Within a matter of weeks, the magazine had sold over 50, copies. Interestingly enough, though, Monroe never actually signed a contract to appear in the magazine. Before Marylin Monroe became a household name, she was a struggling actress in desperate need of cash. To earn a little money, she posed nude in for photographer Tom Kelley. By , Monroe was one of the most famous actresses in all of Hollywood.
At the time, the first edition of Playboy was a truly groundbreaking entrance into the market, bringing controversial, sexual topics and photographs into center stage for the first time in American history. As history now shows, though, the first edition of Playboy was published at the perfect time, and Hugh Hefner was able to both ride and help usher in a wave of sexual liberation that would make Playboy one of the most successful publications of all time.
Hugh Hefner was born on April 9, , in Chicago, Illinois. There, he was raised along with his younger brother by his parents Glenn and Grace Hefner, who were reportedly fairly strict Methodists. At an early age, Hugh Hefner demonstrated an exceptional IQ of , but his genius-level intelligence only translated into modest academic success.
In high school, Hugh Hefner founded a school newspaper as well as his own comic series he called School Daze.
Both publications were a success, and Hefner realized that he had a talent for producing publications that people enjoyed reading. However, by the time Hugh Hefner graduated high school, people were far more concerned with the war than they were entertainment publications, and Hugh Hefner himself answered the call of duty by enlisting as a noncombatant in the U.
Army toward the end of World War Two. Within a couple years of graduating, Hugh Hefner married Millie Williams and began working as a copywriter for Esquire. Unemployed, Hugh Hefner decided that the next step in his career path would be to return to the roots he established in high school and start his own publication. Hugh Hefner put together the first issue of Playboy in his home and published it in December using a nude photo of Marylin Monroe that he had purchased the rights to. The magazine was a near-instant success.
During the same time period that his magazine was taking off, though, Hugh Hefner was also plagued with problems at home, and he and his wife were divorced in A newly single man, Hugh Hefner began to adopt the lifestyle that Playboy was built around. For the rest of his life, Hugh Hefner surrounded himself with beautiful women, eventually becoming somewhat infamous for marrying and divorcing women that were many years younger than he was. However, Hugh Hefner also used his wealth and platform to promote a number of charitable causes, including the restoration of classic films and donations to various cinema courses.
Hugh Hefner lived out his final days in the Playboy Mansion before passing away on September 27, , at the age of 91, and on September 30, he was laid to rest next to Marylin Monroe in the Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California. Sign in. Log into your account. Please be polite, and avoid your passions turning into contempt for others. We may delete posts that are rude or aggressive, or edit posts containing contact details or links to other websites.
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Search for free courses, interactives, videos and more! Free Learning from The Open University. Featured content. Free courses. All content. Sometimes a bunny is just a bunny: The Playboy brand and sexualisation of children Updated Wednesday, 9th December This article is a part of our Mind, Body, Media collection, and is filed under.
Topic: Mental Health. Copyright: Michalakis Ppalis Dreamstime. Gender development Robin Banerjee asks why very young children exhibit stereotyped ideas about gender roles. Read now Gender development. Article Level: 1 Introductory. Copyright: photos. What do men and women do? Take part now What do men and women do? Activity Level: 1 Introductory. Copyright: The Open University. It certainly may seem an odd trend, though almost makes sense in an era centred around promoting female liberation and bodily empowerment.
But through the purchase of these items are we endorsing the sex industry in which the logo was rooted? Or could the playboy logo be making a feminist statement? Due to its deep-rooted history of female oppression, maybe this is an attempt for 21 st century women to reclaim the past, attempting to reshape it on their terms. Thus the logo could be viewed as a symbol of empowerment rather than oppression.
Surely any criticism for wearing such outfits suggests we remain stuck in the past, unable to erase traditional ideas of female modesty and censorship. Many young women, who a lot of the branding is aimed at, are largely unaware of the Playboy history, viewing the logo as a popular trend, a fashion statement and nothing more.
Instead of viewing the bunny as a sex symbol, could its current popularity stem from its cute, fun aesthetic? Ultimately, I like to think that times have moved on from the objectifying and male-oriented culture of these magazines. By reclaiming the Playboy logo, women are reclaiming the oppression they experienced in the past.
Christmas Jumpers and our Planet: Naughty not Nice. Written by Hannah Robinson. Published at on 18 December
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