Historically, men get to have fun in a way that women don’t—and thanks to institutions like Playboy, their fun was often defined by alcohol, girls, sex, and urbanity. I can’t think of a single analogue for women. Fun is something we don’t brag about, and we enjoy it in snatches. We can’t indulge in a good time without being trivialized for our desires and diminishing our status. Girls can have fun, but women can only let go in groups, like the “wooo!” women in the episode of How I Met Your Mother, who yuck it up at the bar. When women have fun, especially when even a whiff of sex is involved, we seem stupid or immoral. When men have fun, they’re just sowing their wild oats. Even reading about female fun is considered a guilty pleasure.

Every woman’s experience is worth investigating, and if former Bunnies felt their time spent in a costume was fun and empowering, that’s valid, especially if there were so few other avenues available to them if they wanted to have a blast. Telling their story is a means of listening to them, and to think about what they did and why they did it in the context of their own lives and times. If we only look at them as sex objects, we’re no better than the men who were titillated by them. The narrative isn’t that simple, and fiction shouldn’t be either.

Also by Christina Clancy

ALSO BY CHRISTINA CLANCY

The Second Home

Praise for Shoulder Season

Praise for

SHOULDER SEASON

“Captivating … A clear-eyed look at a job so often shrouded in intrigue.”

—Booklist

“A perfect beach read.”

—BuzzFeed

“A burst of heady independence and excitement [that] develops into a love triangle with tragic results.”

—New York Post

“Clancy has captivatingly captured the freedom and pain of youth, as well as the wisdom and regret of middle age, and the power of redemption.”

—Star Tribune

“A striking portrayal of a glamorous piece of history.”

—SheKnows

“A story filled with tension, excitement, love, indulgence, tragedy, and redemption … Clancy doesn’t disappoint.”

—Provincetown Banner

“A rare glimpse into an unexamined world.”

—Madison Magazine

“A triumph of heart, of courage, and of resilience, and a message that the tragedies that spark our journeys don’t decide their endings.”

—J. Ryan Stradal, bestselling author of The Lager Queen of Minnesota

“Clancy illuminates the Playboy Bunny’s inner life with all of the richness and complexity she deserves.”

—Lauren Fox, New York Times bestselling author of Send for Me

“A tender coming-of-age novel and a sun-drenched ride.”

—Amanda Eyre Ward, New York Times bestselling author of The Jetsetters

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