Playboy

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Good news for those who thought their copies of Playboy were gone forever when their moms found them under the mattress and threw them away. Playboy has a web-based subscription service, i.Playboy.com that allows viewers to see every page of every magazine which includes the first issue nearly 60 years ago that featured Marilyn Monroe to the ones hitting the newsstands  now

Bombshells: The first ever issue of Playboy, featuring Marilyn Monroe, published in December, 1953 (above) and Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall's daughter Elizabeth posing for the magazine's June, 2011 issue (below)

.... 57 years - 682 issues.

 

Pin-ups: The first black Playmate, Darine Stern, on the cover of Playboy in 1971 (above) and Anna Nicole Smith posing for a 1993 issue (below)

Racy: Pamela Anderson's first Playboy cover for the July 1992 issue (above) and posing for the January 2007 edition (below)

Revealing Playboy Club Bunny recruitment brochures from the '60s ....
A recruitment brochure for Bunnies working at Hugh Hefner's Playboy Clubs in the early 1960s touted custom outfits, a glamorous lifestyle, access to celebrities and the promise - 'you'll earn far more than other girls.'

 

Playboy Clubs were exclusive bars, nightclubs and casinos that served food and drink from 11.30am until 'the wee small hours' that began opening in 1960 and thrived from Las Vegas and New York to London and Tokyo through the 1980s.

The lovely young waitresses and servers were the the signature attraction at the clubs in skimpy bunny costumes with ears and a bushy tail. Some Bunnies were former Playboy magazine models but most were aspiring actresses, models, singers or other ambitious women who were hoping to tap into the glamorous world of Playboy.

Step into the spotlight: A Playboy Club brochure from the late 1960s or 1970s promises that Playboy Bunnies will travel and meet 'internationally famous people in show business, sports, politics, industry and finance'

Calling all Bunnies: The brochure touted the benefits - and requirements - of waitresses and hostesses at exclusive Playboy Clubs around the world. The bars, lounges and casinos in cities from New York and Tokyo to Des Moines, Iowa, featured scantily-clad young women in bunny costumes
 

Checklist: Bunnies must have a 'charming personality, cheerful disposition and attractive appearance and posture,' according to a checklist in the brochure. Women over age 25 need not apply

 

Young and beautiful: Bunnies like Churece Charbonneau, 22 (left), a former nurse, and Sandra Gatz, 19, a former receptionist, (right) were the signature attraction of the exclusive Playboy Clubs

The vintage literature was first posted on the site Ex-Playboy Bunnies, a site for former employees of Playboy Clubs. It was later publicized by BuzzFeed.
The brochure did not mince words on the requirements to become a Bunny.
'Bunnies have no standard height and weight requirements, but a Bunny must be properly proportioned,' one page says.
 A checklist includes: 'Charming personality, cheerful disposition and attractive appearance and posture.'... 'Girls' over age 25 need not apply.
The application included a narrow list of previous careers Bunnies are likely to come from - a relic of the 1960s when young women had far fewer opportunities in the professional world.

Song and dance: The brochure promised that some Bunnies will be allowed to perform on stage at the clubs - or even play Carnegie Hall

 

Center of attention: Playboy Clubs were exclusive and glamorous from the 1960s through the 1980s when Playboy opened dozens of locations across the globe

Ladies man: The Playboy Club empire was the brainchild of Hugh Hefner, pictured top left surrounded by some of his Bunnies

The options included: College student, stewardess, school teacher, actress, dancer, model, secretary, office clerical, receptionist.' The application also asked for height, weight, hair color and measurements for bust, waist and hips.
Playboy promised big perks for Bunnies who work at Playboy Clubs.
'You'll earn far more than other girls,' the brochure says. 'A typical Chicago Bunny may, for example, earn an average of $200 a week.'

Bunnies were offered travel opportunities and assures applicants: 'You'll meet internationally famous people in show business, sports, politics, industry and finance in the glamorous and exciting atmosphere of the luxurious Playboy Clubs.'
Other perks include a custom-tailored bunny outfit provided by Playboy, along with iconic ears and a tail.
Shoes and hosiery were purchased by each Bunny.

Big money: Playboy Clubs promised high income - $200 a week! - for Bunnies

Charity work: Bunnies became the face of the Playboy empire and were sent out on charity missions, including visiting wounded veterans in the hospital

See the world: Playboy Clubs advertised that Bunnies would have a chance to travel to exotic locations like Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Detroit and Phoenix. Clubs later opened in London, Tokyo and Macau

'Diverse backgrounds': Bunnies were 'models, coed, actresses, dancer, stewardesses and secretaries,' according to the brochure. The pamphlet underscored the limited professional opportunities that young women had in the 1960s

Taken care of: 'Bunny mothers' were hired at each club to look after the Bunnies and to fix their makeup, hair and costumes