06/13/2007
‘Playboy’ and the sexual revolution
By Bob Lassahn
In recent weeks both Ocean City and Worcester County have initiated measures to exert control over adult entertainment businesses following the arrival of what some might call "sex shops" to the area. Upon introduction of the topic before the county commissioners, county attorney Ed Hammond remarked that many people believe such establishments are prohibited, when in fact they are not. He further explained that while such businesses may be subject to certain controls, they cannot be completely banned by virtue of Constitutional protection. But the burning question is why does the county now need to enact regulatory measures after all these years?
The answer might be that during the course of the last 50 years American's attitudes toward sex have changed. Social and religious influences once kept sex and sexuality from mainstream public entertainment and even daily conversation. Sex had its place, as evidenced by the fact that Americans have always managed to procreate, but well bred ladies and gentlemen believed it had a proper place. What is considered adult entertainment and pornography have always existed, but avoided the limelight and certainly did not show up in places like the corner 7-11.
In the 1950s the cultural climate in America began a change bringing sex into the open. There are two principal reasons often credited (or blamed) for the swing. One was Dr. Alfred Kinsey, who conducted scientific research on the sexual practices of Americans and published the results in a series of "Kinsey Reports." Kinsey's work is now widely criticized. The other and possibly the most influential was Hugh Marsten Hefner launching his "Playboy" magazine. Kinsey and Hefner are sometimes referred to (in the derogatory) as the architects of the sexual revolution in America.
Hefner was 27 years old in 1953 and his life had been pretty nondescript. After the Army he returned to his native Chicago to marry his childhood sweetheart, did some freelance cartooning and held a series of jobs in the promotion departments of several magazines. Let go by "Esquire" when it shifted its corporate headquarters to New York, he was a bit desperate when he borrowed several thousand dollars from his relatives and friends to launch a magazine that had been his passion for years.
"Stag Party" was Hefner's first choice for the name of the magazine and his symbol was to be a drawing of a genteel buck dressed in a smoking jacket. However, there was a hunting magazine already in existence named "Stag" and under threat of lawsuit Hefner changed the name of his publication. His magazine was christened "Playboy" and his symbol was changed to a sophisticated rabbit figure complete with bowtie. The name and image eventually become instantly recognized throughout the world.
As the first issue of "Playboy" hit the stands in December 1953 Hefner was so uncertain about its success that he left his name off the editorial masthead to avoid associating his name with a failure. He did not include a date on the magazine's cover to make it marketable beyond the month of its publication. With a goal to sell 30,000 copies at 50 cents each, the first issue sold nearly 54,000, no doubt due to a nude centerfold photo of Marilyn Monroe, then one of America's most popular actresses. She had posed for the picture years earlier, while still an unknown and Hefner bought the rights to the photo for $500.
As Playboy matured it adopted features that strove for a degree of sophistication and gave Hefner an ability to defend "Playboy" as being more than a mere "skin magazine." But above all else the monthly Playmate centerfold and other naked ladies were a mainstay of the magazine from its inception.
Success allowed Hefner to adopt a lavish lifestyle including Playboy mansions in Chicago and Los Angeles and a luxury jet named the Big Bunny. But much of the revenue went into building the Playboy empire including the chain of Playboy Clubs, resort hotels, casinos, a book publishing division, a music division and a film production company. "Playboy" hit its peak in the 1970s as evidenced by the September 1972 edition that sold more than seven million copies.
The 1980s brought a downturn as "Playboy" faced both increasing competition from rival men's magazines and more organized opposition from religious groups. In 1986 the 7-11 chain removed "Playboy" (and other men's magazines) from their stores. They would appear again in 2003.
While the political climate of the 1980s was unfavorable to Playboy Enterprises, the economic climate was almost disastrous. The empire was on the skids when Christie Hefner, daughter of the founding father, took the reins, sold off the clubs and resorts along with other drains on revenue. Recognizing the potential of the emerging video market, she soon had Playboy Enterprises turning a profit producing soft-core adult videos and cable television shows. With the dawn of the new millennium Playboy Enterprises was once again in the black with "Playboy" magazine subscribers numbering in the millions and bringing in about half of all revenue. Recognized today as the largest selling men's magazine with a monthly distribution of three million copies, Playboy continues to exert its influence.
The magazine that helped to spark a sexual revolution might be considered a bit tame when compared to others currently available. Some adult materials now make no pretext about sophistication, delivering raw and explicit sex. They lack any attempt at redeeming characteristics such as stories by known authors and interviews with interesting public figures that Hefner always included in his publications.
Sex laws have existed in America since the times of the Puritans but they were largely a failed attempt to influence individual morality. That is not what the county is attempting to do. What the county is now looking at concerns regulatory measures to rein in where adult entertainment establishments dealing in these materials may be located and how they operate to ensure a modicum of insulation for people who find them offensive. It is a balancing act to provide the opportunity for free enterprise of a somewhat questionable nature to coexist with those who object to their wares.
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Uploaded: 6/13/2007
