The end of another era

[DFSNOLE]

Playboy to eliminate nude photos from the magazine

Soon "I read it for the articles" will be more believable.
The iconic men's magazine Playboy said Monday that it is planning to drop fully nude female photography from its pages.

The news, first reported by The New York Times, is bound to send shock waves through the magazine industry, since Playboy has been a part of American popular culture since its debut in 1953.

The magazine's redesign, which will reportedly take place next March, appears to be a reaction to the ever-growing accessibility of online pornography.

"You're now one click away from every sex act imaginable for free," Playboy's chief executive Scott Flanders told The Times. "It's just passé at this juncture."

Playboy executives did not immediately respond to CNNMoney requests for further comment.

The revolutionary publication, which was founded by Hugh Hefner, told The Times that "Playboy will still feature women in provocative poses" but no longer fully nude.

Social media pointed out that the removal of nude photography may help boost the magazine's other known elements.

"The Playboy Interview has long been one of the greatest columns in the magazine world," Politico media reporter Alex Weprin tweeted. "In some ways the rest of the magazine held it back."

As for young men going through puberty everywhere, they will now have to actually read Playboy for the articles.

"Don't get me wrong, 12-year-old me is very disappointed in current me," Cory Jones, Playboy's top editor explained to the paper.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/10/12/media/playboy-ending-fully-nude-photos/index.html

 

[LesClaypool]

Can't argue with their logic.

 

[DanC78]

This is actually makes sense to me.

 

[Bav803]

Playboy has long had some of the best content out there, as the blurb points out, but it was always sort of not acceptable to just read a Playboy on a plane, or on your couch with your wife.

 

[seminole97]

It will also allow them to be sold on the shelf in more places.

 

[DFSNOLE]

It will also allow them to be sold on the shelf in more places.

True but I believe the stigma still associated with the magazine will still keep those who wouldn't buy it before from buying it now.

 

[NDallasRuss]

This is from another article about it:

"Penthouse, perhaps the most famous Playboy competitor, responded to the threat from digital pornography by turning even more explicit."

I haven't seen a Penthouse since I was finding the ones my dad hid in his closet when I was a kid. If anyone knows, and is willing to admit to it, exactly how "explicit" did Penthouse end up getting? I remember that they always showed more than Playboy did, but "turning even more" implies to me that they were almost going "2 girls 1 cup" towards the end in an effort to survive.

 

[NDallasRuss]

And this quote from their CEO (also the owner of The Leftorium) is pretty good:

The target audience, Mr. Flanders said, is young men who live in cities. “The difference between us and Vice,” he said, “is that we’re going after the guy with a job.”

Link to the article on Gawker.com

 

[seminole97]

I remember that they always showed more than Playboy did, but "turning even more" implies to me that they were almost going "2 girls 1 cup" towards the end in an effort to survive.

A little over 15 years ago I was running a magazine/bookstore. Had about 1500 magazine titles, and of those about 100 were porn. You can imagine what kept the place afloat.
I only sold porn mags that were in plastic bags so I didn't have to babysit browsers, but I swear every issue of Hustler mentioned pissing.
Hustler sold like crazy, but I never moved Playboy (assumed because it was available in more places, or just too mundane). The one exception was when a wrestler (Sabel?) was in the issue. That we sold out of immediately, when I called the distributor for more he had none to pull from anywhere else. It was apparently the best selling issue of Playboy ever.

Weirder stuff always sold better.
Funniest title: Skinny and Wriggly

After a while my brother found a place in CA that would sell 50 VHS tapes for $198, which we then put on the shelf for $39.99 apiece. There was one called Love is Strange that had a midget on the cover. It never lasted a day...

Other observations: >98%+ of men would at least walk back into that section and look at the titles. <2% of women would do the same. Only time women purchased from that section was in a giggling group as an obvious gag gift for someone.
I also sold a lot of WSJ's because of that section. Apparently they make a good wrapper.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

The last Playboy photos I saw were so heavily airbrushed they didn't even look real.

 

[Fijimn]

My best friends Dad had a collection that must have gone back to the 1960's. We found them in his attic. Ended up selling them to the kids in the 4th grade---man, we took a beating when he found out.

 

[NDallasRuss]

A little over 15 years ago I was running a magazine/bookstore. Had about 1500 magazine titles, and of those about 100 were porn. You can imagine what kept the place afloat.
I only sold porn mags that were in plastic bags so I didn't have to babysit browsers, but I swear every issue of Hustler mentioned pissing.
Hustler sold like crazy, but I never moved Playboy (assumed because it was available in more places, or just too mundane). The one exception was when a wrestler (Sabel?) was in the issue. That we sold out of immediately, when I called the distributor for more he had none to pull from anywhere else. It was apparently the best selling issue of Playboy ever.

Weirder stuff always sold better.
Funniest title: Skinny and Wriggly

After a while my brother found a place in CA that would sell 50 VHS tapes for $198, which we then put on the shelf for $39.99 apiece. There was one called Love is Strange that had a midget on the cover. It never lasted a day...

Other observations: >98%+ of men would at least walk back into that section and look at the titles. <2% of women would do the same. Only time women purchased from that section was in a giggling group as an obvious gag gift for someone.
I also sold a lot of WSJ's because of that section. Apparently they make a good wrapper.

To be fair, I'd check out "Skinny and Wriggly".

 

[MIKE_G]

To be fair, I'd check out "Skinny and Wriggly".

It's a step up from "Scabby and Wrinkly".

 

[BelemNole]

Content was always great in Playboy. Fantastic interviews, great short fiction. Photos has gotten progressively worse. Hadn't had a subscription in a decade or so.

 

[NDallasRuss]

It's a step up from "Scabby and Wrinkly".

Link?