In the last few months, Wall Street firms have taken a real beating. The folks at Playboy, though, are planning to help other firm things take a different kind of beating. They’re launching a search for models to pose in their upcoming feature, “Women of Wall Street.”

Playboy came up with the idea to feature hotties from the financial world in the wake of the current global economic meltdown. The special spread is slated for the February 2009 issue, just in time for those long, cold, winter nights.

“When the news gets bad, then maybe that’s a chance to make people smile by coming up with something that puts a different twist on it,” said Gary Cole, Playboy’s photo editor. In other words, the best way to overcome a banking crisis is with a spanking crisis.

This wouldn’t be the first time Playboy has run such a feature after bad economic news. Nearly 20 years ago, the monthly magazine ran a feature by the same moniker during the recession of the late 1980s. They also published “Women of Enron” and “Women of WorldCom” after those companies famously failed.

So much for all those feminists who insist that Hugh Hefner only exploits beautiful women. He has a solid track record of offering voluptuous vixens a chance to earn some extra income after taking a financial hit, as well as garnering some welcome attention for their fiscal and professional plight. As for the ugly ones, they simply need to realize that their looks aren’t recession-proof.

News of the upcoming feature has also been a boon to headline writers for various media outlets. Whether it’s a reference to a bare market, losing one’s shirt on Wall Street, or going bust, such classic double entendres are a veritable literary wet dream. We at Red Shtickprefer something involving great financial figures going down.

Playboy is seeking both current and former employees of the financial world. They’re particularly interested in ladies with more senior job experience.

“It would be more interesting to have someone who’s a financial analyst,” said Cole. Yeah, it would, especially if she’s got a great rack.