Girls Next Door
HUGH HEFNER HAS THREE GIRLFRIENDS. They're all blond, beautiful and nearly a third of his age. (He's 80 next year). They all live at the Playboy Mansion and recently became the subject of a television reality series. Lucy Broadbent met them all.
Holly Madison breezes into the mahogany inlaid library at the Playboy mansion. She's a vision of laddish fantasy - platinum blond hair, so brassy it lights up the room, a surgically enhanced cleavage, a teasing hemline, pouting lips and endless legs that plunge into six inch spiky
heels.
Her appearance wouldn't be so remarkable - this is Beverly Hills afterall - except that Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson look the same. Enough for the standing joke between them to be that they come from a blonde cloning laboratory. And all three of them happen to be the live-in girlfriends of the same man.
And even that wouldn't be so extraordinary - except that the man they all share happens to be 79 years old, which is more than all their ages combined, has suffered a stroke and is going deaf.
"Heff says he's going through his blonde period," Holly, 25, explains as she pulls her fuschia pink dress down to cover much exposed thighs and leans back into a leather sofa. "You know, like Picasso had a blue period."
Hugh Heffner, the publishing tycoon who founded Playboy magazine and is credited with fomenting the sexual revolution of the sixties, has always been a controversial figure. Today he is still making headlines. For the last seven years he has lived with a fluctuating tide of live-in girlfriends - at one point, he had seven. Now he's down to three and recently allowed the reality tv cameras inside the mansion doors to view his alternative lifestyle which might not contain as many expletives as The Osbournes, but is just as compelling.
"Heff's age never bothered me, but all the other girlfriends did," says Holly, who is from Alaska and met Heffner at one of his own parties at the mansion four and a half years ago. Heff, as he likes to be known, was already dating seven others at the time, but found there was enough room in his heart for another and invited her out .
"He's really crush-worthy because he's very confident and he has lots of sex appeal. I really liked him, but I had reservations because of all the other girls. I'm not used to sharing a guy. But when we went out, I danced all night and there were all his girlfriends there and it was
just really fun."
Heffner was breaking up with his number one girlfriend, Tina, at that time. "There has always been a hierarchy among Heff's girlfriends," Holly explains. "There has always been a main girlfriend that shared Heff's room and was in charge of the group. Tina and I became friends.
Holly Madison breezes into the mahogany inlaid library at the Playboy mansion. She's a vision of laddish fantasy - platinum blond hair, so brassy it lights up the room, a surgically enhanced cleavage, a teasing hemline, pouting lips and endless legs that plunge into six inch spiky
heels.
Her appearance wouldn't be so remarkable - this is Beverly Hills afterall - except that Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson look the same. Enough for the standing joke between them to be that they come from a blonde cloning laboratory. And all three of them happen to be the live-in girlfriends of the same man.
And even that wouldn't be so extraordinary - except that the man they all share happens to be 79 years old, which is more than all their ages combined, has suffered a stroke and is going deaf.
"Heff says he's going through his blonde period," Holly, 25, explains as she pulls her fuschia pink dress down to cover much exposed thighs and leans back into a leather sofa. "You know, like Picasso had a blue period."
Hugh Heffner, the publishing tycoon who founded Playboy magazine and is credited with fomenting the sexual revolution of the sixties, has always been a controversial figure. Today he is still making headlines. For the last seven years he has lived with a fluctuating tide of live-in girlfriends - at one point, he had seven. Now he's down to three and recently allowed the reality tv cameras inside the mansion doors to view his alternative lifestyle which might not contain as many expletives as The Osbournes, but is just as compelling.
"Heff's age never bothered me, but all the other girlfriends did," says Holly, who is from Alaska and met Heffner at one of his own parties at the mansion four and a half years ago. Heff, as he likes to be known, was already dating seven others at the time, but found there was enough room in his heart for another and invited her out .
"He's really crush-worthy because he's very confident and he has lots of sex appeal. I really liked him, but I had reservations because of all the other girls. I'm not used to sharing a guy. But when we went out, I danced all night and there were all his girlfriends there and it was
just really fun."
