ATHENA-AFRICALIVES! CULTURE and ADVOCACY WOMEN'S RIGHTS Athena-AfricaLives! Culture and Advocacy with its director Shana de Carsignac Mongwanga, organise and attend various events around Women's rights and empowerment.
PLAYBOY AND #METOO MOVEMENT The Hypocrisy of double standards in Criminal Prosecutions
Crystal Hefner's reply to my question at this event sums up the #MeTOO hypocrisy in a nutshell: 'WHY HAVE YOU TITLED YOUR BOOK SURVIVING HUGH HEFNER and would there be any Criminal Convictions?'
She replies 'my book is titled 'Finding Myself'. Thank you for your question'.
Despite the book cover in plain view highlighting the title 'SURVIVING PLAYBOY' and book markeking based on R.Kelly Hit job documentary 'Surviving R.Kelly' which started his prosecution and lead to a cumulative 50 years lifetime sentence in prison.
I have attended the most bizarre and possibly the most hypocrital event of my life thus far at Crystal Hefner, Hugh Hefner's wife book event.
I was thrilled to attend this event as part of the incredible TROUBLE CLUB - A FEMINIST NETWORK which organises the most empowering women's event.
So I very much looked forward to a stellar thought-provoking event and booked weeks in advance. Only to be puzzled an dismayed by the content of the talk. The neon pink light and constant giggle in the crowd should have given me a clue. I am still puzzled. What did I actually witness? Breakdown and details of the talk below.
See video of event at the Trouble Club -
During the talk, Crystal Hefner -soon to be back to her maiden name of Harris, could not evidently do it in time for the book release- Crystal states what's below and at EVERY TURN one tried to be sympathetic but only to be dismayed at the next statement. Puzzled.
-Crystal Hefner States that her Playboy Mansion experience felt like a CRUISE ITINIRARY. Because everything so organised. Really.
-Hugh Hefner will tap her on her shoulder when her brunette roots would show. One day she decided to stop diying her hair and..he said NOTHING. Incidently I could not distanguished which was whcih at the talk: the journalist Pandora Sykes or Crystal Hefner. Both blonde look alike from my viewpoint. So she kept the blonde look.
-She says she wanted to debunk the Fairy Tale of the Playboy Mansion. WAS IT EVER A FAIRY TALE? FOR WHO? WOMEN DRESSED AS BUNNIES, LIVING WITH AN ELDERLY MAN AN HIS 7 OTHER GIRLFRIENDS, which included TWIN SISTERS..the same family girlfriend. That's bordeline incestueous, but who would say that about Heffner?
-About the #METOO advent which ocurred a month after Hefner died, she said it WOULD NOT HAVE EFFECTED HIM MUCH. HE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE CARRY ON, PERHAPS MORE DISCRETLY. WOW. In essence, Hugh Hefner would NOT have had to fear any backlash or Criminal Convictions due to #METOO.
That is most fascinating and troubling statement that the Times Journalist Pandora Sykes fails to pick-up on, to at least press some reality check on the woman. Men who have done far less have been convicted for far more following #METOO. But here is the wife of PlayBoy Creator saying that it would Not have impacted him. That shows the level of assurance and protection for someone like Hefner.
I started to wonder WHAT WAS I DOING THERE. This is Love Island reality-Tv show fluff talk and I am watching. But it gets worse.
Crystal Hefner continues: she did not think Hugh Hefner was a narcissist or a mysogynist until after the #METOO and now she knows those words and says it applies to him. I believe these words were in the Human vocabulary before the MeTOO movement.
She was NEVER made to sign a non-disclosure agreement. That shows a level of confidence in his Playmates from Heff, as she calls him. Then again he was about 80 years old and she 21 when she started dating him. She reveals she has no issued with anyone at the Playboy company after publishing her book. Business as usual.
