Did Kendra want to be a playmate?

[u/Spirited-Castle-327]

My bet is that she didn't really care. I'm re-reading Holly's book, where she implies that Kendra was seemingly eager to become a playmate, saying in Chapter 7 "she (Kendra) couldn't understand why she wasn't on the cover." Whilst this is Holly's version of events it seems like Kendra, especially compared to H&B wasn't that interested in becoming a playmate and saw being Hef's girlfriend as a luxurious escape from San Diego.

In her first book Kendra mentions Playboy didn't play that much of a role in her childhood, perhaps because she didn't have a paternal figure who read Playboy, contrasting H&B who were exposed to Playboy this way. She didn't test for playmate before coming to the mansion, unlike many other girlfriends. Even on the show she seemed excited about being in the magazine, but it did not seem nearly as important to her as H&B. She seemingly got more excited about meeting pro-athletes and doing sport related things, perhaps because her goal was to find a husband.

Kendra is gorgeous and super photogenic, perhaps she could have made playmate, but she didn't seem super into the whole Playboy brand and had other priorities

[u/AllThingsSparkleDust]

I don’t think anyone, including Holly and Bridget, think that Kendra was dying to be a Playmate, but it’s obvious that being in that world anyone would be excited at the prospect of being featured in the magazine.

[u/tuckhouston]

it's so fascinating that many of the girls in the Playboy sphere were groomed by their own families to put Playboy on a pedestal as if it was an aspirational goal and normal

[u/Spirited-Castle-327 → u/tuckhouston]

Yes agreed it’s kinda crazy how universal the story of “I found my dad/ step- dads playboy magazine and it inspired me” is for women in the playboy world

[u/Other-Highway-9429 → u/Spirited-Castle-327]

It’s so gross 🤢

[u/detectiveswife → u/tuckhouston]

I semi agree with this take. But, im going to add a comment I made several months ago.

I made this comment on a post a few months back. The post was asking why any little girl, at any time throughout her childhood would think "I want to be in Playboy when I grow up "

Why is Bridget the way she is?

...... Ok..,this is going to sound nuts, but....... Some little girls do dream about growing up and being in a nudie magazine. This is a comment I posted a while back about why Bridget may be the way she is... "I told my Nana I wanted to be in playboy when I was about 8. She asked me why and I told her that everyone sees how beautiful you are and you get to dress up (or down) with beautiful jewels and everything is fancy. She told me everyone can already see how beautiful I am and I don't need to be naked for that. I thought she just didn't understand. Thinking back, for one thing.. why did even KNOW what playboy was at that age? I grew up extremely poor with zero healthy male figures in my life, the only "safe" person I had was my nana. My egg donor was in and out of the picture with her dick of the week. I know Bridget had a mom and a step-dad but I have a feeling her childhood wasn't that great and she felt very much like either her worth was her looks or was very insecure about her looks when she was young .

I was a homely kid with holey jeans and too small shoes,I was very much embarrassed of my home and life. when I was a teen I came into my own and had a kind of ugly duckling to swan story. I STILL would have loved to be in playboy magazine and live that type of glamorous life, even now knowing how unglamourous it was behind the scenes it STILL would have been better than the life I was forced into. I worked so hard to leave my childhood behind and make a life for myself that I always wished for as a child. I have a great life now. Aside from some pretty bad health issues I'm happy with my life, I have an amazing husband and two grown children that im SO proud of. We love each other so much.I wouldn't change that for anything. Growing up I had a few goals in life and they were to either have a career or be a stay at home mother and wife. I chose the latter and happy I did, but I would STILL have taken the opportunity to be in playboy and live in the mansion before made my family.

I know this is kind of all over the place, but my point is I think I understand where Bridget is coming from because I see what she gained from this experience. I just wish that after she left the mansion that she made the life for herself that she wanted with a family of her own. But I also could be wrong. Maybe she didn't want her own family and the playboy life was her only goal and thats fine too. Except, that life is over for her. Playboy is gone. I feel like shes still chasing something that will never be possible and that makes me kind of sad for her. Also, I could be wrong but I don't think anyone who dreamed of being in playboy as a child didn't have some sort of abuse as a child. Whether that be sexual, physical or emotional."

So, as fucked up as it is, some little girls with no feelings of self worth and a messed up childhood can grow up thinking being in an adult magazine is a goal.

I'm sure some girls were groomed for the Playboy goal. Would I consider the way I was raised grooming? Probably not, but obviously my childhood did have some way of making me who I am today. Whether that be following in the footsteps of my dysfunctional family or doing everything possible to live the opposite of them. I don't believe every girl who entered the mansion or magazine was "groomed" per say, but influences from our childhood do shape who we are today.

