Sondra Theodore supports #MeToo
ABC/YouTube
It probably isn’t too surprising that Sondra Theodore is a big supporter of the #MeToo movement. The phrase #MeToo was first used by Tarana Burke in 2006, who used the phrase as a rallying point for women who wanted to share their experiences with sexual violence. In 2017, Alyssa Milano used the phrase online, which sparked a larger collective conversation (per Verywell Mind).
Theodore credits the movement with helping the “Playboy” documentary come about in the first place. As she told The Mountain News, it would have been tough for the documentary to have a home without #MeToo. She explained, “We would not have been embraced and accepted like we are right now. If it hadn’t been for them. They broke the ice. It made people listen.” Theodore went on to tell the newspaper that the biggest reason she wanted to share her story was for other women who have their own stories but have never had someone who would listen, or someone they could relate to. As she put it, “I wanted them to know they weren’t alone. And it wasn’t their fault.”
What You Never Knew About Sondra Theodore
Derek Hudson/Getty Images
By Stephanie Kaloi/Feb. 16, 2022 1:54 pm EST
Theodore has also shared she’s happy she participated in the documentary, telling The Mountain News that she hopes her story helps other women. Here’s a look at one of the women who knew Hefner the best, and what her life was like with him.
Sondra Theodore dated Hugh Hefner from to 1976 to 1981
Theodore said that things were pretty straightforward. As she explained, “We wanted to check out what the party was all about. We ended up being introduced to him and he then took us on a tour of the property, just the two of us.” However, she also told the news outlet that before she went, her mother had tried to warn her against making the trip. As Theodore said, “She immediately went, ‘Oh no, please don’t go up there.’ I told her, ‘Don’t worry, I’m going with my friend and we’re coming back home together.’”
Theodore went on to add that she was hooked on Hefner before leaving that night. After the twosome danced to “Baby Blue” by Barry White, she “was in love before the night was over.”
She says Hugh Hefner talked about starting a family with her
BACKGRID
In retrospect, Theodore sometimes struggles to believe that the relationship happened. As she told the news outlet, being with Hefner made her feel exceptional. The relationship was serious; Theodore says that Hefner lavished her with compliments. She explained, “He used to tell me that he had never liked a girl as much as he liked me. How he would love to have a child with me. How we were going to live happily ever after.”
Sondra Theodore’s parents worried the relationship would ruin her career
Her parents had been concerned from the start. In 1977, Theodore told The San Bernardino Sun that her parents expressed worry about her being photographed for Playboy. As she put it, “They’re really concerned, but within time it’ll blow over. It’ll become just a memory” (via Newspapers.com).
She has wanted to tell her story for 10 years
In a lot of ways, Theodore was waiting for someone like Alex Dean, the filmmaker behind A&E’s “Secrets of Playboy,” to come along and help her open up about what really happened behind closed doors. As Theodore related to The Mountain News, while she might have felt trepidation or intimidation before finally speaking out, she’s glad she did. Theodore said, “I think this is the beginning of a lot of women coming out. I think when this thing is over, we’re going to have a lot of girls that are going to reach out.”
Theodore also told The Mountain News that the experience was healing in a big way. For one thing, she felt enormously validated by the documentary itself. She said being taken seriously after so long has helped her immensely. As she put it, “It was real, it happened, and shame on the people that are attacking us.”
Sondra Theodore works as an artist in California now
A&E/YouTube
Sondra Theodore supports #MeToo
ABC/YouTube
It probably isn’t too surprising that Sondra Theodore is a big supporter of the #MeToo movement. The phrase #MeToo was first used by Tarana Burke in 2006, who used the phrase as a rallying point for women who wanted to share their experiences with sexual violence. In 2017, Alyssa Milano used the phrase online, which sparked a larger collective conversation (per Verywell Mind).
Theodore credits the movement with helping the “Playboy” documentary come about in the first place. As she told The Mountain News, it would have been tough for the documentary to have a home without #MeToo. She explained, “We would not have been embraced and accepted like we are right now. If it hadn’t been for them. They broke the ice. It made people listen.” Theodore went on to tell the newspaper that the biggest reason she wanted to share her story was for other women who have their own stories but have never had someone who would listen, or someone they could relate to. As she put it, “I wanted them to know they weren’t alone. And it wasn’t their fault.”
Theodore credits the movement with helping the “Playboy” documentary come about in the first place. As she told The Mountain News, it would have been tough for the documentary to have a home without #MeToo. She explained, “We would not have been embraced and accepted like we are right now. If it hadn’t been for them. They broke the ice. It made people listen.”
Theodore went on to tell the newspaper that the biggest reason she wanted to share her story was for other women who have their own stories but have never had someone who would listen, or someone they could relate to. As she put it, “I wanted them to know they weren’t alone. And it wasn’t their fault.”