BECAUSE SHE IS A BOARD MEMBER OF THE HUGH HEFNER FOUNDATION! Mic drop for me, and I am mentally out of this nonsense event. WHY AM I HERE! Clearly the public attending and presumably those who made her book a NEW-YORK TIMES BEST SELLERS (LOL!) have been lured by the title 'SURVIVING PLAYBOY' based on RnB King RKELLY "SURVIVING R.KELLY docu-fiction Hit job, only to be scammed. Because clearly this lady is still happy to keep her Playboy connections and there was no survival happening.
She reminds us that her TV show Wedding episode had great ratings, her Playmate first cover was sold out, her Playboy Runaway bride cover was one of the most successful. Yes she left briefly but could not keep her business open so she came back and merry the Heff.
So there is NO TALE OF SURVIVAL, BUT THE EXPLOITATION OF A TITLE AND NARRATIVE THAT EXPLOITED THE ALLEGED ABUSE AND SUFFERING OF BLACK WOMEN.
And that is the common point with the SURVIVING RKELLY docu-fiction Hit job serialised and sold to countless countrie and made Millions for its producers as well as Netflix and Lifetile network. IT IS ABOUT EXPLOITING BLACK WOMEN'S PLIGHTS AND SEXUAL ABUSES ALLEGED IN THAT DOCUMENTARY WITHOUT EVEN GIVING THEM CREDIT OR GIVING THEM A PENNY BACK OR INVESTING IN THEIR COMMUNITIES OR PROJECTS TO BREAK THESE CYCLES OF ABUSE.
As we stated in our various research papers, As of today, 5 years after these R.KELLY documentaries there has been no other cases, advocacy, funding or support to safeguard and protect Black girls or Women against trafficking, kidnapping, rape or abuse as alleged in these docs. NONE.
Nor Lifetime, Netflix, BBC or anyone who made millions off these docs have invested to support communities in what they sought to denounce. The USA or UK government have not invested in any community funding or policies tackling the issues presented in these docs.
NONE.
This talk and this book WIDELY promoted as 'SURVIVING PLAYBOY' does the same in exploiting those women's plight without even mentionning them.
Incidently many of these women on the docu-fiction Hit job have been proven to be professional liars as the Court documents and our research have revealed. Read our Academic research Paper ' BESTIALITY AND OTHER STEREOTYPES TOWARDS MEN OF AFRICAN ORIGINS' From Shakespeare's Othello to R. Kelly READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE ,
The exploitation of these women who were promised BOOK DEALS which ended up being the equivalent of self-published nonsense without any sales for ALL OF THEM, their exploitation continues with a Playmate who actually has a REAL BOOK DEAL, USED THEIR NARRATIVE (however false) to get herself on the Times Best selling list and still Board member of the Hefner Foundation and SHE PROMOTES AN AUCTION OF PLAYBOY and HEFNER MEMORABILIA which she says money might go to women's causes. I can't.
Crystal Hefner then touches on pay disparity and said she was paid nothing of their §800,000§ deal to broadcast their wedding. The Times journalist insits she was paid very little in pocket money: ONLY §1000 a week to do absolutely nothing and Crystal insists it was excruciating to do nothing most times. The journalists quickly calculates and declares that §54,000 a year is very little if you think about it.
A SENSED A BIT OF DISCOMFORT (finally) FROM THE AUDIENCE when the Playmate states that she managed to buy herself 3 PROPERTIES AND DO ONLINE ENDORSMENT DEALS whilst 'Surviving' in the Playboy mansion.
The Journalist attempts another feminst Metoo stance by saying it must have ben really hard for you because you were constantly controlled, and Hefner did not want you to work right? Not really Crystal replies.
Oh dear.
The journalist tries again: That Matron lady who was in control of Hefner's affair was really the boss right, if she did not like a Playmate she would not be staying right? Crystal replies not really, she didnt like me. And she married the Heff nevertheless.
You get the gist of the event by now.
The Q&A sank my soul further in the Abyss.
A woman said it was wonderful that Women could just do what Hugh Hefner was doing but for themselves and with the use of social media. Crystal agrees. I dispair.
There was ONE attempt at reminding us this was actually a Feminist network event: a woman asked if Crystal ever considered living a more meaningful life or perghaps by being involved in Women's communities? Well, what Crystal Hefner likes to do now is travelling and developping properties..in Hawaii. She clearly has the budget. She said maybe she can help women there.
