Stripe Tease

US Air Force Demotes Playboy-Pose Sergeant

The most ironic fact about the whole Michelle Manhart episode is that the former US Air Force sergeant who posed for `Playboy' might have got away with it if some of the shots had not depicted her in USAF uniform, holding weapons and wearing dog tags.
Manhart, a 30-year-old mother of two, was not discharged from the Air Force but she was removed from active duty and demoted. The decision, in effect, reduced her to Air National Guard status, a move which according to BBC, prompted her resignation, she says. The resignation, it seems, is still pending.
Just to refresh your memory, she appeared in this month's edition of `Playboy' in a range of poses, some in uniform and striking a military pose, others while nude. Manhart was a member of the Iowa Air National Guard before going on extended active duty with the USAF. News of her `Playboy' assignment was leaked long before the magazine's release and in January, she was suspended from duties while an official investigation into the incident was carried out.
At the time the USAF released a cautiously-worded but firm statement saying that her actions did not ``meet the high standards we expect of our airmen''.
As an employee of the USAF - and by definition of the US Government as well - Manhart faced an uphill battle to retain her rank. Had she got away with censure, it would have opened the floodgates for similar situations.
Let me present you with a theoretical situation. If you were the CEO of a company and one of your employees posed for `Playboy' while wearing company uniform and holding company equipment, how would you react?

Or let me put it this way. If Michelle Manhart applied to your company for a job, would you hire her?
Either way, I just hope Manhart - whose name has now figured in every major media bulletin around the world - has assured her own future. I'm tippping that Hollywood could come knocking on her door for the film rights. And if she has a good agent, she might even land the role of playing herself on the big screen.
If you have an opinion on the subject, leave me a comment on this post.