The impression you get is that Liz Stewart can take care of herself. She's a city girl, born in San Francisco and raised in Los Angeles. Hip, bright and energetic, she has the qualities necessary for urban survival. As one of that new breed of women who can talk car-model designations as well as bra
...nd names, Liz inspires confidence. If you had a Ferrari, you'd toss her the keys almost nonchalantly. At The Playboy Club in Century City, she is called Bunny Liz. You know her by her walk, a cheerful, bouncing gait that's really more dance than ambulation. There is a lot of pride in it. She likes the job and she's good at it.
"Being a Playboy Bunny is not that easy," Liz says. "It's easy after you become a Bunny and you know what you're doing, know the ropes. But it's not easy to become a Bunny.
"In fact, the worst night I ever had was the first night I was on the floor. I felt so slow. I'm not by nature a slow person: I'm usually quick and on top of things. But that night, I was bad. I was working with a senior Bunny and I knew she was getting very upset with me. Well, at the end of that shift, I cried. I stuck my head in the locker so the other girls couldn't see me. But I kept at it. And when I'd mastered it, I found it was a breeze - and it was good money. Then I really started to enjoy it."
Liz uses her money to finance her education as a commercial photographer. The clicking of the shutter is a passion with her, and she dreams of one day owning her own studio.
"I want to do fashion photography. It's the easiest thing for me to do. I modeled when I was younger. My mother sent me to Barbizon. I didn't pursue it, but because of that experience, I can basically put myself in a model's place; I can tell her and I can show her what I want and, you know, it really works!"
Following her parents' divorce when she was six months old, Liz was raised by her Nicaraguan mother.
"I spent two years in Nicaragua," she recalls. "My mom sent me there when I was 12. I learned about a totally different culture. I learned Nicaraguan history. I learned so much, I would consider doing that with my children - you know, sending them abroad for a year to study."
In the States, Liz attended parochial schools until her second year of high school. She found the private school and public school experiences worlds apart.
As she explains it, "You learn more about street wisdom in public schools. You also learn more about people and character and the different types of things you're going to have to deal with in the world. Private school is more for reading and math and all those academic things you don't like to do."
Apparently, the combination was a good one. Liz emerged full of ambition and with the smarts to realize her dreams. For her, positive thinking gets the job done.
"Once I decide that I want something, I get it! Buying my Corvette was one of those major feats. Everybody told me I could never afford to buy it, much less maintain it or pay the insurance on it, but I knew I could. And now, in a couple of months, my note will be paid off and it will be mine. I can't believe it. I'm still awed myself."
Although she wouldn't admit it, Liz exhibits a good deal of patience as well. She's been out there alone, trying to juggle career and schooling, pay the rent and keep the car fueled and, while she's doing it, maintain her independence. It takes time.
"I've been in a two-year college for four years now," she laughs. "But I've decided school is going to be an ongoing thing for me. I love it. Right now, I've slacked off because of this Playmate thing. I want to do Playmate promotions and I want to work. And school takes a lot of time." Squeezing a relationship into her schedule would be impossible if it weren't so necessary. "I want to be with a man," she says. "I need that backup." While we appreciate the sentiment, we'd rather stand alongside Liz than behind her. Anyone backing up Liz Stewart is likely to get a mouthful of dust.
