Forever youngDon't tell us what to do because we get senior discounts

At 83, former Playboy bunny relaunches career as Instagram lingerie model

Dorrie Jacobson fights ageism with ‘Senior Style Bible’ blog and encourages older women to be accepting of one another’s looks, choices and bodies

Renee Ghert-Zand is the health reporter and a feature writer for The Times of Israel.

  • Dorrie Jacobson, 83, models lingerie. (Jodi Jacobson)
    Dorrie Jacobson, 83, models lingerie. (Jodi Jacobson)
  • Dorrie Jacboson dons her Playboy bunny costume as a tribute to the late Hugh Hefner. (Jodi Jacobson)
    Dorrie Jacboson dons her Playboy bunny costume as a tribute to the late Hugh Hefner. (Jodi Jacobson)
  • Dorrie Jacobson models an outfit for her blog and social media accounts. (Jodi Jacobson)
    Dorrie Jacobson models an outfit for her blog and social media accounts. (Jodi Jacobson)

Age is truly just a number for Dorrie Jacobson. At 83, she’s not only a Jewish great-grandmother, but also a fashion and lifestyle blogger.

She also models lingerie.

Jacobson’s appearance in bathing suits and boudoir attire on social media  may surprise some, but for her, it is just part of who she is and what she wants to represent. As founder of the Senior Style Bible blog, she has taken upon herself the mission of positive messaging to and about older women.

A former Playboy bunny and model with oodles of confidence and a strong style sense, Jacobson never lacked for attention.

Dorrie Jacobson (left) and her daughter Jodi Jacobson are the co-creators of Senior Style Bible. (Courtesy of Dorrie Jacobson)

“I would visit my daughter when she lived in Los Angeles, and we’d be walking on the streets and people would stop me to ask about what I was wearing. Sometimes paparazzi, mistaking me for someone famous, would take my picture,” Jacobson said.

However, when she heard from other women over 50 that they were feeling invisible in contemporary society, she decided three and a half years ago to try to help by starting her blog showcasing role models among older women of all backgrounds. It would be about fashion and beauty, but more importantly about self-confidence and self-love.

“Women our age should do what makes them happy. No one should tell us what to do or wear just because we get senior citizen discounts,” said Jacobson, who lives in Las Vegas.

In her bid to fight ageism, Jacobson teamed up on Senior Style Bible with her 51-year-old daughter Jodi Jacobson, who handles the business and creative aspects of the venture.

Meanwhile, the elder Jacobson, with her spiky, short brunette hairstyle, models and shows off her fabulous outfits. Wearing her signature shades, trendy fashions, and stiletto heels or high wedges, the 5’2″-tall Jacobson looks many years younger — and several inches taller.

Dorrie Jacobson models an outfit for her blog and social media accounts. (Jodi Jacobson)

One particular photo of Jacobson sums up the the audacious octogenarian. Her back is to the camera, and she wears skinny black leather pants and reptile skin stiletto boots. Her taupe duster coat is adorned with five appliqués, all with the same phrase: “There are no rules.”

Playboy Bunny v. 2.1

The photos of the thrice-married Jacobson modeling lingerie are more recent additions to the Senior Style Bible repertoire, and emerged out of a tribute to Playboy Enterprises founder Hugh Hefner after he died in September 2017.

Jacobs, who was hired in 1960 as a Playboy bunny at the first Playboy Club in Chicago, dressed up earlier this year for a photo shoot in a skimpy Playboy bunny costume — fluffy tail, rabbit ears, and all. From there, it was a natural progression to other types of minimal attire.

Dorrie Jacboson dons her Playboy bunny costume as a tribute to the late Hugh Hefner. (Jodi Jacobson)

“We decided to up the ante, and we’ve gotten positive reactions,” her daughter said.

Mother and daughter paid no heed to the heated discussion of Hefner’s legacy. They certainly weren’t reading articles calling him a “pimp and pornographer” or accusing him of “building an empire of misogyny.”

“I grew up with my mother speaking so positively about the Playboy brand. I thought Hefner was a champion of women, and I still admire Playboy,” Jodi said.

Jacobson remains grateful to Hefner and remembers him as the man who gave her the job that opened doors to a career in modeling.

Dorrie Jacobson remembers Hugh Hefner fondly as the man who helped launch her modeling career. (Jodi Jacobson)

“I was never invited to the Playboy mansion. You have to remember that I was a Playboy bunny, which is not the same as a Playboy playmate,” she said.

Jacobson was a struggling actress and model in her hometown of Philadelphia when, in 1960, a Playboy scout saw her perform in a play.

“It was a production starring the famous actor Hal March, and I played a shady lady wearing a bikini. The bikini top accidentally fell off, and somehow the other actor on stage helped me cover up and we continued with the scene,” Jacobson recalled.

After the show, the Playboy scout met her backstage and offered her a job as one of the first bunnies.

“He told me he admired my stage presence,” Jacobson said.

Jacobson worked as a Playboy bunny in Chicago for three years, finding the cocktail waitress job to be both demanding and financially rewarding. The young women went through a comprehensive training program on how to appear, move, and behave. Bunnies were forbidden from dating clients, and from gaining weight.

“It was about being charming and friendly — provocative without being slutty,” she said.

Jacobson said she felt very protected and did not believe she was being exploited.

Dorrie Jacobson (indicated with circle) with Hugh Hefner and other Playboy bunnies, Chicago c. 1960. (Courtesy of Dorrie Jacobson)

“It was totally different from what you read about it. These were smart girls who were using it as a stepping stone,” she said.

Jacobson leveraged her Playboy experience to land modeling gigs for major corporations. She was hired as the first-ever Miss Polaroid, as which she traveled the country demonstrating the camera for two years. She also worked in fashion, and for General Motors and Martin Marietta.

By age 30, Jacobson was considered “over the hill,” and she settled down with her second husband, her daughter Jodi’s biological father. After this marriage’s dissolution, Jacobson went into real estate brokerage and property management as a means of supporting herself and her daughter.

Eventually, she met casino architect David Jacobson, who was 20 years her senior.

Dorrie Jacobson, 83, models lingerie. (Jodi Jacobson)

“He was the man of my dreams. We were together 23 years, until he died in 2008,” Jacobson said.

Her daughter Jodi was adopted by her third husband and took his last name. Jacobson became close with her late husband’s two sons from a previous marriage, and it is through them that she is a great-grandmother. Jodi has no children and is twice divorced.

“My mom assures me the third time is a charm,” she said.

After her husband’s death, Jacobson jumped into the world of online dating. She approached it with the same relish and sense of adventure she approaches most aspects of life.

“You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince,” said Jacobson, who is currently happily living with a retired rocket scientist.

Dorrie Jacobson models an outfit for her blog and social media accounts. (Jodi Jacobson)

Jacobson communicates with her followers (not all of whom are senior citizens) not only about fashion, but also about relationships — including intimacy and sex. She reassures older women who fear intimacy because of their imperfect bodies.

Jacobson is candid about her obvious use of plastic surgery and medical cosmetic procedures as a means of maintaining a youthful appearance. She sometimes gets flack for this, especially since these are not options for many women for financial and other reasons.

Her response is that everyone should make the most with what they have.

“We want women to be accepting of one another’s looks, choices and bodies. We don’t want women diminishing one another,” her daughter Jodi said.

Jacobson has lots of advice for women her age, but it can be boiled down to two key tips:

“Don’t wait for special occasions to look and feel your best, and always have a ‘wow factor’ as part of every outfit — something that’ll turn heads,” she said.

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