Hugh Hefner and the Rise of Raunch Culture
An essay on the sexual revolution led by Hugh Hefner, the start of Playboy, and what it meant to American men.
Throughout the 1960s, America greatly expanded on its sexual beliefs and the sexualization of men and women. It was a huge turning point for the concept of sexuality. The liberation recognized in America during the 60s allowed women and men to prosper sexually, through the creation of Playboy Magazine, inspiring creative and sexual freedom in the public eye. To say that Playboy simply was about naked women is an understatement of the effect it had on society throughout the 60s. Hugh Hefner broke the threshold of publications. Rather than writing about the ‘societal and stereotypical’ male interests that consisted of fishing, hunting, poker–generally speaking simply being muscular and strong–he wrote about what men truly thought about… sex! He allowed women to find themselves and confidence in themselves, while also expressing what they were looking for in men. There was a sense of normalization surrounding pornography, pre-marital sex, and erotic depications of art that were all incorporated into pop culture. Hugh Hefner helped to capture and lead the legacy of the sexual revolution during the 1960s in America. His new vision for the American dream consisted of naked women who were wholesome, unthreatening, and uncomplicated to capture the new and modern masculine lifestyle.
In order to fully understand the effects Hefner had on the 60s, it is important to identify the concepts of sex that evolved. Prior to his creation of Playboy, society did not accept pre-marital sex. It was looked down upon to create ‘sexy’ scenes in television shows and media in general. It was not right to explicitly engage in conversations that implied any sort of heavy sexual connotation. There was a great censorship in America, and it was incredibly aggressive in any relation towards sex.
The sexual revolution Hefner helped to lead opened up many opportunities for society, specifically men, allowing them to stray from stereotypical ideas that were enforced upon them. Hefner describes in an interview with Terry Gross, “...men's magazines in the period immediately after World War II were almost all outdoor-oriented. They were connected to some extent in the bonding - in the male bonding that came out of the war. And there was a great deal of emphasis on getting women back into the home. World War II had brought them out into the workplace. And everything from the government to TV to - there were powerful forces urging women to return to the home.” Men during this time period were supposed to be solely categorized as breadwinners, focused on ‘manly’ activities, such as fishing, hunting, a variety of other sports, alongside work. Hugh Hefner broke the threshold and reclaimed the activities inside the home for masculine pleasures, making it a unique experience that men previously may have not thought about. Barbara Ehrenreich states in her book, “The Hearts of Men,” “When, in the first issue, Hefner talked about staying in his apartment, listening to music and discussing Picasso, there was the Marilyn Monroe centerfold to let you know there was nothing queer about these urbane and indoor pleasures.”
The creation of Playboy did not have an easy start. Hefner struggled with bringing the magazine together, and finding people who were willing to work with him. Due to the taboo nature of the magazine, he figured it would not be as explosive as it was. When it was first released in 1953, with a previously unpublished nude of Marilyn Monroe, it struck gold. During the 50s and into the early 60s, America had been pressed by the Cold War, which brought out ideologies of traditional masculine breadwinner archetypes. Playboy brought fire and demolished the ideas, pushing the boundaries of acceptable heterosexual male behaviour, without presenting radical challenge.
For many, Playboy is considered to only be famous for it’s photo-spreads, but Hefner created a magazine that not only focused on sex, but breaking masculine boundaries. He incorporated published articles both fiction and non, which were of high quality. He included interviews with celebrities and other newsworthy people who brought more attention to the magazine itself. He advocated for personal freedom in all of the things that surrounded the complications of being a male during this time period, including sex. As stated by Amanda Page in her essay, “The Hypersexual Girl Next Door,” that, “Hefner notes [in his documentary Hugh Hefner Playboy, Activist and Rebel] people tend to believe that “the erotic and the sexually attractive have got to be sinful.” He wanted to use his magazine to challenge that belief.” Through the support of his beliefs, and those who aided in the creation of the magazine, it helped to popularize the notion that viewing sexual photographs of women was not only acceptable for members of society, but it also suggested it was healthy, contributing to the sexual revolution that had taken place.
The 60s were a time for men to change their gears, and change their personas, allowing them to flourish and create new spaces to healthily view sex and sexual experiences. Tom W. Smith includes in his essay the definition of the revolution that occurred in the 60s by stating, “As commonly used, the term “sexual revolution” indicates a revolutionary uprooting of traditional sexual morality… the new morality, and the Playboy Philosophy, communes and cohabitation, free love and easy sex, wife swapping and swinging, coming out of the closet and living out of wedlock, x-rated movies and full-frontal foldouts,” With that, the sexual revolution had begun. Men were heavily influenced and affected by nudity, and the Playboy magazine itself, changing the perspectives of gender roles. It was common for women to be shop-a-holics, it was common for women to worry about the house décor, and it was common for women to be the ones that take on roles inside the home regarding entertainment, but that changed with the magazine and the creation of the Playboy lifestyle. Carrie Pitzulo states in Bachelors and Bunnies: The Sexual Politics of Playboy, “The magazine prominently expressed that attitude through regular features on the traditional feminine pastimes of fashion, cooking, and decorating. Hefner considered these articles a “glamorous reflection of the romantic, good life.” Hefner brought about new ideas regarding men and their ability to enjoy their home life, to enjoy cleaning, to enjoy being themselves in whatever aspect that may be in. The magazine encouraged men through the text itself to include traditionally feminine characteristics and hobbies in their masculine identities, by the virtues of preferences that were taken from the playmates being expressed for their partners.
