Monday, March 21, 2005
No kiss and tell at Playgirl
Even though the female clone of the Playboy brand has never really met the standards of old playboy - back in the days when you could read chronicles by Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, Jack Kerouac, Alex Haley and interviews with Ayn Rand among the pages of less than dressed females - Playgirl at least has appealed to the politically correct gender-equality senses of its audience.
But there are some things you shouldn't speak about, not even in Playgirl. Editor-in-chief Michele Zipp, told Drudge report about her political views:
“Siding with the GOP when you live in the bluest state around is almost like
wearing a Boston Red Sox jersey at a New York Yankees’ home game,” says Zipp in
the April issue of PLAYGIRL. ”I cannot tell you how many times a person assumed
I voted for John Kerry in 2004. Most of the time, I don’t have the heart to tell
them, or the energy to discuss my reasons for going red this election year. But
this is Playgirl magazine so it’s about time I was the one who bared what’s
underneath.”How could a member of the media who produces adult entertainment for women possibly side with conservatives from the red states? Zipp spells it out.
“Those on the right are presumed to be all about power and greed – two really
sexy traits in the bedroom. They want it, they want it now, and they’ll do
anything to get it. And I’m not talking about some pansy-assed victory, I’m
talking about full on jackpot, satisfaction for all.” “The Democrats of the
Sixties were all about making love and not war while a war-loving Republican is
a man who would fight, bleed, sacrifice, and die for his country. Could you
imagine what that very same man would do for his wife in the bedroom?” asks
Zipp.
She was told to "zipp it"
This opened up for wide eyes in the established press and some comments from bloggers.
It also led to the firing of Zipp:
"After your coverage of my article about coming out and voting Republican,
I did receive many letters of support from fellow Republican voters, but it was
not without repercussions. Criticism from the liberal left ensued. A few days
after the onslaught of liberal backlash, I was released from my duties at
Playgirl magazine. "After underlings expressed their disinterest of working for
an outed Republican editor, I have a strong suspicion that my position was no
longer valued by Playgirl executives. I also received a phone call from a
leading official from Playgirl magazine, in which he stated with a laugh, "I
wouldn't have hired you if I knew you were a Republican."I just wanted to let
you know of the fear the liberal left has about a woman with power possessing
Republican views."
