Apparently, some people really did buy Playboy for the fiction, although my dad probably wasn’t one of them. I enjoyed looking at their pictures as I did any work of art.īetter than the photos were the words: stories by Shel Silverstein, Bruce Jay Friedman and my idol, Ray Bradbury. I’d seen the nudes my artist uncle painted, but the Bunnies were fairy-tale women: perfectly coiffed and uniformly tan. “Let me know if you have any questions!” she cried, fleeing the room.īut Playboy! Those women! I wouldn’t have minded looking like Brandi, Mandi, Candy or Tiffany one day, minus the staple in their navels. Our in-home discussion basically began and ended with her bringing me a box of Tampax and shakily unfolding the instructions. This she managed to shift it into “health and hygiene.” Ironically, she was a sixth-grade teacher whose syllabus demanded that she address, at least briefly, sex ed. My mother, who was happy to discuss just about anything else, clammed up on the subject. Baby-sitting for my little brother provided the perfect opportunity to catch up on what I was missing.īack then, I was starved for information - any information - about sex. It never joined the Looks and Lifes that graced our coffee table, but I always knew where to find the latest issue: in my dad’s nightstand drawer.īy age 12 or so, I’d sneak a look at the latest Playboy whenever I could, replacing it at precisely the angle I found it in to keep my secret safe. And I loved it.īack in the ’60s, my father subscribed to the girlie mag, much to my mother’s chagrin. Say what you will about Hugh Hefner - and people are saying lots of things today, not all of them printable - but I grew up reading Playboy. 'Dangerous': Inside the secret dark world of Hugh Hefner's Playboy fantasy Hugh Hefner's ex claims Playboy mansion is haunted: 'I saw a woman' Playboy Bunny reveals 'crazy' sex stories, strict rules at Hef's mansion The decision to close the print edition was attributed in part to the COVID-19 pandemic which interfered with distribution of the magazine.Holly Madison: Life in Playboy Mansion was 'gross,' drugs were 'used for sex' In March 2020, Ben Kohn, CEO of Playboy Enterprises, announced that the Spring 2020 issue would be the last regularly scheduled printed issue and that the magazine would now publish its content online.
The front cover of the first issue of Playboy, featuring Marilyn Monroe, December 1953Īfter a year-long removal of most nude photos in Playboy magazine, the March–April 2017 issue brought back nudity. The magazine generally reflects a liberal editorial stance, although it often interviews conservative celebrities. Playboy features monthly interviews of notable public figures, such as artists, architects, economists, composers, conductors, film directors, journalists, novelists, playwrights, religious figures, politicians, athletes, and race car drivers. With a regular display of full-page color cartoons, it became a showcase for notable cartoonists, including Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Cole, Eldon Dedini, Jules Feiffer, Shel Silverstein, Erich Sokol, Roy Raymonde, Gahan Wilson, and Rowland B.
Wodehouse, Roald Dahl, Haruki Murakami, and Margaret Atwood.
Clarke, Ian Fleming, Vladimir Nabokov, Saul Bellow, Chuck Palahniuk, P. The magazine has a long history of publishing short stories by novelists such as Arthur C. In addition to the flagship magazine in the United States, special nation-specific versions of Playboy are published worldwide. (PEI), with a presence in nearly every medium. Notable for its centerfolds of nude and semi-nude models (Playmates), Playboy played an important role in the sexual revolution and remains one of the world's best-known brands, having grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. Playboy is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online.