewed for the handful of available positions.
Read on to discover what the Playboy Clubs were really like in their heyday.
(Image: Popperfoto via Getty Images)
Bunnies had to follow strict manual
Each worker would receive a Bunny Instructions Manual they had to follow closely otherwise they would be given demerits.
Bunnies were forbidden from chewing gum or drinking alcohol while working and had to hold their cigarettes very carefully, taking one delicate drag at a time, and setting the cigarette down on an ashtray in between.
During her time reporting undercover in New York’s Playboy Club as Bunny Marie, Gloria Steinem revealed that keeping uniform in order was a must.
Having a scruffy tail, wearing footwear with heels shorter than three inches, showing up without a clean uniform, having bad nails and donning hosiery with runs could result in Bunnies receiving demerits.
She reported being tested for sexually transmitted diseases before being hired – and another Bunny claimed they had daily weigh-ins after being recruited.
(Image: Bettmann Archive)
The Bunny Manual also stipulated that the Bunnies must always be joyful and smile.
According to Billie Wilson, a Bunny in 1981, the strict rules weren’t all bad.
“When you were a Bunny, you were a little celebrity in your own right, a lot of us got opportunities from it,” she told Page Six.
“To work for Playboy, they had very strict rules. I liked it because you were constantly protected, people couldn’t touch you.”
Outfits had firm regulations
Bunnies were urged to don wigs and the uniforms were to be worn “proudly and prettily.”
They had to get manicures, wear brightly coloured lipstick, and put their pantyhose in the refrigerator after wearing them to reduce static.
(Image: Popperfoto via Getty Images)
None of the Bunnies were allowed to wear jewellery and their bunny ears weren’t allowed to be worn off-centre or bent the wrong way.
In addition to following stringent rules regarding their appearance, Bunnies were also responsible for paying for the cleaning of their uniforms. They were also required to buy their own heels as well as their false eyelashes.
Spied on by undercover agents
Hefner wanted the club to be considered elite so that the rich and famous would want to visit.
This is why the Playboy Club took the Bunnies’ glamour and mystery very seriously – so much so that they hired undercover detectives to test and spy on them.
“Use your most attractive and personable male representatives to proposition the Bunnies and even offer as high as $200 ‘right now’ for a promise of meeting you outside the Club later,” Hugh wrote to the detective agency.
“Ask a barman or any other male employee if any of the girls are available, on a cash basis for a ‘friendly evening.’”
(Image: Getty Images)
(Image: Bettmann Archive)
The detectives tried to tempt the Bunnies with theatre tickets and cash but the women were cautioned that detectives might be around at all times.
Bra-stuffing was the norm
For many women at the Playboy Clubs, stuffing their bras was practically expected.
“The costumes came in only two, mostly prescriptive bust sizes, 34D and 36D,” Vanity Fair reported.
In order to fill out their bras, Gloria saw Bunnies pack them with everything from cut-up bunny tails to socks and tissues.
She also claimed the wardrobe mistress had given her a plastic dry-cleaning bag to stuff her bra when she was recruited.
Gloria further disclosed that her Bunny costume was intentionally made to be two inches smaller than the dimensions of her body, with the exception of the bust.
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