The Girls of ConUSA link
Playboy scouts Marshall for photo splash
HUNTINGTON -- If you're a Marshall University student, the girl sitting next to you in Econ could be auditioning for a photo shoot next week. She likely won't be carrying her L.L. Bean backpack or wearing her pink sweater. Instead, she may bear a splash of perfume, alluring eyes and not much else when adult magazine staple Playboy seeks Thundering Herd students for its Girls of Conference USA issue.
Playboy is holding auditions for possible Playmate material in Huntington next Monday and Tuesday. The shoot will likely be held at a hotel off campus, a Playboy spokesman said Monday. The Girls of Conference USA issue hits newsstands April 6, 2007, and will feature students from all 12 conference schools in their birthday suits.
Several Marshall students said they didn't mind the exposure. The men especially seemed to have no gripes. "Hugh's my hero," said freshman Seth Williamson, referring to Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. "I'm all for it."
But even some female students -- who said they would decline to audition -- said they supported Playboy's own version of extracurricular activity. "I read them all of the time," said junior Jenni Ross, later explaining the magazines are indeed her boyfriend's. Ross was certain that several coeds would try out for the pictorial, but she wondered what it would be like to have a friend or classmate appear unclothed for millions of readers. Ross, a blonde, rejected the idea of auditioning herself. "I'm a mama," said Ross, a mother of a 2-year-old boy. "So it's definitely not for me. I wouldn't do it anyway."
Playboy last featured a Girls of Conference USA spread in its October 2000 issue, but Marshall didn't become a member of the conference until 2005. Before that, Marshall was in the Mid-American Conference. There was no Girls of the MAC.
Playboy is the largest selling men's magazine in the United States with 3 million copies sold every month. Stefan Prelog, a spokesman for Playboy, said about 100 women typically show up for college-themed auditions. "We're looking for the girls who have that look," Prelog said. "The ones that could be next to you in class. That all-American look." Prelog isn't sure how many Marshall students would make the cut. He said the number varies depending on the results of the auditions. He noted that Playboy's Girls of the Big 12 issue features nine girls from Kansas. Prelog also emphasized that Playboy staff would accommodate those who audition and not pressure them into uncomfortable situations. "It's a very relaxed atmosphere," he said. "The photographers have been working with us for decades and they shoot whenever the girls are comfortable."
Candidates must be at least 18 and be registered as a full- or part-time students at Marshall. They must attend one of the casting dates and also should send a recent full-figure photo in a two-piece swimsuit and a head-and-shoulders portrait to Playboy.
Freshman Shannon Sanders and junior Kendra Johnson say they're not posing. Johnson joked that she would dye her hair blonde and then try out. "I'm sure there will be more sorority girls who do it," Johnson said. "If they want to do it, that's their problem. I'll sleep fine at night." Sanders said she first heard about the Playboy shoot when she logged onto the popular Web site Facebook early Monday. "I just laughed at it," she said. Both Sanders and Johnson, though not protesting Playboy's visit to Huntington, said posing nude for the pictorial would be embarrassing and degrading.
Buddies Ryan Bleyle and Rob Johnson had a different perspective. "There's plenty of hot women here," said Bleyle, a sophomore. Johnson said Playboy should have no problem finding top prospects. He mentioned the Hooters restaurant in town that already features scantily clad women serving wings and burgers. He also reflected on a Girls Gone Wild taping in Huntington last year. "I don't think the morals of the girls will suppress them posing for Playboy," said Johnson, a senior. Bleyle and Johnson don't believe the shooting will hurt the school's image.
But Marshall officials prepared a statement on Monday addressing next week's photo shoot. "We have no control over the activities that occur off of our campus," said Steve Hensley, dean of student affairs, "but hope that our students will conduct themselves professionally and with proper consideration for their actions at all times."
