By: Gyovanni Boston-Crompton
For many years I have known about Hugh Hefner and his mansion that housed
many half-naked women that are dressed in bunny ears, a corset, a bunny tails
and sky high heels. Like many people I only associated Hugh with the Playboy
magazine and the many blonde women that are usually a third of his age and
runaway brides. I also have seen some of the episodes of the television show
that starred the three playboy bunnies Kendra, Holly, and Bridget. I had also
known that there was some controversy surrounding the magazine during the time
that it came out but I don’t actually know the whole story. Although now
it is a household name and society views the magazine differently allowing many
people and celebrities pose for Playboy every day.
Hugh Hefner started his empire of Playboy in 1953 with $8000. When the
magazine was first published, controversy of people feeling that magazine was a
“pornographic publication” due to the portrayal of women as being sexual
deviants while others thought that the magazine proved to be an answer to the
sexual repression that was happening around this era while others. Through his magazine Hefner endorsed what was
called the “Playboy Philosophy”. It was his views and beliefs about human
sexuality of women and men which is a part of the beginning of the sexual
revolution. [1]
Helen Gurley Brown continued the snowball effect of the sexual revolution in
1962 by publishing several sex books including Sex and the Single Girl.
She fought for the rights of women’s sexual freedom; stating that all women
could have “love, money, and sex”. Also she said that many single women were
having and enjoying sex which shocked much of America during this time. She later
went to work for Cosmopolitan as editor in chief. She changed the
magazine from targeting perfect housewives to single women trying to find the
life through love, happiness, and most of all sex.[2]
I personally wouldn't be able to pose for Playboy due to the values that I have grown up with but if other women are comfortable with doing so then more power to them. I don’t view the magazine as being a way of portraying women to be “whores” or any type of sexual deviants because from what I have heard is that women who do it use it as a boost for self-confidence. I also don’t think playboy is degrading to women because the people who pose for the book have choice of whether they want to or not. They are allowing millions of people view their body which comes with a lot of courage that I don’t have. I never connected Hugh Hefner and Playboy to this empowering women's sexual revolution because I think that growing up with it I just thought that it was something that women choose to do and not because it was started to empower them to talk about their sexuality. Finding out about these two people shows that Helen Gurley Brown and Hugh Hefner are two important editors that revolutionized and changed the outlook on magazines today.
For many years I have known about Hugh Hefner and his mansion that housed
many half-naked women that are dressed in bunny ears, a corset, a bunny tails
and sky high heels. Like many people I only associated Hugh with the Playboy
magazine and the many blonde women that are usually a third of his age and
runaway brides. I also have seen some of the episodes of the television show
that starred the three playboy bunnies Kendra, Holly, and Bridget. I had also
known that there was some controversy surrounding the magazine during the time
that it came out but I don’t actually know the whole story. Although now
it is a household name and society views the magazine differently allowing many
people and celebrities pose for Playboy every day. Hugh Hefner started his empire of Playboy in 1953 with $8000. When the
magazine was first published, controversy of people feeling that magazine was a
“pornographic publication” due to the portrayal of women as being sexual
deviants while others thought that the magazine proved to be an answer to the
sexual repression that was happening around this era while others. Through his magazine Hefner endorsed what was
called the “Playboy Philosophy”. It was his views and beliefs about human
sexuality of women and men which is a part of the beginning of the sexual
revolution. [1]Helen Gurley Brown continued the snowball effect of the sexual revolution in
1962 by publishing several sex books including Sex and the Single Girl.
She fought for the rights of women’s sexual freedom; stating that all women
could have “love, money, and sex”. Also she said that many single women were
having and enjoying sex which shocked much of America during this time. She later
went to work for Cosmopolitan as editor in chief. She changed the
magazine from targeting perfect housewives to single women trying to find the
life through love, happiness, and most of all sex.[2]I personally wouldn't be able to pose for Playboy due to the values that I have grown up with but if other women are comfortable with doing so then more power to them. I don’t view the magazine as being a way of portraying women to be “whores” or any type of sexual deviants because from what I have heard is that women who do it use it as a boost for self-confidence. I also don’t think playboy is degrading to women because the people who pose for the book have choice of whether they want to or not. They are allowing millions of people view their body which comes with a lot of courage that I don’t have. I never connected Hugh Hefner and Playboy to this empowering women's sexual revolution because I think that growing up with it I just thought that it was something that women choose to do and not because it was started to empower them to talk about their sexuality. Finding out about these two people shows that Helen Gurley Brown and Hugh Hefner are two important editors that revolutionized and changed the outlook on magazines today.
[1]
A E Network, "Hugh Hefner Biography."
Last modified 2014. Accessed January 29, 2014.
http://www.biography.com/people/hugh-hefner-9333521?page=1.
[2]
Fox, Margalit. The New York Times, "Helen
Gurley Brown, Cosmopolitan Editor Dies at 90-NYTimes.com." Last modified
August 13, 2012. Accessed January 29, 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/business/media/helen-gurley-brown-who-gave-cosmopolitan-its-purr-is-dead-at-90.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.
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