Heffner was breaking up with his number one girlfriend, Tina, at that time. "There has always been a hierarchy among Heff's girlfriends," Holly explains. "There has always been a main girlfriend that shared Heff's room and was in charge of the group. Tina and I became friends.
She was breaking up with Heff because she already had a daughter and she wanted a more traditional life. She was really happy that someone had come along that really cared about Heff. So I just jumped over the six other girls into the number one slot. Heff and I fell in love right away."
Holly has been Heff's main squeeze ever since. And, suggesting some intense political maneuvering, not to mention a few catfights, it wasn't long before the other six girls moved on and Holly recruited new girls. "There's a danger for Heff," Holly explains matter-of-factly. "Because sometimes girls come along and they are just interested in the money or they want to be in the magazine. When Heff and I got together he would see girls and I'd have to say I think her interests lie in areas that might not be the best for you. He'd get mad at me, but now he sees I've always been right. We have a good group of girls now."
Bridget nods her head. Bridget was Holly's first recruit, and has been Heff's number two girlfriend for the last three and a half years. Together, both girls then found Kendra, girlfriend number three. "Heff thinks he found Kendra. But Holly and I know better," says Bridget, who is from a rural area in northern California and finishes most sentences with a giggle. "We knew Heff was interested in her, so we just gave her a few tips. We told her things like what to wear. She was invited to Casablanca Night here. That's a night where we all dress up formal. If she'd turned up in a hoochy outfit, you know a two inch skirt and bra top, she wouldn't have fitted in. So we lent her clothes so that in Heff's eyes, she was dressing appropriately."
Since Heffner still handpicks all the Playboy models, he has has an inexhaustible supply of young women to invite out on dates. There are also parties at the mansion every week. Girls throw themselves at him, according to Holly. What is noticeably striking about the girls is their willing acceptance of their position within the group. "Holly is Heff's main girl, and Kendra and I are the icing on the cake," Bridget explains happily, running her perfectly manicured fingernails through her hair. "And Holly is my friend, and I, one hundred percent, respect that relationship."
None of them are allowed other boyfriends, but all insist they don't want them. And rather like soccer players, they seem to relish the team aspect of their menage. "Bridget is the party animal," Holly explains. "She loves to plan things, loves holidays and adds a lot to the group in that respect. "Bridget is the wild one, she's very athletic, loves to have a good time. She's immature, but that's a good thing because everybody bounces everybody out. I'm kind of like the mum of the group. I'm the responsible one that makes sure everybody is here on time. I make sure Heff has everything he needs."
At thirty-one, Bridget is possibly reaching her sell-by date. Heff's girlfriends are rarely older than thirty. "Heff told me the other day he thought I looked more attractive now than I ever have before, so I'm not worried," she says. "But I think I am over the age limit already."
Like Holly, Bridget and Kendra met Heff at one of his parties. Bridget's dream was always to become a Playmate (one of the girls who pose topless in the magazine). In an attempt to get noticed, she moved to Los Angeles and got herself invited to one of the Mansion parties. "I wanted to be a Playmate so bad. I remember looking at my Dad's Playboy magazines when I was a little girl and not seeing the nudity, but just thinking I want to look like that when I grow up. Those women were so beautiful," she says wistfully. "It never occurred to me to be a girlfriend. But one night after the party, Heff phones me and asks me out.
"At first I thought it was a joke. I mean Hugh Heffner calling me on my phone? But I said no because there were a lot of sexual rumors about all the shenanigans that go on in the limo and back at the house, rumors about girls doing different things with Heff. I just wanted to be a
Playmate.
"But then I started thinking surely no one is going to push me into something I don't want to do. So I went, and it wasn't this big scary sexual orgy. It was just girls being crazy, flashing their boobs and having a good time, and it was really fun. And the rest is history. I haven't made it as a Playmate yet, but I've been around ever since."
