Learning Through Words

Although the new Girls Next Door (which I shall refer to as GND from now on) has just wrapped up its season with the Shannon Twins and Crystal Harris, I decided to talk about the role of GND overall in the media. This isn’t going to be about bashing anyone, as so many blogs and message boards have done. It’s going to be about the commercial appeal of the Girls Next Door as a brand, and what I think each girl brings to the Playboy brand in terms of marketability.

The thing to remember is that Playboy was started in the early ’50s  as a magazine that portrayed photos of “Girls Next Door”, wholesome, natural women. It also included articles about male etiquette, and short stories by some of the most prominent authors of the time. Now it still has those elements, but has more enhanced women and other forms of media, the topic of which is obvious.

I don’t read Playboy, as I’m a straight female (although I guess some straight women do read it with hopes of becoming a Playmate or something). However, I watch GND, but more as a comedy show than anything else. Well, it used to be that, anyway. The original girls had such varied personalities, it made it fun to watch their travels and their experiences. I also watch the spinoff shows that they’ve all gotten, and they’re all enjoyable to watch. So, in my opinion, here’s what the original girls bring to the table:

• Holly Madison: Looks like a Disney Princess/Barbie Doll, always has fun ideas. Attracts demographics that love old-fashioned blonde bombshell style and/or quirky comediennes.
• Bridget Marquardt: Smart, bubbly personality, organized, great party planner. Girls love her themed party ideas, while she attracts guys who like looks and brains.
• Kendra Wilkinson/Baskett: Really funny, tomboy. The girls love her random funniness and honesty, while guys are attracted to her athletic skills.

People especially liked the original girls because they knew how to seamlessly blend real life with reality television (which is, in most cases, two different things). They were honest and had no trouble answering interview questions. Plus, they were all so different that it was interesting how these three lived in the same mansion with the same guy. All three have had spinoff shows that are true to their personalities, with their respective demographics following them for popular ratings. The key with reality show stars is that no matter how different their circumstances, they have to be relatable to their audience. Holly, Bridget, and Kendra whether all together or apart, are.

The new girls were greeted with a season premiere that garnered high viewer ratings. This was probably out of curiosity after the departure of the original three. How would these girls compare to the old ones? I have seen a lot of discussion about the lack of personality that these girls have. People seem to forget that these girls, unlike the original three, had less media experience. They walked into the mansion, and walked into a reality show, whereas the original three had been around for a while before the show was started, and kind of got used to the press and whatnot. Here’s what these girls bring to the table:

• Crystal Harris: She’s a former college student, shy. Her shyness, I think, is something that endears her to some audiences, while others misunderstand it.
• The Shannon Twins: Their reputation as “America’s Party Girls”  make them identifiable to their generation demographics, in addition to those who are fans of identical twins. I must admit, it’d be more interesting if they had completely different personalities from each other. However, that route’s been taken before with twins, so instead I think their marketability has been centered around being so completely alike.

I think that the overall point of the show is that these girls aren’t your typical “Girls Next Door”, a la the reference to the early features in Playboy, yet they still are in some ways. The trend I see in this current GND is that the predictable is trying to become the marketable. Will it work? It just might with time.