Monday, September 26, 2011

Generation Flashback

Last week NBC premiered the new anticipated drama 'The Playboy Club'. There has been a lot of buzz about this show in the press, with some making the remarks that it is sexist and is not sending the right message to younger audiences. When I first heard that some were calling the show sexist I thought "duh", because it is about the Playboy Club. The corporation that is Playboy is one of the most well known names around the world and it is known for the attractive women who pose either naked or nearly naked, and also it supposedly has "great articles". I am not sure what these critics were expecting to see from this program.

What I find to be most interesting is that this is not a completely fictional story, it is based off of a real place in Chicago and real people. The Playboy Club is based off of the former club in Chicago that was indeed called the Playboy Club, and was in Chicago because the Playboy Mansion used to also be in Chicago. It is set in the 1960's at the rise of the Playboy empire, and is portraying a version of what really happened decades ago. In the 1960's being a playmate or a Playboy bunny was looked at being a loose girl, or someone who had made it to the top. I do not believe that women were looked at as being exploited or sexualized as the critics are now saying the show is portraying them, but just not respected because they were not being classy women. I find it so interesting how so much can change in a relatively short period of time. We live in a world that is so politically correct that something that was somewhat accept in the 1960's is being looked at as a horrible thing in some people's eyes.

I watched the show myself and to be perfectly honest was surprised at how good the show really was. I was expecting a show that was going to be solely based on scantily clad women, but instead found myself watching a show with depth and an interesting story line. Are there women in small, little outfits? Yes. But they are no worse than any other programs that are on television.

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