Men had begun to realize that it was not just about seducing women through their behaviours, but through their mannerisms and their clothing as well. Pitzulo goes on to say, “The American male has begun to dress for women; the men’s toiletries industry now does a $480 million business each year… men are now told how they, if they wear the right hat, may be the chosen one, the loved one–a role that used to be reserved for women,” Playboy was able to create new personas for men, allowing creative expressions and freedoms which were not previously open to them. It celebrated the idea of the fun-loving bachelor, who knew how to match his belt to his shoes. Pitzulo describes this as men being able to be commercially objectified in the pages of Playboy through its relentless consumer drive.” The most important concept of the magazine itself was not just sex, but fashion. It is important to note that there were ads, articles, and advice columns that allowed men to read and expand their knowledge in how they should present themselves, especially in their appearance towards women. In an early edition of the magazine, there is an ad for Pioneer–a company producing belts–showcasing the best colours of a belt for a man to wear. It states, “Winning Colors” with the three top contenders of the company’s most recent designs. There also several other ads included, with the proper shoes for men to wear, the most popular accessories, such as, traveling totes, and shirts designed to make men look appealing.
Not only had men’s appearances begun to change, but also their tastes and mannerisms. Due to the high end consumerism taking place, and the start up of ‘the bachelor’, men changed themselves as a whole. Their wardrobe, manners, taste in music, and bedroom décor were evolving. Stylish consumerism was slowly starting to take a turn from being a traditional feminine trait, to one that males were becoming accustomed to. Pitzulo explains, “Playboy’s features on stylish consumerism set a tone of high-living in a world of hectic hedonism, but it was the magazine’s erotic pin-ups and centerfolds that guaranteed its reputation for risqué license,” Men began to think about their style… was it up to date? Was their record collection smooth enough to impress a girl? Everything began to revolve around the appearance and how they uphold themselves, rather than being focused on the women themselves, which many believed was the sole focus of Playboy.
The magazine itself produced a new visual style–image assembly for the soft-core magazine pornography genre–that had been recreated by other publications in hopes of gathering the same amount of success. Hefner executed the magazine and established entirely new poses, contexts, and standards for both male recreational activities and female attractiveness alongside sexual liberation. Hannah Regan states in her writing, “Playboy and Pornification: 65 Years of the Playboy Centerfold,” that, “Because Playboy straddles, to some extent, the line between pornography and mainstream media, it plays a unique role in the development of cultural scripts around sexuality…” Because of its nature, the magazine itself was a new and shocking revelation. It had opened never before seen windows of sexual expressions that were previously not provided for men and women. Regan goes on to reveal “...found that first exposure to Playboy is a memorable event, and the magazine served as a source of sex-related information,” This was the first magazine to incorporate any sexual ideologies, giving people access to information and news that they had not previously been aware of. Playboy allowed men and women to express themselves, to find others who were also as sexually invested and interested as they were. Prior to this, there was not much information to be spread and given to those in society, due to how taboo the mere concept of sex was.
Not only had Hefner created a magazine that spread awareness about sex, he also attempted to normalize sex and bodies put together. Women would feel liberated, and comfortable with their bodies when modeling for the magazine. Hannah Regan explains, “Valid feminist critiques have been lobbied against Playboy, with some women arguing that posing for the magazine is an empowering choice,” Women had been seen, felt, and liberated. They believed that they had the choice with what they could and could not do with their own bodies; to display or not to display. Regan explains, “The women of Playboy are surrounded not just by nude images, but by full narratives of who they are and what they like, and even what they want in a partner,” There are presentations of women which address their ideas, their behaviours, their minds, in what they want to see in men, and what men would want to see in women. This shows that Playboy was not just about male fantasy, but women’s empowerment in their bodies, and how they were able to portray themselves.
The magazine established a positive image for postwar female sexuality. As ironic and paradoxical as it may seem, the centerfolds and pin-ups featured, gave women the opportunities for empowerment. Carrie Pitzulo argues in her book, “Playboy’s sexual politics were decidedly liberal and progressive, and were more “pro-women, even quasi-feminist, then previously acknowledged.” Women had the freedom to do as they pleased, which allowed them to prosper in regards to their sexualities, female sexuality had become a joyous and ‘normal’ experience.
The magazine helped to instill a sense of normalcy surrounding the concept of sex, making it fun, flirty, and casual, rather than merely behaviour used for procreation. Pitzulo explains that, “...the magazine was characterized by a subtle, budding attitude that “encouraged sexual autonomy, expression, and pleasure for men and for women,” Playboy itself had become a more politicized and socially aware magazine during the 1960s and 1970s. This aided in pioneering egalitarian forms of gender and sexual relations. Sex had been looked down upon, a taboo subject that many did not include in conversations, on television, and other media. With the creation of the magazine, Hefner allowed the threshold to be broken, not only for men’s pleasure, but women as well. Women had the capability to express themselves freely, on their own terms.
America transformed into a sex-affirming culture that allowed it to flourish, and showcase sexuality and nudity in a positive light. The freedom of sexuality was increased due to Hugh Hefner’s release of Playboy magazine, however, that was not the only influence he had in the 60s. Men became more self aware, there was a shift in the gender norms that were continuously pushed upon them. Women were encouraged to accept who they were, to be able to be comfortable in their own bodies, while also having control over their own bodies at the same time. Hefner encouraged a healthy and rich sex life, creating the concept that is it both a necessity and a fashion accessory. He promoted it as an important key to good health and robust intimate relationships, as well as a shift in the appearance of a bachelor lifestyle. Sex had been seen as a sinful and negative indulgence that those in America should not be participating in. Hefner created something that influenced men and women in ways that were never thought of prior to the launch of the magazine. Sex was and is not sinful, lust was and is not sinful, femininity was and is not sinful. Hefner created an insurgent magazine, there were thresholds to be broken for men and women, and Playboy did just that.
