Playboy returned to showcasing female nudity in its pages, as announced by Hugh Hefner’s son on Twitter as he announced the magazine’s March digital edition. The cover story reads “Naked is normal,” and picks on the “Free the Nipple” idea.
Playboy’s March 2017 issue will be available in stores and newsstands on February 28, while its digital edition is already available for download.
Playboy goes back to being Playboy, but with a fresh face
The magazine’s first nude-less edition was launched one year ago, and it featured Sarah McDaniel in a selfie pose with a “heyyy ;)” caption. The issue had its focus on social media, and it seemed that the magazine was acknowledging how the world had changed since Hugh Hefner launched the successful brand back in 1953.
Apparently, the magazine changed its ways due to the simplified access to pornographic material through the internet, whereas Playboy always professed a sensation of seeing something “forbidden,” which in this case would be a stunning female model.
But Playboy apparently enjoys its sales not only from its nude photos but also from the fact that the magazine was envisioned for cultured and literate men, which is why it frequently conducts interviews with big-name celebrities and visionaries, such as Steve Jobs.
“I’ll be the first to admit that the way in which the magazine portrayed nudity was dated, but removing it entirely was a mistake. Nudity was never the problem because nudity isn’t a problem. Today we’re taking our identity back and reclaiming who we are,” stated Cooper Hefner on Twitter.
The change was driven by the company’s desire to innovate or risk becoming irrelevant. Stripping nude content from its pages would allow the magazine to be more easily shared on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, most of which forbid nude photos from being posted. The other side of the matter is that Playboy is not the magazine that you’d want to get caught reading in public, even if its articles may be the most interesting ever to be written. The image that the company is associated with stands with what the magazine transmits, and besides being a brand, the primary purpose of the whole Playboy business is selling its magazine while maintaining their values.
Now, March’s edition will feature Playmate Elizabeth Elam, alongside Playmate Nina Daniele, who will feature on the cover of April’s edition. The newest edition includes an interview with Scarlett Johansson, an article on Run the Jewels, and profiling on CNN’s Van Jones.
The shift in direction comes from Cooper Hefner, who became the magazine’s chief creative officer as he ran his own media company. Since July of 2016, he had known that a nude-less Playboy was a bad idea from the start.
Cooper will also be retaking The Playboy Philosophy, the column that was originally written by his father.
“Playboy will always be a lifestyle brand focused on men’s interests. But as gender roles continue to evolve in society, so will we,” stated Hefner, according to USA Today.
Source: USA Today