Playboy Bunnies.. WHY?

by the way... be warned - the link above goes to "playboy.com". to illustrate what it represents.

so, i'm on the train to perth the other day and this chick opposite me is busily punching keys on her mobile. i realise she's wearing this cute little toe ring... sorta sparkly. looked really nice. then i realised it was a playboy bunny. upon further perusal - as you do on trains - i realised she was also wearing a playboy bunny around her neck on a chain. its happening all over the joint in our consumer world. but do these women think to undestand what it represents?

got me thinking about this... and i've been talking about it with other people over the last coupla years about how can women wear these symbols of oppression. same thing when i see a 10 year old girl with a "porn star" label tshirt on.

its disconcerting and a retro-leap for feminist progress. the girls who wear these symbols perhaps don't realise what the logo is saying: " Hi - MY BODY IS AVAILABLE FOR VOYEURISTIC INTENT - please stare at me and fantasize"... or "i belong in a pornographic magazine"...

as a student of language culture - i look at the subtextualities of meaning in everyday language - in logos, in advertising copy, in the media etc. and so, i see in our consumer-driven society, that a woman - or feminism - has perhaps two types of empowerment. firstly there's the "equality" issue - where women are as good as men at stuff. and secondly, that women have a sexual power over men - and they can use it to get stuff they want. seems the playboy logo is proliferating on chicks cars, on their tshirts and jewellery - everywhere.

Hugh Hefner would be proud!

anyway, i'm worried, or old - or something!

more later.
al_