A good night was had by all and the boys received plenty of attention from friends, strangers and the usual throng of confused and excited straight men. There was even someone there from the social pages of the local press who flattered the 'ladies' by snapping a few poses and taking their details. So, it wasn't too much of a surprise when Fluffy and the bunny girl made an appearance in both the Centralian Advocate and Sunday Territorian in the following weeks.

Centralian Advocate: August 21, 1987 © News Ltd: used with permission.

Sunday Territorian: September 6, 1987 © News Ltd: used with permission.

What was surprising was a fairly angry letter from one Connie MacMahon. Although she gave her address as Adelaide we always had a strong suspicion that it was actually someone local who knew us.

September 4, 1987
DRAG IS A DRAG

Sir,   As a visitor to Alice Springs, I am writing to register my displeasure at the sight of one Mr Paul Smith dressed as a Playboy bunny in a photograph taken at the recent Bindi Ball. Mr Smith appears to enjoy adopting the most oppressive and insulting aspects of the feminine stereotype. It is a shame that when women in the US have demonstrated against Playboy's disgusting objectification of women, we are forced to see a man enjoying the very image women are trying to overcome. I do not believe such behavior "sends up" the stereotype of women; it reinforces and condones it. The pornography industry has made money out of degrading women.

© News Ltd: used with permission.

Would Mr Smith also enjoy sexual harassment and fear of walking alone after dark? Would he so readily adopt the appearance of a black slave? I doubt it.
Drag is a drag, Mr Smith, don't forget it.

Connie McMahon, Adelaide.

EDITOR'S NOTE: People lacking a sense of fun can also be a drag.

Having traded on their fame for a few weeks there was no way the boys wanted to have their fun finish on a sour note. So, I dashed off a typically verbose letter to the editor of the local paper. That ensured the issue stayed a topic of polite conversation about the town for a few weeks more. And it certainly let the townsfolk know we were there and not afraid to answer back.

September 18, 1987
WILD ASSERTIONS

Sir,
A few observations in response to the letter of Connie McMahon (Advocate 4-9-87) titled Drag is a drag.'
It strikes me as somewhat amazing that in such a typical Alice Springs week - bare bums and urinating in the Todd Tavern, simulated sex by a nude couple in the Stuart Arms, more topless waitresses needed at Wests Sporting Club, five publicly advertised escort agencies and a strip-agram service that Mr Paul Smith and his bunny ears should be singled out as the international sex offender and degrader of women extrordinaire that Ms McMahon would have us believe.
Frankly, I just don't think its true. Paul's a nice boy.

© News Ltd: used with permission.

The pro/ anti pornography debate is one normally conducted in a fairly heated fashion with some pretty wild assertions being fired from both sides. The two major opposing arguments appear to be that pornography either incites or dissipates sexual aggression (stereotypically male). As far as I am aware neither side in the debate has been able to irrefutably prove its case although both assert it as fact. If pornography is indeed a problem, and specifically bunny girls, then surely Ms McMahon's prime objective should be to dissuade women from participating in the perpetuation of the activity.

Men in bunny drag in Alice Springs would seem a fairly low priority and their contribution to the oppression of women globally, infinitesimal, if at all real.
The implication that Mr Smith's activities are calculated to "send up" the bunny girl stereotype reflects, I think, a further error of judgement on Ms McMahon's part.
Certainly, satire is one potential function of the time-honored tradition of cross-sex dressing.
Drag is a complex phenomenon adopted for a wide variety of reasons - a major one is the entertainment value of its successful performance; another is the shock of illusion.
The shock of illusion is a powerful device. And I think that Ms McMahon may well miss its potential for education in her rush to condemn.
The consequence of encountering a walking, stereotypical image of western women which is instantly revealed as an illusion by the depth of vocal range is not the reinforcement of the stereotype as Ms McMahon suggests.
Rather the effect is to instantly divorce the stereotype from reality, highlighting the distinction between a women and the image of a woman.
Politically effective drag confronts society with the error of its generalisations and Mr Smith achieves that on a regular basis.
He not only turns heads but forces them to think and entertain a wide range of what often are, for them disquieting possibilities.
Drag is many things. It is only a drag to those unable to appreciate its subtleties.

John R. Hobson, Alice Springs.