Nude-Free Playboy

Overview

Nude-Free Playboy refers to an announcement by the men's lifestyle magazine Playboy revealing that the publication would no longer include nude centerfolds.

Background

On October 12th, 2015, The New York Times^[1] published an article titled "Nudes are Old News at Playboy," reporting that the company would no longer contain full nudity starting with their March issue in 2016. The article contained a statement by Playboy CEO Scott Flanders, who cited the company's inability to compete with Internet pornography as the impetus for the change.

"You're now one click away from every sex act imaginable for free. And so it’s just passé at this juncture".

Flanders added that the company would focus on investigative journalism and interviews, claiming that "the difference between us and Vice is that we're going after the guy with a job."

Notable Developments

Online Reaction

The same day, many Twitter users tweeted jokes about the announcement (shown below).

On October 13th, UpRoxx^[3] published an article titled "The Internet’s Funniest Reactions To ‘Playboy’ No Longer Showing Boobs," showcasing a variety of tweets about the announcement. That day, Redditor SEMIweather submitted an article about Playboy's announcement to the /r/nottheonion^[2] subreddit, where it gathered upwards of 5,900 votes (94% upvoted) and 1,600 comments. Meanwhile, Redditor JamesWreck posted a Pepperidge Farm Remembers image macro titled "RIP Playboy" to the /r/AdviceAnimals^[4] subreddit (shown below).

News Media Coverage

On October 13th, the news site Quartz^[5] published an article speculating that nude pictorials were being abandoned to improve the magazine's brand image in India and China, where the company makes significant revenues from brand licensing for apparel. In the coming days, other news sites published articles about the magazine's editorial change, including the Boston Globe,^[6] LA Times,^[7] Washington Post^[8] and Forbes.^[9]

Search Interest

Not available.

External References