The Bunny Years (50 page)

“Working as a Bunny radicalized me; I quickly became a card-carrying feminist. When you get dressed up in an outfit like that, it makes you question what the role is that you're really playing. You see that you get treated in a certain way by men and you stop taking those things for granted. Heaven forbid anyone whistled at me when I walked down the street on my way to work; I'd rip their eyes out!

“I think the girls who did well and had fun at the Club already had a strong sense of themselves, and could take it all with a sense of humor. Those of us who were on shakier ground with our egos ran into various troubles. I'm surprised I lived through it, quite frankly. I had been experimenting with drugs for a long time before working at Playboy, street drugs and chemical props to evade reality. I was a shy person. I drank to lower my inhibitions—not just at the Club, but at other waitressing jobs I'd had, too—just so I could go up to a table and talk to customers.

“Eventually the drugs were no longer recreational, but a necessity. The names of doctors who would prescribe drugs were freely circulated in the dressing room. The booze became necessary because, once you got to work, you needed a drink to relax and take the edge off the diet pills. You had to take sleeping pills when you came home at 4 a.m. because you were still buzzing from the diet pills and booze. I almost died from all that, but fortunately Jadee, the Bunny Mother, and Mario Staub, the Club's general manager, stuck by me and helped me clean up my act.

“I went into Jadee's office one day moaning about my life. I made up an elaborate metaphor about bobbing on the sea of life, drifting aimlessly. She interrupted me and said, ‘Well, at least you're not sinking—yet.' It stopped me cold. Jadee, with more common sense than any five people I know, sent me to a doctor for treatment. I went into therapy, too, and eventually chose life over dying in stages by smoking, drinking and using drugs.

“When the Club closed for renovations, I worked at the Gaslight Club, then transferred to the London Playboy Club to be a croupier for six months. Afterward, I worked in a variety of typing and bookkeeping jobs. An interest in the mechanics of word processing led to an interest in programming, and I got a certificate in microcomputer technology through Columbia University's Continuing Education program. During a seven-year stint at Morgan Stanley, I further developed my skills working on exciting projects in New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Mary Chipman, a senior consultant with MCW Technologies, is co-author of the Microsoft Access and SQL Server Developer's Handbook (Sybex, 1996) and the new version of SQL Server (Sybex, 1998).

“Today I'm a senior consultant at MCW Technologies, a company I co-founded that specializes in creating software using the latest Microsoft database and programming tools. The dawn of the computer age gave many women like me an opportunity to find really exciting, rewarding careers. I'm a Microsoft-certified developer and trainer, and frequently speak at conferences. I'm also a contributing editor for the Access-Office-VB Advisor magazine.

“But even now, I can't walk past the Hong Kong Bank that occupies the old Playboy Club building in New York without a shudder, recalling the personal crisis I went through. Working as a Bunny exacerbated all my feelings of inadequacy and lack of identity; however, that experience also propelled me into a voyage of inner exploration that is ongoing and very rewarding. I'll always be grateful to Mario and Jadee, who tossed me a rope when I was drowning.”

C
HERYL
M
CARTHUR

F
or me, coming from a working-class background, the Playboy Club was magical. When I arrived in Chicago in 1969, I felt I had been emancipated. I could make my own decisions, have fun and spend my money on the things I had wanted for a very long time.

“Moving into the Playboy Mansion was thrilling. There were about 25 Bunnies living in the dorm, women from all over the world, who were bright, pretty and a lot of fun. Everything was new and exciting. I'd never seen a private indoor swimming pool before. Or tanning beds. There was a 24-hour kitchen serving anything you wanted. We had
maid and butler service. On Sundays, we watched first-run movie screenings in the Ballroom. Rent was only $50 a month.

“Hefner was brilliant, but I found him intimidating. I loved to listen to him when a group of us sat together talking in front of the fireplace. I was awed by his ability to discuss a wide range of topics and ideas. I didn't get to know him well because I never felt I had the background, education or the confidence in myself to really engage him in conversation.

“There were always celebrities arriving at the Mansion: the Rolling Stones, Bill Cosby, Paul Newman and Warren Beatty. I worked long hours and didn't really go to any parties. Besides, I was young and in love, and so wrapped up with my high school sweetheart back in Toledo that I didn't date anyone else.

“I have three sisters, two of whom worked with me as Bunnies. Mary Jo worked nights, while Joyce and I worked during the day. Joyce worked at the Club only a year. I remember when I drove her to Chicago; she cried the whole way. She was young and just wasn't prepared emotionally to work at the Club. She cried a lot. Customers upset her. But then a talent scout for the Wilhelmina Model Agency came into the Club for lunch one day and discovered Joyce. She signed with the agency and moved to New York to work as an international model for eight years. For the past 12 years, she's had her own very successful women's apparel firm in New York, designing and manufacturing shirts.

“You had to be strong, physically and emotionally, to work at the Club. What got you through was a sense of humor and an upbeat attitude. I learned how to handle people, not only because I really did want them to have a good time but also because it helped me get a good tip.

Cheryl McArthur with her sisters Joyce and Mary Jo, Chicago Club, 1973.

Cheryl McArthur, co-founder and former CEO of McArthur/Glen, the leading developer of designer outlet malls in the United States.

“After my husband finished dental school, he worked for a year in Chicago before we decided, in 1975, that we wanted to get away from the cold winters and start a new life together. We moved to Phoenix.

“My big opportunity for success came from the convergence of three areas of business I'd worked in. I had gained some experience in consumer marketing working in a Chicago advertising firm. In Phoenix, I worked in real estate, first selling new homes and later developing neighborhood strip malls.

“Seven years later, after my divorce, I moved to New York, and I set up a business importing knitwear, thereby gaining knowledge of the fashion industry. I later moved to Washington D.C., and in 1986 established McArthur/Glen with real-estate investor Allen Glen. When a leading apparel manufacturer came to me to discuss developing outlet centers, I knew I had found my niche. As a world-class shopper myself, I knew what women wanted: bargain prices for top-notch designer goods sold in beautiful stores with lovely landscaping in a secure, safe environment. The outlet malls we developed also had flattering lighting, piped-in music and baby-changing stations in the ladies' rooms.