Characters

Shannon Tweed lived 14 months at the Playboy Mansion, 1981-1982, as Hugh Hefner's girlfriend. Her story begins on a mink ranch in rural Canada, and a string of odd jobs in her youth, that led to her winning Miss Ottawa beauty pageant and testing for Playboy magazine three times. After being named as Miss November 1981, she finds herself at the Mansion for her first Midsummer Nights Dream party ... she later moves in and starts the adventure of her career as one of the most recognizable B-Film actresses of her time. Stories shared as told in her 2009 memoir, Kiss & Tell. Find me everywhere! linktr.ee/literallylaurad Time stamps: 00:00 Intro 03:13 Childhood in Canada 05:32 The Ottawa experience 08:37 Toronto, testing for Playboy 09:46 Midsummer Night's Dream party 1981 11:16 Life at the Playboy Mansion 14:35 Jaded 17:36 Break-up 17:58 Shannon's Playboy appearances 18:45 Acting 19:43 Midsummers 1983, meeting Gene Simmons 21:18 Life after Playboy 22:06 My reflections Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Book club!! We're recapping and reflecting on Izabella St. James' memoir, Bunny Tales: Behind Closed Doors at the Playboy Mansion. As one of the girlfriends in the final group of seven, leaving just before the Girls Next Door era, Izabella reflects in this book on the benefits, drawbacks, and misconceptions about living as one of the Seven Girlfriends of Hugh Hefner. I'm highlighting anecdotes and pointing out some differences in what Izabella tells us in this 2006 account, versus what we're hearing more recently from her and others about this time at the mansion. Find me everywhere! Linktr.ee/literallylaurad 00:00 Intro (+ my biases!) 02:08 What Izabella really thought of Zoe Gregory 03:28 Zoe + Izabella vs Holly + Bridget 04:59 Youth 05:25 Pepperdine Law School in Malibu, her intro to Playboy 07:46 First Fun in the Sun 09:17 Graduation + prepping for the Bar; meeting Zoe 11:10 Grammys 2002 + not passing the Bar 15:02 Becoming a live-in Girlfriend 17:36 Rumors about previous Girlfriends 18:53 Housemates - Holly, Renee, Stacy, Bridget 22:01 Selling tickets to Playboy parties 25:58 Doing less 27:56 Internship at Playboy Entertainment Group 29:37 Benefits of Girlfriend Status - why won't he pay her loans? 35:20 Cost of his lifestyle 37:37 In-house Conflicts 39:29 Nightclubs + Bedroom Routines 41:51 Boys boys boys 43:16 Beauty standards 44:52 Playmates 46:33 Prepping to leave 53:06 Finally moving out 54:26 Unfriendly terms 55:50 Girls Next Door 56:47 Closing Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gloria Steinem's 11-day undercover stint as a Bunny in Playboy's New York City club was the subject of a bombshell essay that changed her career. The impacts of her exposé absolutely impacted the Bunnies working across clubs - from the pay discrepancies, mandatory gynecological exams, and regular harassment from customers. However, a lot of the women working alongside Gloria, while she was posing as "Bunny Marie," had mixed feelings on her essay, as their experiences at the clubs may not have aligned with the cruel workplace described in the essays. Kathryn Lee Young (Scott), author of The Bunny Years, collects stories from women with very different memories of the clubs - including the author herself, who worked alongside her as Bunny Kay. Later, this piece inspired a 1984 made-for-TV film starring Kirstie Alley as Gloria (and I am reviewing it!). We're overviewing the complicated legacy of this exposé - its immediate reception, the changes Bunnies experienced as a result, the contradictory tales from other Bunnies, and Gloria Steinem's own regret about her time undercover at the NYC Playboy Club. Find me everywhere! Linktr.ee/literallylaurad Time stamps: 00:00 Intro 00:53 Gloria goes undercover 02:16 The bombshells from "A Bunny's Tale" 06:01 Disappointing earnings 07:26 Workplace harassment 08:32 Subpoenaed and making changes 09:11 Revisiting in 1980s (and my thoughts) 12:34 "All women are bunnies." 13:16 Reactions from "real" Bunnies + The Bunny Years 18:01 My reflections 18:40 Debating Steinem 20:57 Would Hugh Hefner and Gloria Steinem dated? 22:00 Why Gloria Steinem regrets being a Bunny 23:31 Kirstie Alley as Gloria in A Bunny's Tale (1984) 28:59 Final thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hugh Hefner publicly dating multiple women was a smart way to get the public talking about him (and the Playboy brand) after his marriage to Kimberly Conrad. We're are overviewing the transition from the Brande/Sandy/Mandy group to the infamous Seven Girlfriends of Hugh Hefner. Expect to learn about some of the more prominent women in this microcosm, their interactions with the Playboy brand, and allegations about them made by other women in the circle. Find me everywhere! Linktr.ee/LiterallyLauraD Time stamps: 00:00 Intro 01:31 Disclaimers, sources, reminders 02:38 Brande Roderick, Sandy and Mady Bentley 04:45 Tina Jordan 06:24 Buffy Tyler 09:23 Katie Lohmann 10:06 Kimberley Stanfield 11:08 Dalene Kurtis 13:08 Stephanie Heinrich 15:04 who I think is who in Holly Madison's book 1 15:39 Regina Lauren 17:37 Christi Shake 19:10 Tiffany Holliday (and the escort ring) 22:48 who I think is who in Holly Madison's book 2 23:57 Stacy Burke 25:49 Renee Sloan 27:42 Izabella St. James + Zoe Gregory 32:46 Sheila Levell 33:26 Cristal Camden 35:24 the end of the 7! Girls Next Door 36:32 Sources Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Legally Blonde is, on some level, a film about friendship - showing up for people in the way you'd want them to show up for you. As Elle Woods is navigating a new world that doesn't respect her, she is continuing to show up fully ... and her kindness and respect is ultimately what brings her success! We'll overview some of the relationships Elle builds in Legally Blonde, and how her friendships add to our understanding of her overall arc as she becomes a lawyer. Find me everywhere! Linktr.ee/LiterallyLauraD Time stamps: 00:00 Intro 01:02 At the Delta Nu sorority house 01:47 Friends at the courthouse 02:31 David Kidney 03:38 Emmett - did Elle need a love interest? 05:04 Getting Paulette's dog back 07:50 Why Elle could represent Brooke Windham 10:52 From self-doubt to confidence Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices