Lingerie: Oshkosh native takes part in Lingerie Bowl halftime show
It’s a Super Bowl halftime show. It’s seven-on-seven tackle football. It’s models in their underwear.
That’s how Alix Henning describes the Lingerie Bowl. And she would know, she’s on a team.
“It’s not easy,” said Henning, the 23-year-old Oshkosh native. “It’s full-on tackle football, and we wear very little pads. It’s intense, but it’s fun. Girls are vicious. We play tough.”
Henning, a 2002 graduate of North High, packed up and shipped out to Los Angeles after graduation. She had no job, no money and no friends, but almost five years later, she’s making a name for herself.
One of her first big breaks?
A spot on the roster of the Los Angeles Temptation, one of four 2007 Lingerie Bowl teams. The Lingerie Bowl, in its fourth season, is a Pay-Per-View special that airs live during halftime of Super Bowl XLI on Feb. 4. And it’s much like Henning describes—ladies playing football in lingerie.
Henning spent Friday night at Christensen’s, 224 Main St., signing autographs for eager Lingerie Bowl supporters.
“I’ve never watched the Lingerie Bowl, but I will now,” said Craig VanAirsdale, of Oshkosh. “This is awesome.”
Henning’s only concrete goal when heading out west in 2002 was just that—to move to L.A. Life got rough for a couple years, but she finally feels she’s breaking through and heading in the right direction.
“Moving to L.A. was a big, crazy stupid thing I did, but I’m glad I did it,” she said. “I didn’t have a plan. I’m glad I’ve had the struggles I’ve had.”
Henning was part of the Rebel Alliance Theater before leaving Oshkosh, and has dabbled in acting while in L.A. She’s had roles in independent films, and many walk-on roles on television, such as “That 70s Show.”
“My first two years (in L.A.) I paid my bills by being an extra on television shows. And out there, you’re the scum of the Earth if you’re an extra,” she said. “L.A. can be a dark, lonely place. But it can also be great.”
Her auditioning for the Lingerie Bowl came as somewhat of an accident, she said, as her modeling headshot made it into the right hands at the right time. Before she knew it, she was contacted, auditioning, and part of the Los Angeles Temptation. She’s hoping the experience will give her the exposure needed to help launch a modeling career.
“It never dawned on me to be a model. This is all new to me,” she said. “Models get a bad rap. Just calling myself a model was hard for me.”
Coming home to Oshkosh as a Lingerie Bowl model has offered up mixed responses. But being able to relax, away from the hustle and bustle of L.A., is a welcome change of pace.
“As a model, automatically people think you’re stupid or shallow. Out in L.A. it’s hard to meet good people,” Henning said. “I’ve almost left numerous times. But I think what I’m most proud of is being able to survive out there. I wouldn’t leave now.”
Pam Elmer, owner of Christensen’s, said brining Henning to the store was part of an effort to help Oshkosh understand Christensen’s evolution through the years. The business will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2007.
“We’re hoping to get people to just come into the store and see it’s not the old shop it used to be,” Elmer said. “We’ve evolved through the years. We still have our loyal customer base, but we want young people to know we have things for them, too.”
Krista B. Ledbetter: (920) 426-6656 or kledbetter@thenorthwestern.com.
