Girls On Girls

In last week's Strib, Neil Justin noted an interesting television demographic:

Playboy, like chewing tobacco and the Three Stooges, has long been favored by the male of the species.

But E!'s 'The Girls Next Door,' which follows the misadventures of Hugh Hefner's three girlfriends, is turning that tradition on its ears.

About 70 percent of the reality series' audience is of the female persuasion, a startling number considering that a typical premise consists of the blondes trying to finagle their way into a magazine pictorial, not unlike Lucy's attempts to sneak onto Ricky's cabaret show -- although I don't recall Mrs. Ricardo ever having her bare ta-tas digitally erased from the screen.

My wife (yes, she likes watching the show) and I noticed this a while ago. Most of the commercials that aired during a typical broadcast were directed toward the fairer sex. But we wouldn't have imagined that 70% of the viewers were women.

Justin's article goes on to speculate that the reason that the show appeals to women is because they envy the lives of kept luxury "The Girls" are living. In my wife's case, I think she enjoys laughing at "The Girls" intellectual challenges and marvelling at their almost unbelievable, but apparently completely sincere naivitee regarding most aspects of life.

Me, I just like watching it for the articles.