Imagine this: The Playboy Mansion, 1960, a place where superheroes, sex, free expression and revolution are rampant. Hugh Hefner's pneumatic Playboy bunnies, complete with pom-pom bobtails, floppy ears and bleach-blonde hair, are trailblazing a poignant feminist fantasy, where men and women start to meet as social and sexual equals. Fast-forward 50 years, and the Playboy legacy lives on! Our peculiar fascination with female promiscuity versus female empowerment has never gone away. We are surrounded still by supercharged sex, and soft porn pin-ups. Anything goes, from Page Three glamour girls to burlesque beauties and, of course, the formidable Jordan.
The social commentary surrounding gender politics has changed however. Girls grow up fast and clues to their sexual style come from the role models that society shows them. Perhaps, the sex siren of the 60s had something to prove, but the question remains: Is she now pedalling porn for male pleasure? Has she grown tired of him getting all his own way? And how does that make her feel? My niece, Emma, makes the ideal modern bunny! At just 11, she lives in a world where almost every taboo is broken. Breasts are not a big deal. Sex is just for starters. She is exploring sensuality and womanhood and she is on the brink. But how does all this make her feel? And surely there really must be a better role model than a bunny?
