The Stones, Hef and the Villa - an old Playboy bunny unpacks
BARBARA: How did you come in the seventies to Puschelschwanz and Haseöhrchen?
Candace Jordan: I grew up in a 3000-inhabitant town in southern Illinois. In high school, I was best in the year, but despite my scholarship, I did not feel like college. In 1973, I got a job through a friend as a bunny in a Playboy club. It was followed by the first photos, six years later I became December Playmate. Since then I've been on the cover nine times, in editions around the world.
What was so special about taking off for a magazine?
It was a huge thing to be a Playmate in my time. We were the biggest! We've been seen in advertising campaigns, in movies, for example, I had a small role in a Tom Cruise strip. A poster of mine hung in New York in Times Square.
How did your parents deal with your fame and your photos?
They were relaxed, always trusted me. I have already modeled at 13 and had a lot of experience in front of the camera. In a TV interview my father was asked what he thinks about it. He said: "If they had paid me so much, would I have undressed !?
Did it annoy you to be constantly turned on by men?
As a Bunny I never had any negative experiences in the Playboy club. We have always paid great attention to our safety and to the fact that we are treated with respect. If a guest did not behave, he flew out and lost his membership card.
How did other women react to you undressing?
I've had some hot discussions with so-called feminists who have condemned me. I found that hypocritical because the idea of feminism is that women should have a choice. I have the decision to vote for the? Playboy? undress, never regretted. It was a great opportunity for me. Without him, I would not be where I am today.
As a naked woman in a men's magazine, have you never felt like a sex object?
I never saw myself like that. Hugh Hefner put us on a pedestal and always made us feel special. These were the golden days of the "Playboy" and I'm happy to have been there.
Hugh Hefner, there are the pictures of an old man in a satin robe.
I lived in the Playboy mansion in Chicago when Hugh Hefner was living there. He was a gentleman! I still remember him shutting us invitations under the door to eat cake with him on his birthday. I never wondered that young women were fascinated by him. He will always remain an icon, he has changed his view of sexuality. My husband and I went to many of his parties later. I miss that very much.
What kind of guests came to the parties in the Playboy Villa?
Every star traveling in Chicago at the time would drop by: the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Warren Beatty. I met them all.
Was there competition among the bunnies? slash, sting, bite?
The other Bunnys were like sisters to me. I grew up as an only child, and suddenly I lived with a group of women, most of whom came from small towns, just like me. Being a Playmates in this special era of the magazine has made us all welded together. I am still very close friends with many today.
Today there is the Internet, which is full of nudity and pornography. Was everything better in the old days?
Everyone can post nude photos of themselves. This is not exciting, often the pictures are still bad. It's all about nudity, not aesthetics. I find it very sad that nothing is left to the imagination. The kind of photography, the girl next door? to show has the? Playboy? made so successful back then. The pictures were sensual, but not sexually explicit, as aggressive as they are today. That will not change anymore. This exclusivity is gone forever.
Since February shows the US Playboy? no more naked women and orients to Instagram pictures.
The pictures are so terrible! And I'm not concerned that they want to show less nudity, God, no! The girls have such glassy eyes, staring into the distance. That this has become Hugh Hefner's vision makes me sad. I think it would be better, it would be the? Playboy? do not give more than in this form. Poor Hef would not be happy with that either.
So you do not like today's playmates?
I am so long with the "Playboy"? and know many of the women who made this book great. They were stunning, diverse and approachable in a certain way. The new cover models are not. Model Camille Rowe, for example, looked like a drug addict on the cover. I can not imagine that one of the longtime "Playboy" readers finds something so sexy.
Would you be young today, would you still undress?
IM not sure. In the 70s it was something exotic, and the photographers were artists. I'm still proud of my pictures from back then.Even today, there are fans who send me photos, so I sign them.
Candace Jordan, 64, interviews celebrities on the red carpet and puts it on? CandidCandaceTV ?.
