1. Bunnies Went On Strike
Since Playboy Bunnies were employees and not contractors, they could organize and strike, just like any other employees. So, in 1972, they did! Unsurprisingly, given the relatively hostile union conditions in the United States, it was the London Playboy Bunnies who first went on strike in 1972. The Bunnies were attempting to join the Transport and General Worker’s Union. As the London Club rapidly grew in popularity and earnings, the Bunnies wanted to join a union to ensure they were receiving an equitable share of the club’s profits and enjoying safe working conditions.
In 1975, Chicago Bunnies went on strike with different aims. The Chicago women wanted the freedom to date any man who frequented the club, not just C1 Keyholders, the freedom to use their own names as their Bunny names, and the ability to attend the clubs themselves as key holders. The Chicago strike was closely aligned with sex-positive feminism and the women’s liberation movement, the debate around which was raging across the United States at the time. The Bunnies argued that many of the rules from the club’s creation in 1961 were no longer appropriate and shouldn’t apply to the Bunnies of 1975.
Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
Refinery29 – Here’s What It Took to Be a Playboy Bunny Back in The Day
Little Things – 14 Rules Playboy Bunnies Were Forced to Follow According to A 1968 Club Manual
The Globe Mail – What Does the Playboy Bunny Suit Mean in The Slutwalk Era?
New Zealand Herald – Playboy Mansion: Bunnies Reveal Hugh Hefner’s Bizarre and Degrading Sex Rituals
Vanity Fair – A Bunny Thing Happened: An Oral History of the Playboy Clubs
Medium – When Playboy Bunnies Ruled
Popsugar – A Former Playboy Bunny Shares 8 Secrets About the Job That Will Surprise You
Business Insider – Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Empire’s Rise & Fall