Life at the mansion is comfortable for the girls. With its swimming pool, aviary, famous grotto where Frank Sinatra once romped after dark, vast gardens, and plush rooms, the place is one of the most extravagant properties in Beverly Hills and is clearly something of a rise up the food chain for all three girls, each one of whom is from a poor working class background - Holly and Bridget were both raised in a trailer. All the girls have their own room, get an allowance of $1000 a week and free reign to spend as much as they want at the hairdressers and the beauty salons. There's a five star chef in the kitchen, an array of butlers and waiting staff and at Christmas there are rows of giant garbage bags filled with presents for them.
During the day they are free to do as they please - Holly is studying to be a real estate agent, Bridget to be a tv broadcaster and Kendra to be a masseuse. But most evenings the girls are expected to come out and sparkle alongside Heff, and since Heff is a creature of habit, the week follows a regimented routine. "Monday nights is 'Manly night' when Heff's guy friends come over and we get the night off," Bridget explains, adding that the girls agree to a curfew. If they go out on their own, they have to be home by 10pm.
"Tuesday nights we go out to a restaurant together, Wednesday night is Gin night. Heff likes to play Gin Rummy with the guys. Thursday night we go to clubs. Friday, Saturday and Sundaywe have a buffet dinner here and all Heff's friends are invited and we watch movies together. Heff's a real movie buff."
The girls paint a picture of almost cosy domestic bliss. Jealousy doesn't appear to be an issue for any of them - nor marriage. Not least because Heffner is technically still married to his second wife, Kimberley, with whom he has two sons, Marston, 15, and Cooper, 14, all of whom live, on friendly terms, in the house next door to the mansion.
Only Kendra complains that life in a menage-a-quatre isn't all a bed of roses. "It's hard to be ladylike all the time," says the 19 year old, from San Diego, who is the least articulate of all three. "I'm expected to be ladylike and that's not really who I am. I'm more of a tomboy. I
love drinking beer and watching football. I'd wear sweatpants and sneakers 24/7 if I could. I hate wearing make up. I hate going to the hair salon..... but I would rather be ladylike and get my hair and nails down than do a normal job like flipping pizza."
So she sees it as a job? "Everything is a job in life, isn't it?" she says flatly.
In spite of such an admission, it appears that the girls are genuinely fond of Heff. They talk about his charisma, his sex appeal, his joie de vivre. Holly even has the Playboy rabbitsymbol tattoed on the small of her back. Holly in particular, confesses somewhat sadly, that although
she couldn't ever see it ever happening, she would in her heart love to be married to him and can't bear to think of a time when he might no longer be around. They have nicknames for each other: she calls him Puffin, he calls her Muffin.
The billion dollar question that all three of the girls studiously avoid is once the partying is over, where does everyone sleep? Does Heff, who has made no secret of his love of Viagra, live out every man's fantasy every night? "Holly shares a bed with Heff. Kendra has her own room and I have my own room," Bridget explains. "But we do a lot of stuff in Heff's room. We all snuggle up and watch movies together, we order food in there. We do a lot in there. As far as sex goes, I don't kiss and tell. "
Wearing his trademark smoking jacket, and most certainly looking younger than his 79 years, Heffner himself wanders into the library. Good timing. The girls kiss him affectionately in turn. "Do I have sex with all these girls? Yes, I do." he says, laughing loudly. Separately or all together? "Both," he says and laughs some more. "The girls keep me young."
Like one of the boastful peacocks that roam in the grounds of the Mansion, Heffner delights in talking about his living arrangements. "I think I'm the luckiest cat on the planet," he says jovially. "The way I see it, is if you are a single person, it's not unusual to be dating more than one person. The only thing that's different here is instead of seeing a different girl on each night of the week, I see all of them at the same time, which takes away the subterfuge, the hypocrisy and the lying.
"And what's interesting is the girls like it. One of the things that makes this very attractive to other women is that we're having such a good time. Girls like the company of other girls. It's like an ongoing party. Its much more fun going out dancing or to a restaurant or a show with a little coterie of your friends.
"I could never have imagined that I would find this happiness in this last chapter of my life. I thought when my last marriage ended seven or eight years ago, that was it. But to have this final chapter, it's incredible. Without question these are the happiest days of my life."
