Playboy - Champion of Civil Rights?

If you were to visit America in the early 50's, you would have considered it quite a prude place. The relative sexual freedom and elevated position that women had during wartime was all thrown out the window, as Americans moved on to a lifestyle of conformity and consumerism. The ideal way of living was the married life; where the husband went to work and the wife stayed at home to raise the kids. During this time, women were bombarded with propaganda telling them that their greatest fulfillment in life was to become a housewife. Of course, this era of conformity and stability that stemmed from difficult times created a lot of taboos, one of them being sex. No one ever talked about it in public for fear of looking "dirty" and "immoral". Women were expected to remain "pure" until marriage.

But one man was going to change all of that.

After being denied a $5 raise from his copywriter job at Esquire, Hugh Hefner quit and raised about $8,600 of capital, and the very first issue was born on December 1953. It featured Marilyn Monroe from a nude calendar shoot she had done years earlier, and was an instant success, selling more than 50,000 copies.

Hugh Hefner's Playboy helped break this taboo against sex. It told men it there was nothing wrong with having desire, or that it was ok to have sexual thoughts. The women who appeared nude called "Playmates" were also showcased doing everyday things - gave the image that they were just like "the girl next door." Contrary to popular belief, Playboy was not just about naked women. It included and many articles about lifestyle and culture, and published many short stories - one of which was Ian Fleming's James Bond series. However, it was also known for publishing Charles Beaumont's The Crooked Man, which was rejected by other mainstream publishers because it was a satire of heterosexual men being persecuted in a homesexual society. Justifying its controversial publication, Heffner wrote "If it was wrong to persecute heterosexuals in a homosexual society, then the reverse was wrong too." In addition, Playboy blurred the line between fine and commercial art - many magazines included well-made illustrations and art pieces.

Hugh didn't just stop at magazines. In 1959,  he made his first venture into TV with Playboy Penthouse. Based in a Chicago apartment, it featured intelligent conversations around contemporary topics at that time (such as the space race) and renowned musicians.
The atmosphere felt like you were in a high-class party. Also, It featured many African American talents as well, which was unheard of at the time. He was attacked by many Whites because of this integration.

Just a year later, Heffner brought this party to the public with the introduction of the now world-famous Playboy Clubs. The club featured food and drink, comedy, and live music like any other club. And just like the T.V show, everything was integrated. They hired Black waitresses and hosted Black Comedians. No one was refused membership to the club based on their race or religion. The next two franchises were in the south, and that's where problems were encountered. Some people didn't want to see White women waiting on and being friendly to Black males. So these branches closed their doors to Black customers. When Heffner asked them to change their ways, the owners refused, saying its against the law to integrate. He then went on to buy back the clubs and run them himself, which now offered membership to anyone regardless of race.

During the 60's he wrote "The Playboy Philosophy" - a series of articles condemning the laws on sex and how they were wrong. He was on the front line of America's sexual revolution. His magazine was the only one who talked about how you could go to jail in some states for ridiculous things, such as getting an abortion, or performing certain sex acts (One man received a life sentence because someone performed oral sex on him).
These increased people's awareness, and they responded with their votes. His articles changed the law.

Hefner's success wasn't without its fair share of obstacles. One hurdle that Playboy faced was from the government itself. At first, the U.S post office denied it 2nd class mail permit, which meant they had no one to deliver their magazines.  The Post Office had the power to prevent the magazine from being circulated, and circumvented the first Amendment. Playboy went to court, and won the lawsuit.

But the biggest opposition to Playboy was the Women's Movement in the 70's,  and Hefner was heavily targeted. One of his biggest critics was Gloria Steinem, who famously went undercover as a Playboy bunny at a club in New York, and then published  A Bunny's Tale - her own personal account of the two weeks she spent working there. “They ache like teeth and are so swollen I can’t get sneakers on,” she said after her first night in the required heels. Immobile, the costumes were merely painful, but after five-hour shifts of serving customers, they revealed themselves as torture devices." By the end of the 2 weeks, Steinem had lost 10 pounds. She also highlighted how poorly the Bunnies were paid, and had to endure endless catcalling as part of their job.  Though Hugh took the article well, he still firmly believed that everything he was doing in the magazine was good for women, as he was helping to  "liberate them sexually" and empower them. In the 60's he said that he was very supportive of the Women's movement. But a leaked memo in 1970 proved otherwise, where he said "What I'm interested in is the highly irrational, emotional, kookie trend that feminism has taken...these chicks are our natural enemy. It is time to do battle with them."

Heffner died on September 27, 2017 at the age of 91. It can be certainly said that he lived a life that many men would be envious of. Though the paper magazine has dropped in sales from 7.2 million copies in 1972 to around 800,000 in 2015, it certainly left a mark on this world. He forever changed how sex was viewed in America. Though his magazine's main selling point was scantily-clad women, he helped bring awareness to many issues of that time, including reproductive rights, LGBT rights, and America's involvement in the Vietnam war. The brand as a whole is an American icon; a brand as recognizable as Apple or McDonalds. It symbolizes luxury and freedom, and the American Dream. The Playboy bunny is still remains as one of the worlds most recognizable logos.

sources
http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/32834/1/that-time-gloria-steinem-went-undercover-as-a-playboy-bunny
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOxRTt7mYx8 
(don't watch with your family)