Monday, March 28, 2011

The First Blog Posting Ever

You might be thinking, rabbits in film, huh? What's there to know? Bugs Bunny, Roger Rabbit, Jessica Rabbit...they are all just cartoons. But the fact is that rabbit imagery is everywhere, and it is far more complex than most people think. Take the Playboy Bunny, for example; a symbol created by Hugh Hefner that still penetrates our society today. What fewer people know is that the Playboy Rabbit came first, a male symbol not only of virility but of success in relationships and careers; a man who has it all and knows how to get more of what he wants, all in the shape of a rabbit. The Playboy Bunny, the weaker and highly sexualized female symbol, came later. Rabbits are frequently used as stand-ins for humans in this way, but what are the repercussions of doing so? Is an image just an image, or does it have lasting effects on our impressions and perceptions? Look further, and you will find that there's the Trix Rabbit, the Energizer Bunny, Harvey, the Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh, the White Rabbit, the Easter Bunny, Brer Rabbit, John Updike's Rabbit Run, the Volkswagen rabbit, Blue Bunny ice cream, and the Cadbury Bunny. But more on all that later...the point is, rabbits are everywhere and it is fascinating that we, as humans, have chosen to have them represented in media so frequently. I do not believe that such representations are insignificant. So, this blog will be an initial investigation into the complex roles that rabbits play in our lives, both onscreen and off.

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