He is convincing enough to suggest a happy ever after. And none of the girls will say otherwise. "Heff keeps all of us happy," chimes Holly. "It takes a special man to be able to do that."
Holly has been Heff's main squeeze ever since. And, suggesting some intense political maneuvering, not to mention a few catfights, it wasn't long before the other six girls moved on and Holly recruited new girls. "There's a danger for Heff," Holly explains matter-of-factly. "Because sometimes girls come along and they are just interested in the money or they want to be in the magazine. When Heff and I got together he would see girls and I'd have to say I think her interests lie in areas that might not be the best for you. He'd get mad at me, but now he sees I've always been right. We have a good group of girls now."
Bridget nods her head. Bridget was Holly's first recruit, and has been Heff's number two girlfriend for the last three and a half years. Together, both girls then found Kendra, girlfriend number three. "Heff thinks he found Kendra. But Holly and I know better," says Bridget, who is from a rural area in northern California and finishes most sentences with a giggle. "We knew Heff was interested in her, so we just gave her a few tips. We told her things like what to wear. She was invited to Casablanca Night here. That's a night where we all dress up formal. If she'd turned up in a hoochy outfit, you know a two inch skirt and bra top, she wouldn't have fitted in. So we lent her clothes so that in Heff's eyes, she was dressing appropriately."
Since Heffner still handpicks all the Playboy models, he has has an inexhaustible supply of young women to invite out on dates. There are also parties at the mansion every week. Girls throw themselves at him, according to Holly. What is noticeably striking about the girls is their willing acceptance of their position within the group. "Holly is Heff's main girl, and Kendra and I are the icing on the cake," Bridget explains happily, running her perfectly manicured fingernails through her hair. "And Holly is my friend, and I, one hundred percent, respect that relationship."
None of them are allowed other boyfriends, but all insist they don't want them. And rather like soccer players, they seem to relish the team aspect of their menage. "Bridget is the party animal," Holly explains. "She loves to plan things, loves holidays and adds a lot to the group in that respect. "Bridget is the wild one, she's very athletic, loves to have a good time. She's immature, but that's a good thing because everybody bounces everybody out. I'm kind of like the mum of the group. I'm the responsible one that makes sure everybody is here on time. I make sure Heff has everything he needs."
At thirty-one, Bridget is possibly reaching her sell-by date. Heff's girlfriends are rarely older than thirty. "Heff told me the other day he thought I looked more attractive now than I ever have before, so I'm not worried," she says. "But I think I am over the age limit already."
Like Holly, Bridget and Kendra met Heff at one of his parties. Bridget's dream was always to become a Playmate (one of the girls who pose topless in the magazine). In an attempt to get noticed, she moved to Los Angeles and got herself invited to one of the Mansion parties. "I wanted to be a Playmate so bad. I remember looking at my Dad's Playboy magazines when I was a little girl and not seeing the nudity, but just thinking I want to look like that when I grow up. Those women were so beautiful," she says wistfully. "It never occurred to me to be a girlfriend. But one night after the party, Heff phones me and asks me out.
"At first I thought it was a joke. I mean Hugh Heffner calling me on my phone? But I said no because there were a lot of sexual rumors about all the shenanigans that go on in the limo and back at the house, rumors about girls doing different things with Heff. I just wanted to be a
Playmate.
"But then I started thinking surely no one is going to push me into something I don't want to do. So I went, and it wasn't this big scary sexual orgy. It was just girls being crazy, flashing their boobs and having a good time, and it was really fun. And the rest is history. I haven't made it as a Playmate yet, but I've been around ever since."
Life at the mansion is comfortable for the girls. With its swimming pool, aviary, famous grotto where Frank Sinatra once romped after dark, vast gardens, and plush rooms, the place is one of the most extravagant properties in Beverly Hills and is clearly something of a rise up the food chain for all three girls, each one of whom is from a poor working class background - Holly and Bridget were both raised in a trailer. All the girls have their own room, get an allowance of $1000 a week and free reign to spend as much as they want at the hairdressers and the beauty salons. There's a five star chef in the kitchen, an array of butlers and waiting staff and at Christmas there are rows of giant garbage bags filled with presents for them.
