The first issue of Playboy was issued in 1953 and is. "When Hef created Playboy he set out to champion personal freedom and sexual liberty at a time when America was painfully conservative," as stated by the Playboy.com staff. Now sexuality and nudity can be seen almost anywhere you look such as movies, music, television and etc. Game of thrones, Miley Cyrus, Magic Mike... you get the picture. America is not as conservative as it once was. There is more freedom of what can be seen as art or obscure.
Playboy has announced that they will no longer have nudes in their magazine starting March 2016. This means for those men who claim to only read it for the articles and can stand by their word. (Does anyone remember the episode of Friends where Ross has a joke published in Playboy?) One of the main reasons for the change is how much circulation has dropped; once at 5.6 million to now 800,000. Cory Jones, chief content officer, is stated by the New York Times saying, "The magazine will adopt a cleaner, more modern style."
Growing up with a conservative background, I was raised to believe that nudity is bad and shameful. Me, I don't necessarily believe in censorship and I know that art is important part of a society's culture and history. Michelangelo's David for example is a great piece of art that has been studied through the ages. What is the line drawn between art and perversion?
Playboy may be taking a big step in backing down from nudity. They are redefining their "entertainment for men" from provocative and racy to safe-for work and more cultural. They want to reach that broader audience. As obvious as it is: this rebranding of the magazine is either going to take it to another level or finish it.
What do you think of the change? Do you think it is a smart move? Will this make people more comfortable to read the articles in public?
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