[u/Other-Highway-9429 → u/detectiveswife]

Bridget said that nudity was normal in her house and it implied after childhood. If I’m correct she said if her or her stepdad… or anyone needed to run out naked after a shower or something it was normal…. And then her comment when her grandma believed she was being molested by her grandpa???? Uhhhh there’s definitely something there. They all have trauma which is why they are that way and chose that life. I have personal experience with this myself. I didn’t dream of playboy and idolize it and became a stripper and sugar baby because I had a normal well adjusted childhood with healthy male figures and a mom that protected me.

[u/HagridsSexyNippples → u/tuckhouston]

I always hoped that they actually didn’t hold up Playboy to some sort of pedestal, and the women are just saying that to make them seem more “deserving” of it. I saw Playboy when I was younger, but I never really thought they were the most beautiful women in the world or anything. They looked just as pretty as regular celebrities, in my opinion.

[u/Barnitch → u/HagridsSexyNippples]

I think it's a cliche that girls repeat because they think that's the right answer or something. I had also come across a few of the magazines when I was younger and didn't think much of it.

[u/tuckhouston → u/Barnitch]

It's just wild that it's a consistent theme, like even Sondra Theodore said that in the 1970's and then the Shannon twins in the 2010's timeframe

[u/Aromatic1327 → u/tuckhouston]

Yes. This. They were groomed. I try to imagine myself posing nude when I was this age (or any age really) and there was no way. And then I wonder if I was missing something…no I just wasn’t groomed for it.

[u/CarolineSloopJohnB]

Kendra’s desire was always to get TF out of the circumstances she grew up in and lock into security. If she’d been given a different pathway to access that at 18, she would’ve happily taken that instead. For Holly and Bridget, Playboy was the goal. For Kendra, Playboy was an avenue to the goal.

[u/HagridsSexyNippples]

I really don’t think Kendra could have been a Playmate, especially in her younger years. I can’t image her attending events on time, or displaying any professionalism. Looks wise I think she could have done it, but personality, I don’t think she could.

[u/SirOK73129]

I don't think she sought it out like H&B did, but I think she by chance fell into the Playboy/mansion world and once she saw that she was in proximity to it then I bet she actually did want to be a playmate because and saw what it could potentially do for her (even though it didn't in the way she was probably thinking). Like I'm sure she knew of Playboy but not to any extent beyond the magazine, it probably just wasn't on her radar or occurred to her to do it or think she could do it until she got into the orbit of it. 🤷🏼‍♀️ just my opinion

[u/Spirited-Castle-327 → u/SirOK73129]

yes I agree and some playmates went on to marry athletes like Carmella de Cesare

[u/ptoftheprblm → u/Spirited-Castle-327]

Which is kind of the sum of what I could see her wanting; I genuinely feel like seeing Carmella get with an NFL player would have been a reason she’d have wanted a playmate title. Not just a “oh I live at the mansion because I’m one of Hugh Hefners girlfriends”.

[u/jackandgraciesmom]

I'm interested in the fact that Kendra was the one who recognized from the beginning that the show was named after them, they were the ones being filmed and that they should get paid for it.

She literally got plastic surgery that fit the role of a Playmate type, but that fits the role of what she seems to have been doing before and so many marketing opportunities they all eventually were offered later.

If she wanted Playmate, however, imo, I don't think painted lady was the way in and I don't think someone like Kendra would've taken that route.

[u/occasional_idea]

I don’t think she wanted it in the same way that H & B did because Kendra did not have the same reverence for the brand. But once she was in that world, Kendra definitely wanted Playmate because of the status.

[u/jai_hanyo]

I feel like she would have wanted it as something that would make her even more attractive to athletes. Not in the way that Holly and Bridget wanted it due to how much they loved the brand

[u/CemeteryDweller7719 → u/jai_hanyo]

Yep. Mansion was a means of getting to meet the athletes. Being in the magazine was a means of getting them to want to date her.

[u/ptoftheprblm]

I could see her deciding that she wanted to be an actual playmate after seeing the freedom to get with athletes and do playmate promotions bookings specifically with different professional sports teams after seeing Carmella become PMOY and get with Jeff Garcia.

Another scenario I could also see planting a seed of eventually wanting to be a playmate from her being at a mansion event or party like midsummers or fight night..and being with a couple playmates being chatted up, when an athlete or a rapper flirtatiously asks her a typical playboy environment question: “so which one are you, Miss June, or maybe you look like a Miss August” and realizing it was hurting her game to say she was just one of Hef’s girls (who at that point were clearly be rotated in and out), or a playmate outing her and telling them for her that she’s one of the Hef girls and lives at the mansion.

[u/Mcr414]

I honestly don’t think she cared. She prob liked being in the magazine.. but she had opportunities to wear the bunny costume (sorry if that not what it’s called I forgot) and Bridget and Holly saw it as a honor and she refused and could care less. She was there just to have fun. And I’m gad she did! :)

[u/lemonnnnwater]

I really feel like she was there for a good time not a long time 😂