The true legacy of Playboy creator, Hugh Hefner
On Sept. 27, the world said goodbye to a legend of the charm industry. Hugh Hefner left behind him an empire that has been admired and criticized, but one that has certainly left a mark on society.
Hefner was born and raised in a puritan America, and grew up in a conservative Methodist family. After studying psychology and creative writing, he acquired a job at Esquire, which he later quit after being denied a $5 raise. Some would see in that as a first piece of his anti-conformism.
In 1953, he launched the first issue of Playboy. The magazine promoted an open, liberated lifestyle and sexuality and highly contributed to the sexual revolution of the sixties. The publication saw itself very open-minded. There were charm pictures, but mostly feature articles.
At its beginning the magazine was a manifesto of new ideals, a part of a bigger agenda. Nudes were a form of art and a celebration of the human body, more than obscenity. In a society where a tank top was highly inappropriate and showed bad morals, showing nudity as art in photographs and therefore embracing sex appeal was visionary. Subjects such as the acceptance of homosexuality, free speech interviews, racial equality (as well as recognition of black talents), abortion, birth control, music and gentlemen courtship were discussed and as a general idea a lifestyle that answers to each individual’s desires and aspirations. He also happened to get immensely rich in the process too. By the end of his life though, the world had caught up with him. So much that the the once visionary ended up a has been. But isn’t that the proof of a great accomplishment?
Although, the oeuvre of Hefner was a great accomplishment and contributed to a complete revolution of the morals of our society, it has brought huge (Hugh, huge … anyway) downsizes. Indeed, the place he reserved for women in that big picture wasn’t the most advantageous one. If the initial goal of showing nudity was noble, it quickly became a showcase of more and more explicit pictures of more and more modified bodies. Art? Not really. Celebration of the human body? Maybe, but then men were missing in the picture! He and the industry of pornography did enable great progresses but it also gave an image of women’s bodies that was naturally unrealistic, and of a sexuality that might answer to men’s desires but didn’t give much consideration of women’s desires. Many of his “Playmates” that lived with him in the Playboy Mansion describe an atmosphere of competition between each other to be the one who best “answers to Mr. Hugh Hefner’s expectations.” Love then, doesn’t seem to have been his only noble intention. Playboy always remained a magazine made by a man for other men, using women in the process.
Therefore, rape culture, body shaming and slut shaming if not completely created, were at least slightly formed by the work of Hefner and his magazine.
To give some proper last words to “Hef”, he will always and still be remembered as a visionary for his time, with great ideas for the society. He contributed to the liberation of morals and sexuality. Sadly, that movement got perverted and now we all are paying the consequences of a bad revolution management. Hefner has some blame to take there, but in the current situation we can only pay our respect to the master of the Playboy empire and hope his successor(s) take a better path.
