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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (1) Editor's Choice "Glee" star Jane Lynch to host 2011 Emmy Awards Mavs get fire in the belly from Heat's early celebrations Saggy pants mean no ride on one Texas bus system Lady Gaga imitation goes wrong in New Jersey UK spies cook up problem for al Qaeda: media Stanley Cup trumps Olympic gold, say players Actor John Malkovich robbed in Prague Donors needed to bring Monroe's white dress to NYC Video: Dallas stars back in the saddle Slideshow: "Today's" American Idols Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read "Dr. Death," Jack Kevorkian, dies at 83 4:46pm EDT Virginia bus crash driver charged with manslaughter 3:49pm EDT Cooling employment casts shadow on recovery | 4:21pm EDT Felix Salmon: Jobs fail 12:46pm EDT Valedictorian fights judge's ban on graduation prayer 02 Jun 2011 Discussed 77 150 economists back U.S. Republicans in debt fight 44 Romney charges that Obama has ”failed America” 40 Debt-limit hike fails in House in symbolic vote Watched Scientists revive ancient spider in stunning 3D detail Tue, May 24 2011 Massive Australian waterspout caught on film Mon, May 30 2011 Facing a cyber threat 1:03am EDT Playboy club returns to London, some hopping mad Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Blatter wins fourth term as FIFA president Wed, Jun 1 2011 French minister faces sex harassment complaint Wed, May 25 2011 Hippie, control freak, editor, star: Gaga in action Mon, May 16 2011 Special report: "Big Sister" set to evict Communists from India Thu, May 12 2011 Woody Allen film charms Cannes, Lady Gaga surprises Wed, May 11 2011 Analysis & Opinion Jimmy Choo shows buyout firms can run in heels A tale of two rape charges Related Topics Entertainment » Fashion » People » Playboy Magazine founder Hugh Hefner smiles at the news conference for the upcoming Playboy Jazz Festival, at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, California February 10, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Fred Prouser By Mike Collett-White LONDON | Fri Jun 3, 2011 1:59pm EDT LONDON (Reuters) - Hugh Hefner opens a new Playboy club in London's swanky Mayfair district on Saturday after an absence of 30 years, and the imminent return of the "bunny girls" has some feminist groups and commentators hopping mad. The 85-year-old entrepreneur is in London to launch the new venue, where life membership costs 15,000 pounds ($25,000) and a single "Sazerac" cocktail will set a member back 2,000 pounds. He expects a mixed welcome at the plush new club at its official launch, with up to 200 feminist protesters promising to make their objections felt under the banner "Eff Off Hefner!." Inside, young women dressed in the famous Playboy rabbit ears, collars, cuffs and skimpy corsets will offer him and his guests champagne and deal cards at the gambling tables that will be the key economic ingredient to the venture. For Hefner, flanked by his 25-year-old fiancee Crystal Harris during an interview with Reuters, the opening will be a nostalgic return to the 60s and 70s when the hugely successful London club bankrolled much of his magazine empire. "The club I think that most of us remember, certainly on an international level, with the greatest fondness, the most iconic of the clubs, was London," he said. "So with the return of the bunnies, which began five or six years ago in Vegas ... London becomes really key to all that. It represents not only the future, it represents the iconic past." The famous London Playboy club closed in 1981 after its gaming license was revoked, although by then the A-list glamour had faded and the venues were on the decline around the globe. After a long hiatus, Hefner re-launched the concept in Las Vegas in 2006, although he said he did not expect to return to the days when Playboy had 30 clubs in the United States alone. RETRO-CHIC OR RETRO-SLEAZE? The Playboy brand, however, had made a comeback, he argued. "There is a great appeal for that retro-chic quality I think," he said. "There's a feeling for a lot of people that it was may be the party they missed, they want to go back there, with the Beatles and the Rat Pack and the bunnies." For some commentators and activists, the party should remain in the past. Kat Banyard of UK Feminista, who will be at the Playboy club opening on Saturday evening to demonstrate, said Hefner's porn empire had "laid the groundwork for the sex industry as we know it today ... which relentlessly exploits and degrades women. "The Playboy Club represents a step back in time to a place where women retreated as sexual objects to serve, titillate and decorate in a world where men are all-powerful." Commentator Ruth Wishart wrote in the Herald Scotland newspaper: "'A sanctuary for masculinity', gushes an alleged branding guru. Or a warren of retro-sleaze if you're a vaguely sentient citizen of the 21st century." Hefner, no stranger to objections to his business model, believes the publicity the protests attract has been good for the club, not feminism. "I think it's a complete misreading of history," he said of the "Eff Off Hefner!" campaign. "The reality is that Playboy and the Playboy clubs were the beginning of the sexual revolution. When the Playboy clubs first opened the bunny girls were the center of it all and ... were empowered in a way that women had not been before. "It was the beginning of independence for women and the magazine has represented personal and sexual liberation for both men and women ... Playboy represents personal freedom. That's what feminism ought to represent too." (Reporting by Mike Collett-White) Entertainment Fashion People Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language, all capital letters or appear to be spam, and we review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. Comments (1) alfogue63 wrote: Yeah! Jun 03, 2011 12:39pm EDT -- Report as abuse See All Comments » Add Your Comment Social Stream (What's this?) © Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Analyst Research Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Super Lawyers Attorney Rating Service Reuters on Facebook Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. 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