Tracey Rose

The Playboy Bunny suit is a strapless bodysuit paired with rabbit ears and a fluffy tail. It was popularized by the pornographic magazine Playboy, first published in 1953, and later accentuated with a tuxedo collar, cuffs and bow tie. At the time, some thought the costume conveyed sexual innuendo and sophistication. Rose presents an adapted version, fused with a latex nun suit similar to those found in sex shops for role play. She appears like a Playboy model, but her body is fully covered, and she holds a rifle against a rundown graffitied wall.

Bunnie’s costume suggests that her role is ambiguous, somewhere between a superhero, an armed revolutionary guerilla fighter or fetish for bondage, domination and sadomasochism (BDSM). The name of the character and title of the photograph is spelled with the suffix ‘nie’, an Afrikaans term used to negate, as though to resist these roles. This character explores the power of sexual imagery but also refuses to be viewed as an erotic symbol.