NOT YOUR AVERAGE
BUNNY BY ELIZABETH SHEFFIELD
PHOTOGRAPH BY KRYSTEN BAUMAN
S
ince its founding in 1953, Playboy has made its way into countless residences, and now boasts a world-wide circulation of roughly 3 million. The Library of Congress even distributes the magazine in Braille, allowing some Playboy readers to appreciate spherical protrusions and award-winning articles simultaneously. And, although Alden Library doesn’t carry any of the Braille editions, it does occasionally house some of the magazine’s original content.
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arents often use holiday newsletters as backhanded devices for publishing their kids’ success on everyone else’s fridge. This is embarrassing. This is even more embarrassing when Mom includes a blurb about you posing in Playboy, and then mails it to your former teachers. People judge. Kayce Berke was upset when this happened, but was quick to forgive her mother, who was just as proud about the naked photos as she was about Kayce’s educational endeavors. By the time Kayce appeared in the May 2006 issue under the pseudonym Kamelia Berke, she had already traveled abroad to Costa Rica, participated in the Global Leadership Center at Ohio University and established a strong agenda for the future. This agenda did not include Playboy. “Playboy wasn’t something that was a lifelong goal,” Kayce said. “The naked body is only one facet of a person — that’s one hundredth of my person. I didn’t really see [posing] as a big deal.” Posing for Playboy has, however, given her a more direct perspective on the social disputes associated with nude photographs. Though Kayce rejects categorizing herself as a “nudist” or a “feminist,” she views nudity as an art form, and doesn’t see anything wrong with it in respected contexts. Kayce has since graduated from OU’s undergraduate program, but hasn’t left the classroom. Now, she can be found in Gordy Hall grading tests or correcting pronunciation as a Spanish teaching assistant. She also maintains her undergrad roots by bartending at the Crystal. After her anticipated completion of her master’s in Spanish Literature this coming November, Kayce plans to live in Brazil for six months and learn Portuguese. After that, she foresees going back to the classroom for another master’s in Peace and Conflict Resolution. Kayce loves the discourse and constant questioning academia provides, and foresees a career as a professor. With thoughtful social commentary and big plans for the future, it seems like Kayce’s life is perfectly balanced except for one thing — she only has one nipple pierced. Beyond this minor imbalance, Kayce also maintains a pragmatic view of her past, including her posing experience. In fact, Playboy doesn’t even make her top 10 most profound moments. Those precious spots are reserved for more genuine influences, such as the professors and friends she has gained at OU. b
Another OU Playboy Bunny www.backdropmag.com
The names of all the continents end with the letter they start with.