Photo: Courtesy of Uline.
Reaction to the fake Playboy "The Ultimate Guide To A Consensual Good Time" site released yesterday proves one thing: People welcome discussions on date rape, sexual assault culture, and consent. Before the Internet realized the whole thing was a fake, people were deep into celebrating this progressive move, supposedly spearheaded by Playboy.
An excerpt from the guide's intro: "Somewhere in the countless hours we spent tallying up co-eds and scoring beer pong, we lost track of the most essential element of the Playboy lifestyle: sexual pleasure. Rape is kryptonite to sexual pleasure. The two cannot co-exist."
The site takes the familiar "Guide to the Best Party Schools" trope and turns it on its head, instead featuring great organizations, publications, and individuals at U.S. colleges that promote consent and sexual openness. They feature Samantha Stendal of the University of Oregon — who released a YouTube video about what you should do when you come across an intoxicated woman — and the University of Wisconsin Madison organization "Badgers Get Consent."
Behind the prank? Feminist group FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture — the same crew behind the Victoria's Secret "anti-rape" underwear series prank of last year — along with a network of college students from across the country.
It isn't necessarily that Playboy could never release such a site — in fact, it seems to be the opposite. It would have been a believable, if slightly surprising, move on Playboy's part if they had indeed put together this guide. Maybe the real surprise is that no huge brand has stepped up to the plate to encourage sexy time and sexy consent in the same. Here's to hoping that the next time we see a guide congratulating colleges on their progressive programs, it isn't a joke. (PartyWithPlayboy)