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I was born on the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago. My father was a Hong Kong-Chinese immigrant. My mother was part Venezuelan, part Indian and part African. I attended a convent school and overall lived a sheltered life.
At that time, Trinidad and Tobago was a British Colony, and the British influence was very strong. At school, we were forbidden to speak our native slang. Instead, we were told to speak British English. It made me feel like they were trying to take away my identity as Trinidadian and turn me into someone I innately was not, British. I found it very suffocating, I was almost 18 years old and I decided to leave the island.
After I graduated, I left for New York with the desire of eventually moving to Paris, which is my favorite city in the world. I came to New York alone with a suitcase and a little money. I was very excited, the city was vibrant, lively and full of things I had never seen before.
Life in New York City
I stayed with a friend of a friend for two weeks. When I had to leave, I rented a room in a hotel apartment near Times Square. At that time, during the 1970s, New York City was notorious for high crime and drug rates. I knew I had to be very cautious because I was young and new to this environment. I needed to pay my rent, so I found a job in a gift shop at Lincoln Center.
One day, a young, up-and-coming actor noticed me while shopping at the store. He thought I was beautiful and suggested that I should apply for a job at the Playboy Club. I did not think I fit the criteria of a bunny—tall and blonde. Generally, I did not know much about the Playboy brand.
The next day, with great apprehension, I went to see the "Bunny Mother," who, alongside the manager, was in charge of hiring at the club. She interviewed me, and then told me to put on the bunny costume. It felt strange and a little odd. I was honestly quite embarrassed; never in my life had I dressed like that.
After my interview, the Bunny Mother called the manager and quietly discussed it with her. She then turned to me and told me to start work tomorrow. I was very excited and could not believe that I got the job.
Becoming a Playboy bunny
The next day, I came to work very early and I spent several hours in training. We learnt how to walk, how to interact with the elite clientele at the club, how to do our makeup, be impeccably dressed and ultimately serve those entering the club.
I was assigned the position of the "Door Bunny," who greeted all the guests that came to the club. I really enjoyed the role, which also involved making public announcements of the activities at the club. I was given the position because of my Trinidadian-British accent, which both the Bunny Mother and manager found very charming!
On my first day of the job, I was intimidated by all the beautiful women around me. All the people at the club were looking at me. I was uncomfortable with my bunny attire, so I was covering my chest with my hands. The manager told me that I could not do that, so I stopped. However, it took me several days to get used to my outfit.
Working at the club was never boring. I found it interesting and a lot of fun. The girls were very pleasant and quite funny; I enjoyed their company. I tried not to miss a day at work because there was always something happening.
I remember one occasion where a gentleman slipped me a note, which I quickly realized was a 50 dollar bill! I was confused and I asked my close friend what to do with it. She made it clear what he was implying, tore the note up into small pieces and gave it back to me. Then she told me: "You know what to do with it!"
I went to his table and threw the pieces over his head. He was so embarrassed, he left the club. This was a one-off occurrence, every day at the club I felt incredibly comfortable as there were room managers who ensured our safety above all.
Meeting CEOs, celebrities and Mafia bosses
Many people thought I was from Thailand, and no one believed me when I told them I was from Trinidad and Tobago. One day, I was on lunch hour when one of the bunnies told me the manager was looking for me.
I was informed that a Thai general was at the club and wanted to meet the bunny from Thailand. I froze. Instead of meeting him, I decided to go into hiding under a table in an empty room. They were not able to find me until the Thai general left.
I was fortunate to meet the most interesting people from all over the world, even those from the underworld, such as leaders of different mafias. I met CEOs of large companies, famous actors and actresses, writers, foreign government officials and much more, who I all found most intriguing.
Besides working at the club, we did other jobs such as car shows, TV programs, modeling, and fundraising events. How much we were paid depended on many factors, the day of week, whether it was a slow or more jam packed and we were always paid extra when we went on external shoots.
I had the pleasure of meeting many celebrities, including the American novelist, James Baldwin. He was brilliant and fun to talk to. On another occasion, my manager told me to take some photos with an up-and-coming comedian, whose name was Woody Allen.
A photographer took me into a room, where a small quiet shy looking man with glasses was sitting. He was expressionless and staring down. I was told to sit on his lap and hug him. He was stoic and never said a word. After the session was over, I said: "Bye". Not a word from him. A few weeks later, I saw him on television, and he was hysterically funny. I realized that he was the man with whom I took photos. What a difference!
Visiting the Playboy mansion
In the early '70s, I was chosen to be the centerfold for the magazine. They took semi-nude photos of me. My partner at the time told me not to do it and so I called it off. It was the right decision. He told me they might be great right now and I may get great publicity for them but in the long run, when I am married and have children, I may feel differently and feel ashamed of the photos.
The mansion had become a most talked about, scandalous place. The attitude toward the mansion was mainly positive, as the bunnies were well known and had become a household name. It was the 1970s, where there were a lot of drugs and hippies, so the time alone can tell you a lot.
I was invited to visit and I went out of curiosity. There were many bunnies mingling with well-known celebrities such as Bill Cosby, Tony Curtis, Anthony Quinn and other interesting people. The atmosphere was fascinating.
I watched the guests dancing, drinking, smoking pot, and just having fun. I was offered pot and alcohol but I declined. I did not encounter anything unpleasant, even though I stayed overnight. I have heard a lot of negative stories about the mansion, but my experience was totally different.
Leaving the Playboy club and moving to Geneva
My time at the club was always entertaining and full of excitement. There was never a dull moment. Fast forward to 1978, I got married and moved to Geneva, Switzerland where I studied French language and culture, and international relations. At that time I was getting tired of all the excitement and I wanted to do something different with my life, I wanted to travel and see the world. I just wanted a change.
I also did photographic modeling with Jacques Lowe, who was the personal photographer of President John Kennedy, after meeting through mutual friends in Geneva. At the time, he was living in a castle in France which was not too far from where I lived in Switzerland. The experience was amazing as we went on to become good friends and I would attend all his shows in Paris, a city in which I loved very much.
I then moved to London for a year before returning to New York, where I organized the first bunny reunion in 1989. It was great to see where all the bunnies ended up. Some became actresses, one was even in a James Bond movie, one became a doctor, another a lawyer, another a school teacher, whilst others married wealthy men and became housewives. It was a great success and we raised a lot of money for cancer. We were featured on NBC and other networks. It was wonderful to see all my lovely friends.
In 1991, I moved to Washington, D.C. with my husband, George, who is a lawyer. One of my dear friends at the time was a man called Dith Pran. He was a reporter who managed to escape the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and a movie was made about his life called The Killing Fields.
He introduced me to a man called Bobby Mueller, an advocate for banning the use of landmines. Once Bobby explained his work, I wanted to do everything I could to help. So, I volunteered to work at the Vietnam Veterans Foundation run by Bobby. His foundation won the Nobel Peace Prize.
When I reflect on my time at the club I realize I was able to meet people I would have never met in my life at any other job. I had wonderful conversations, learned a lot about people and made lifelong friends. Being a bunny opened doors for me, I basically grew up at the club and created beautiful memories I will remember forever.
Anna Lederer Gordon, 71, currently lives in New York City. She worked at the old Manhattan Playboy club from 1968 to 1971 and is currently working on a memoir she hopes to be published in the future.
All views expressed in this article are the author's own.
As told to Monica Greep.
