Following years of wilting revenue and waning stature, Playboy is rumored to be on the chopping block. Known for its centerfolds, its on-again, off-again status as both public menace and free speech icon, and the well-worn joke about it being popular for its articles (which have often exceeded the quality of supposedly respectable publications. Remember that Playboy once published folks like Wodehouse, Nabokov, and Lenny Bruce), the magazine has been in the news following discussions about it potentially passing into new hands.
Deal or no deal, one has to marvel that the magazine even remains in existence. With all the free, easily accessed Internet naughtiness out there, I can’t understand how Playboy is still drawing breath. The days of centerfolds transitioning into greater fame seem quaint and yellowed, and the last time the magazine snagged a buzzworthy celeb, she was a literal blue hair.
Perhaps cultural conservatives should take solace from the fact that there are still fuddy-duddies who need their smut classed up a bit. Maybe it is a good sign that Playboy didn’t immediately fold amidst the onslaught of gratis, more hardcore fare. The survival of a guilty pleasure that actually does have articles and emphasizes frivolity over creepiness may even be a harbinger of tradition making a comeback. Besides, attending a party at the Barely Legal Mansion just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
In today’s peeping tom media maelstrom, even Hef himself comes off a tad old-fashioned. In the end, his real legacy might not be his bathrobe, but his pipe.
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The Stag Party is Over
Following years of wilting revenue and waning stature, Playboy is rumored to be on the chopping block. Known for its centerfolds, its on-again, off-again status as both public menace and free … [Read More]
Posted by Mike Payne on November 16, 2009
The Usual Suspects