The most disgusting thing Crystal Hefner said about the Playboy mansion is that it was full of muld.
The Puzzled soul in me cannot wait to exit the room.
Notes by Shana de Carsignac Mongwanga
SO WHAT's THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HUGH HEFNER AND R.KELLY ? Race. Wealth. Connections.
REMINDER HUGH HEFNER DIED PEACEFUL IN ALL HIS GLORY WITHOUT ANY LAWSUITS OR CONVICTIONS AGAINST HIM OR HIS PLAYBOY COMPANY
R.KELLY IS CURRENTLY IN PRISON SERVING A CONCURRENT 30 YEARS SENTENCE AND 20 YEARS SENTENCE AND IS APPEALING ALL HIS VERDICTS.
HUGH HEFNER -Build the Playboy lifestyle and Mansion since 1070 creating Playmate bunnies, magazine publishing porn and soft porn material. And Naked Women. Hosted ALLthe rich and famous and perverts of the world at parties and orgies for decades.
-Lived in his Playboy Mansion with his All of his girlfriends, which included TWIN SISTERS.
-Described as controlling for having house rules and routine in his home.
-Had a reality TV show sold in 60 countries about life with his Playmates at his mansion. The show run for 6 seasons and he was paid §400,000 per episode.
-Loved young looking BLONDE WOMEN.
R.KELLY -King of RnB music (Black music. Sometimes very sensous music) Musical genious despite being functionally illiterate. Own the RnB scene of the 90's and 2000' wrote close to half the songs and albums of that era. Wrote and worked with all the greatest artists Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, The Isleay Brothers, ect.
-Lived in his Mansion with his All of his girlfriends.
-Described as controlling for having house rules and routine in his home.
-Had a docu-fiction Hit job made about him 'SURVIVING R.KELLY which led to a full on CRIMINAL PROSECUTION THE FOLLOWING DAY OF THE BROADCAST.
-Loves all types of Women, and BLACK WOMEN.
-No THERE WAS NEVER A PREFERENCE FOR UNDER-AGE WOMEN.There is a history of groupies with Fake ID accessing R.KELLY and Parents coaching their under-age daughters to seduce R.Kelly whilst lying about their age. AND WITNESS TAMPERING AFTER HIS ARREST TO SECURE THE 50 YERS CONVICTION. DUE TO THE METOO MOVEMENT READ ON JUSTICERKELLY.WEEBLY.COM
SO WHAT's THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HUGH HEFNER AND R.KELLY. Race. Wealth. Connections.
HUGH HEFNER AND prominent Black culture icon BILL COSBY have been best friends for decades. Only Bill Cosby was prosecuted, and jailed until he won ALL his Appeals
How dishonest. The BOOK COVER and whole marketing of this book is based in SURVIVING R.KELLY Hit job documentary that got the Black man 50 year in prison for the SAME BEHAVIOUR AS HER HUSBAND HUGH HEFNER DID. WHITE MAN, gazillionaire and Godfather of having live-in girlfriends with an allowance and even broadcasting it on a TV show in 60 countries for years.
I was PUZZLED. And when I am puzzled I write articles. The woman says she is still on BOARD MEMBER of the HUGH HEFNER FOUNDATION. She MOURNED HIM.
Evidently she doesn't think ANY of Hugh Hefner behaviour warranted criminal convictions !
So why did the Black man doing the same thing is in jail with a cumulative 3 lifetime sentences ? Oh because in 50 years at Playboy mansion there has never been any unsavoury behaviours despite ALL THE PERVERTS OF THE PLANETS HANGING OUT THERE ?
That is the dishonety of Criminal Prosecution and Cancel Culture following the #MeToo era.
ALL CONTENT AND WRITINGS COPYRIGHT OF SHANA de CARSIGNAC MONGWANGA-ELOKO / ATHENA-ARICALIVES! CULTURE AND ADVOCACY READ Women's rights and Advocacy in Trump era Notes by Shana de Carsignac Mongwanga