Fritz
05-01-2003, 08:35 AM
Baring up under Playgirl scrutiny
Ah, the intrigue: a hush-hush location to keep groupies and protesters away, photo equipment stashed in a hotel suite just off the beaten path and the one-named Chelo, who sees all.
Playgirl is back in Oklahoma City.
The women's magazine arrived this week to check out morning drive-time hosts for its pictorial, the first time Playgirl has been in town since 1997. "Men of Morning Radio" may sound like a feminist inspired martini-era throwback, but the talk show host remains one of Playgirl's hottest sellers.
It features morning radio men posing clothed, semi-nude or fully nude. The pay, pegged to the degree of undress, runs from $250 to $500 for about four hours of work. But money doesn't seem to be the point.
"I thought it would be fun and exciting, something different," said Cam Edwards, 31, an AM radio talk show host and one of the nine men who came by the suite early Monday afternoon. Edwards posed "because I’ve wanted to. I work out once in a while. I mow my own lawn. I feel good about it."
He also told his mom, who insisted he not tell people around his small Oklahoma City subdivision. Too late, said Edwards, who has been wearing a “I posed for Playgirl” T-shirt everyday for the last week.
Chelo and Playgirl contributing photographer Kim Mizuno have attracted between 50 and 100 men at each stop on the photo tour. It will likely be closer 50 in OC, but who knows if, here, flatlands sensibility comes into play.
The pair go about their business efficiently, professionally and quietly, setting up each suite to look like a radio booth, setting Playgirl magazines on the coffee table.
The men fill out applications, show their credentials and verify they're at least 18, then pose for Mizuno in a swimsuit, sometimes less. Five or six will have gotten a callback by late Tuesday night and, if they agree, been given instructions (no extra shaving, clean nails and no elastic-banded clothing) for a professional shoot by the end of the week.
The paycheck comes four to six weeks later.
"You have to consider how brave these guys are," insists Mizuno. "I take my hat off to them."
Chelo, mother of four and a freelance makeup artist who's been doing what she does for some 18 years, says Playgirl seeks a natural look and isn't looking for things like a colossal package, adding, "I think men should find their beauty within."
Some, not inclined to pluck down for a subscription, say it's not about beauty. "Sex," said Lynda Szymanski, assistant professor of psychology at the College of St. Catherine, when asked what she associates with Playgirl.
"I think it's great people feel good about their bodies, but the message Playgirl sends is you have to have this unrealistic body to be proud of," Szymanski said. "It's just like, geez … I find these magazines very demeaning."
" Men of Morning Radio " hits newsstands Aug. 25. How well it sells here is anyone's guess.
original story (http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/5746660.htm)
Ah, the intrigue: a hush-hush location to keep groupies and protesters away, photo equipment stashed in a hotel suite just off the beaten path and the one-named Chelo, who sees all.
Playgirl is back in Oklahoma City.
The women's magazine arrived this week to check out morning drive-time hosts for its pictorial, the first time Playgirl has been in town since 1997. "Men of Morning Radio" may sound like a feminist inspired martini-era throwback, but the talk show host remains one of Playgirl's hottest sellers.
It features morning radio men posing clothed, semi-nude or fully nude. The pay, pegged to the degree of undress, runs from $250 to $500 for about four hours of work. But money doesn't seem to be the point.
"I thought it would be fun and exciting, something different," said Cam Edwards, 31, an AM radio talk show host and one of the nine men who came by the suite early Monday afternoon. Edwards posed "because I’ve wanted to. I work out once in a while. I mow my own lawn. I feel good about it."
He also told his mom, who insisted he not tell people around his small Oklahoma City subdivision. Too late, said Edwards, who has been wearing a “I posed for Playgirl” T-shirt everyday for the last week.
Chelo and Playgirl contributing photographer Kim Mizuno have attracted between 50 and 100 men at each stop on the photo tour. It will likely be closer 50 in OC, but who knows if, here, flatlands sensibility comes into play.
The pair go about their business efficiently, professionally and quietly, setting up each suite to look like a radio booth, setting Playgirl magazines on the coffee table.
The men fill out applications, show their credentials and verify they're at least 18, then pose for Mizuno in a swimsuit, sometimes less. Five or six will have gotten a callback by late Tuesday night and, if they agree, been given instructions (no extra shaving, clean nails and no elastic-banded clothing) for a professional shoot by the end of the week.
The paycheck comes four to six weeks later.
"You have to consider how brave these guys are," insists Mizuno. "I take my hat off to them."
Chelo, mother of four and a freelance makeup artist who's been doing what she does for some 18 years, says Playgirl seeks a natural look and isn't looking for things like a colossal package, adding, "I think men should find their beauty within."
Some, not inclined to pluck down for a subscription, say it's not about beauty. "Sex," said Lynda Szymanski, assistant professor of psychology at the College of St. Catherine, when asked what she associates with Playgirl.
"I think it's great people feel good about their bodies, but the message Playgirl sends is you have to have this unrealistic body to be proud of," Szymanski said. "It's just like, geez … I find these magazines very demeaning."
" Men of Morning Radio " hits newsstands Aug. 25. How well it sells here is anyone's guess.
original story (http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/5746660.htm)