During the day they are free to do as they please - Holly is studying to be a real estate agent, Bridget to be a tv broadcaster and Kendra to be a masseuse. But most evenings the girls are expected to come out and sparkle alongside Heff, and since Heff is a creature of habit, the week follows a regimented routine. "Monday nights is 'Manly night' when Heff's guy friends come over and we get the night off," Bridget explains, adding that the girls agree to a curfew. If they go out on their own, they have to be home by 10pm.
"Tuesday nights we go out to a restaurant together, Wednesday night is Gin night. Heff likes to play Gin Rummy with the guys. Thursday night we go to clubs. Friday, Saturday and Sundaywe have a buffet dinner here and all Heff's friends are invited and we watch movies together. Heff's a real movie buff."
The girls paint a picture of almost cosy domestic bliss. Jealousy doesn't appear to be an issue for any of them - nor marriage. Not least because Heffner is technically still married to his second wife, Kimberley, with whom he has two sons, Marston, 15, and Cooper, 14, all of whom live, on friendly terms, in the house next door to the mansion.
Only Kendra complains that life in a menage-a-quatre isn't all a bed of roses. "It's hard to be ladylike all the time," says the 19 year old, from San Diego, who is the least articulate of all three. "I'm expected to be ladylike and that's not really who I am. I'm more of a tomboy. I
love drinking beer and watching football. I'd wear sweatpants and sneakers 24/7 if I could. I hate wearing make up. I hate going to the hair salon..... but I would rather be ladylike and get my hair and nails down than do a normal job like flipping pizza."
So she sees it as a job? "Everything is a job in life, isn't it?" she says flatly.
In spite of such an admission, it appears that the girls are genuinely fond of Heff. They talk about his charisma, his sex appeal, his joie de vivre. Holly even has the Playboy rabbitsymbol tattoed on the small of her back. Holly in particular, confesses somewhat sadly, that although
she couldn't ever see it ever happening, she would in her heart love to be married to him and can't bear to think of a time when he might no longer be around. They have nicknames for each other: she calls him Puffin, he calls her Muffin.
The billion dollar question that all three of the girls studiously avoid is once the partying is over, where does everyone sleep? Does Heff, who has made no secret of his love of Viagra, live out every man's fantasy every night? "Holly shares a bed with Heff. Kendra has her own room and I have my own room," Bridget explains. "But we do a lot of stuff in Heff's room. We all snuggle up and watch movies together, we order food in there. We do a lot in there. As far as sex goes, I don't kiss and tell. "
Wearing his trademark smoking jacket, and most certainly looking younger than his 79 years, Heffner himself wanders into the library. Good timing. The girls kiss him affectionately in turn. "Do I have sex with all these girls? Yes, I do." he says, laughing loudly. Separately or all together? "Both," he says and laughs some more. "The girls keep me young."
Like one of the boastful peacocks that roam in the grounds of the Mansion, Heffner delights in talking about his living arrangements. "I think I'm the luckiest cat on the planet," he says jovially. "The way I see it, is if you are a single person, it's not unusual to be dating more than one person. The only thing that's different here is instead of seeing a different girl on each night of the week, I see all of them at the same time, which takes away the subterfuge, the hypocrisy and the lying.
"And what's interesting is the girls like it. One of the things that makes this very attractive to other women is that we're having such a good time. Girls like the company of other girls. It's like an ongoing party. Its much more fun going out dancing or to a restaurant or a show with a little coterie of your friends.
"I could never have imagined that I would find this happiness in this last chapter of my life. I thought when my last marriage ended seven or eight years ago, that was it. But to have this final chapter, it's incredible. Without question these are the happiest days of my life."
He is convincing enough to suggest a happy ever after. And none of the girls will say otherwise. "Heff keeps all of us happy," chimes Holly. "It takes a special man to be able to do that."
Thanks to Lucy Broadbent from Planet Syndication for the Article.
posted by Eddie @ 10:13 PM
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