12. Bunnies Weren’t Allowed to Eat or Drink At Work
Despite working long shifts, Bunnies were not allowed to eat, drink or even chew gum while working. Liquor was especially off-limits, with Bunnies having to refuse any drink offered to them or purchased for them by clients of the clubs. Bunnies were allowed to smoke during their shifts, as long as they followed the smoking etiquette prescribed by the Bunny Manual. Not letting his Bunnies be seen eating or drinking helped preserve that otherworldly, superhuman quality he so valued in his female employees.
The policy against eating at work may have had another intended goal: keeping the Bunnies’ weights down. Gloria Steinem, during her infiltration, reported that she was weighed every single day at the start of her shift to ensure she was staying thin enough. What better way to keep your employees thin than banning them from eating for eight hours a day! Regardless of the intent, the rule against eating or drinking helped to reinforce the misogynistic ideal of a woman who exists on air and sunlight and doesn’t have any bodily functions or needs. In truth, the Bunnies were as close as possible to automatons present simply for male entertainment.