[soc.feminism] Text in _Playboy_

jym@mica.berkeley.edu (Jym Dyer) (05/01/91)

> The material is included for a reason; it gives the person
> pictured the added dimensionality of life and personality.
___
__  Haven't you ever wondered why so many of _Playboy_'s models
_   are into Elvis records, candlelight dinners, long walks on
    the beach, men with nice stereos, and colognes advertised
    in _Playboy_?  I don't know quite how to break this to you,
    man, but there's a slight possibility that these biographies
    are (dare I say it?) just make-believe.
___
__  Which is why the text is always as nonthreatening as the
_   photos.  Imagine that.
    <_Jym_>

heal@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu (Loren E. Heal) (05/01/91)

jym@mica.berkeley.edu (Jym Dyer) writes:

>> The material is included for a reason; it gives the person
>> pictured the added dimensionality of life and personality.
>___
>    in _Playboy_?  I don't know quite how to break this to you,
>    man, but there's a slight possibility that these biographies
>    are (dare I say it?) just make-believe.

(More likely, the "bios" have a smidgin of reality...)

Playboy: Do you like arrogant men?
Talent:  Well, no...
Playboy: Ahh, I see.  (writes) Turnoffs - fast talkers.
         Which do you like more, long walks on the beach or riding
		 the subway?
--
----
Loren E. Heal : heal@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu, (UUCP)!uiucuxc!m.c.u.e!heal
 reformat quoted paragraphs: sed 's/^>*//' | fmt | sed 's/^/>/'

scholl@uvmark.uucp (Kathryn Scholl) (05/01/91)

In article <JYM.91Apr30143422@remarque.berkeley.edu> jym@mica.berkeley.edu (Jym Dyer) writes:

>> The material is included for a reason; it gives the person
>> pictured the added dimensionality of life and personality.
>___
>__  Haven't you ever wondered why so many of _Playboy_'s models
>_   are into Elvis records, candlelight dinners, long walks on
>    the beach, men with nice stereos, and colognes advertised
>    in _Playboy_?  I don't know quite how to break this to you,
>    man, but there's a slight possibility that these biographies
>    are (dare I say it?) just make-believe.

I don't know quite how to break this to everyone, but *even* if these
biographies are make-believe, there are a bunch of (dare I say it?)
MEN, who actually get a thrill out of those characteristics!

Strange as it is, even if most of the readers *know* the
stories, bios, and pics are puffed-up, that's what they want!
So it *does* give the person the "added dimensionality of life and
personality".

It's called smart marketing towards an obvious audience?, bottom-line?,
money?  Get it?

-- 
Kathryn Scholl
...uunet!merk!uvmark!scholl

cindy@solan.unit.no (Cindy Kandolf) (05/05/91)

"doonesbury" once had a sequence where boopsie decided... or rather her
boyfriend b.d. decided for her... to pose in "playboy" when they were doing
some special women-in-the-ivy-leagues issue, or something similar.  in one
strip the photographer asks her questions for her bio and she gives the sort
of answers that would be expected... turn-ons include "a big, warm bed on a 
cold night", for example.  he finally asks her "miss, where did you get these
answers?"  and she answers "my boyfriend.  he has all your back issues."

-cindy kandolf
 cindy@solan.unit.no
 trondheim, norway

rivero@dev8g.mdcbbs.com (05/08/91)

In article <1991May01.163913.57938@uvmark.uucp>, scholl@uvmark.uucp (Kathryn Scholl) writes:
>
> I don't know quite how to break this to everyone, but *even* if these
> biographies are make-believe, there are a bunch of (dare I say it?)
> MEN, who actually get a thrill out of those characteristics!
>
> Strange as it is, even if most of the readers *know* the
> stories, bios, and pics are puffed-up, that's what they want!
> So it *does* give the person the "added dimensionality of life and
> personality".
>

Kathryn

  Your statements are "sexist in reverse", making gender based
assumptions about what goes in the mind of the male! They are about as
realistic (and fair) as if I made the following HYPOTHETICAL
statement. "Any woman who spends that much time trying to be beautiful
for a centerfold can't have any brains. She NEEDS to have a bio made
up for her". It may or may not be true for any INDIVIDUAL. But it is
unfair to generalize. Years ago, when I was paying for my college
education as a professional magician, I worked the L.A.  Playboy Club.
I met a large number of the women who posed for the magazine, and they
seemed to have about the same ratio of sharp minds to total bozos that
you would find anywhere else in life!

  Do you read Playgirl? Do you read the bios? Do you WANT the bios to
be puffed up? Do you get a thrill out of those characteristics?

Michael