THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2002
LIFESTYLE
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN - 15
Columnist hops into Hef's world
SEX
While some little girls dream about growing up to be princesses or brides, I grew up wanting to be a bunny. But I didn't want to be like the timid, fuzzy creatures found hopping around in fields. I was interested in the life and habitat of another kind of bunny — the Playboy bunny.
I grew up reading Playboy magazine, and from an early age I was fascinated with Hef's decadent world. And I didn't just read the articles.
I sometimes dreamed of my photo shoot, how beautiful I would feel and how sexy the pictures would be. Imagine how irritated I was when I got older and looked almost nothing like what was featured in the magazine's pages.
Meghan Bainum mbainum@kansan.com
Whereas Playboy's girls were tan, I was white. Really, really white. And my breasts, perky but small, weren't quite as prominent as the pairs usually on display Nowhere near as prominent, actually. And then there were the glasses, freckles and out-of-control short, black hair; I finally faced the truth that I was more book worm than nudie bunny — more at home in the library than in the Mansion.
Never one to give up, I decided I would write my way into the magazine. When Playboy.com called to say it was doing a feature profile on me I was excited. When Playboy.com e-mailed back and asked me to pose for the profile I was ecstatic. I did it I wrote my way in.
The euphoria lasted until I remembered that it was my same small, white dorky self who was going to be naked in the pictures. When Playboy.com called me to confirm the arrangements, I asked if they had seen a picture of me and knew what they were getting into, trying to make her realize what she saw in my picture was what Playboy.com was going to get.
The woman on the phone laughed and
MORE MEGHAN
Check Meghan out Oct.28 on Playboy.com. She'll also be in the Feburary print edition of Playboy magazine. Yeah, she's excited too.
told me that, as long as I got a manicure and a pedicure, everything would be perfect.
The magazine would even fly me up to Chicago and put me up in a ritzy hotel.
When I sheepishly arrived at Playboy's impressive building, not only were people nice, but they actually dug the white skin, tattoos, nerdy glasses and messy hair.
Instead of being turned away into the cold Chicago day, I spent my time goofing around in front of a camera like the naked nerd I was, proud to show sexiness comes in all shapes, sizes and colors of skin.
I was more worried about tripping in my spike heels than about making the naked grade. I felt confident, sexy and alive while being photographed, just like all princesses, brides and bunnies should.
After all, I wrote my way in.
Cover under there with underwear
The most basic element of an outfit is what lies underneath, the part not everyone sees, the most exciting part.
FASHION
A woman's bra and panties say more about her style than what meets the eye. Bikini cut, thong, push-up, lace, flowers, animal print: all are variations of what we choose to decorate our breasts and bottom.
During fall break, my mom and I made our customary trip to Victoria's Secret where I was immersed in the complicated world of lingerie couture. As I skimmed the racks in the pink haven, I realized that bra and underwear trends had taken a new, boyish turn in the girliest area of fashion.
Victoria's Secret has carried a ruffletrimmed girlshort and the lace-trimmed boyshort for the past year, said Noel Pittman, manager at the Country Club Plaza store in Kansas City, Mo. As the Victoria's Secret Web site says, "the season's newest silhouette" is a flirtatious, low-cut version of the brief. There will be no buttfloss in these parts, ladies and gentlemen. The shorts are full coverage. But before you have visions of the not-so-sexy, prethong era, take my word for it: these do not lack "ooh-la-la."
Sarah Behunek sbehunek@kansan.com
The tanga, a lacy version of the shorts, is
my personal favorite (think Christina Aguilera's hot pants in the Moulin Rouge video). Some not-quite-Victoria's Secret versions of the tanga do not form to your behind but ruffle out instead, creating a hybrid thong-short. Just a warning: these are for the girlfriends of the world. If you are single and wear a pair of naughty panties like this out, there will be no picking up — they are so sexy the wearer will be jinxed. Most of us are aware of Murphy's Law: the closer it is to laundry day and the less enticing the panty, the more likely one is to find herself with a hot bar find and a pair of cotton, saggy, nasty Jockeys.
Moving up, it is also necessary to address the brassiere or "over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders." Similarly to the laundry-day phenomenon, I am sorry to report that the
bigger the boobs, the harder it is to find a bra that is not only functional, but fashionable. It is all looks down under, but up here the lace cannot hold its own. Similarly, the demi-bra that is known to push up and show off provides no guarantee that nipples are not unintentionally revealed. This is where function and fashion collide. My advice to the well-endowed: just get a flower patterned bra and stick with whatever keeps you from jiggling.
When choosing a bra and panty set, be aware of underwear faux pas: panty lines and visible bra straps. The underthings fashion industry revolves around avoiding these tacky mistakes which are easy to fix and take the form of strapless and thong. Enough said. But there is nothing faux pas about loose-knit sweaters and a well-chosen bra this season.
After considering all the dos and don'ts of bra and panty fashion, I left Victoria's Secret with a pink and white striped shopping bag and a satisfied smile on my face. Because, no matter what you opt for, boy-cut briefs, a lacy bra or nothing at all, it is always fun to know that someone, somewhere, might just get a kick out of what you wear under there.
Duke senior posts fliers to seek pals
By Becky Young The Chronicle, the student newspaper of Duke University, via U-Wire
DURHAM, N.C. — It's a well-known phrase around campus — the random "hook-up." Now one Duke University student is taking matters into his own hands in an attempt to make "real' friends.
As of Monday afternoon, Fedoroff whose Instant Messenger name "kOztrConnoisseur" reflects his love for roller coasters had already received seven responses via e-mail and IM from both men and women.
"Iwould never respond to this.I figured it was just for girls," sophomore Jason Wilcox said. "If he's actually serious, I think it's depressing."
Male students — who doubted Fedoroff's method would be copied by others seemed perplexed by the flyer, thinking that appeared to be aimed exclusively at girls.
Luke Fedoroff, a senior hoping to attend law school, spent his Sunday and Monday mornings posting fliers around campus that claim: "I'm not pathetic, I'm efficient."
"I wanted to meet interesting people," he said. Fedoroff explained that his flyer did not merely target girls, but that he was seeking all kinds of friendships, as long as they were based on his four stated interests - intelligence, humor physical attractiveness and open-mindedness.
Others were less receptive to the flyer. "It's a different approach, but frankly I prefer the traditional approach," said Rebecca Rader, a senior. "Go out on a limb and ask a girl out and see how it goes."
"I'm glad I did it,and the initial response has been good," he said.
While many students were not entirely sure how to react to Fedoroff's tactic, some said it was not surprising.
"It's a little weird, but it doesn't surprise me on a campus like this because people are always putting up signs to get attention," junior Sara Miller said.
His flyer, which states "Let's face it, the Duke dating scene sucks," stresses the negative side of the University's social scene.