A leader of the feminist movement, Gloria Steinem went undercover at the Playboy Club during its heyday
In 1963, feminist essayist Gloria Steinem got her start in journalism by spending some time working undercover at the Playboy Club in New York City. The expose, “A Bunny’s Tale” didn’t just show the cracks in Hugh Hefner’s empire that claimed to be hip to the plight of women everywhere while putting them in saucy clothing (or none at all), but it also showed that the company’s business practices weren’t all that hot for the women working at the clubs every day.
Steinem was able to use a fake name, and never actually showed a birth certificate or Social Security Number, to secure employment, to work the floor of the Playboy Club. To do that she also had to undergo an invasive check up with a gynecologist, and agree to hand over most of her tips to her managers.
Steinem’s piece didn’t turn her into a literary star overnight, in fact it was quite the opposite. She was blacklisted from most magazines and periodicals for a few years, and was only offered jobs that would force her to use her body while undercover.