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| Playboy magazine publishes last issue featuring naked women | Playboy magazine publishes last issue featuring naked women |
| (6 days later) | |
| The last issue of Playboy to feature naked women went on sale on Friday, with the magazine stating it will now switch to being “non-nude” . | The last issue of Playboy to feature naked women went on sale on Friday, with the magazine stating it will now switch to being “non-nude” . |
| The January/February 2016 issue, which features Pamela Anderson on its cover, draws a close to 62 years of nudity. It is likely to become a collectors’ issue among fans and magazine aficionados. | The January/February 2016 issue, which features Pamela Anderson on its cover, draws a close to 62 years of nudity. It is likely to become a collectors’ issue among fans and magazine aficionados. |
| “The question everyone will likely be asking is, ‘Why?’” a statement in October said, announcing the change. “Playboy has been a friend to nudity, and nudity has been a friend to Playboy, for decades. The short answer is: times change.” | “The question everyone will likely be asking is, ‘Why?’” a statement in October said, announcing the change. “Playboy has been a friend to nudity, and nudity has been a friend to Playboy, for decades. The short answer is: times change.” |
| The magazine was founded in 1953 by Hugh Hefner, who remains its editor-in-chief. The first issue featured Marilyn Monroe. Other celebrities to have posed include Ursula Andress, Kim Basinger and Drew Barrymore. | The magazine was founded in 1953 by Hugh Hefner, who remains its editor-in-chief. The first issue featured Marilyn Monroe. Other celebrities to have posed include Ursula Andress, Kim Basinger and Drew Barrymore. |
| In the last nude issue, Anderson is interviewed by James Franco – who played Hefner in Lovelace, a 2013 film about the porn industry in the 1970s. The back-and-forth between the two, typical of Playboy’s interview style, only covers one page. True to form, Anderson is also photographed in a series of revealing poses. | In the last nude issue, Anderson is interviewed by James Franco – who played Hefner in Lovelace, a 2013 film about the porn industry in the 1970s. The back-and-forth between the two, typical of Playboy’s interview style, only covers one page. True to form, Anderson is also photographed in a series of revealing poses. |
| Playboy relaunched its website as non-nude in 2014 and claims to have tens of millions of readers each month. | Playboy relaunched its website as non-nude in 2014 and claims to have tens of millions of readers each month. |
| The question now is whether the non-nude version of the magazine can increase sales, or even maintain the same level. The New York Times reported that Playboy’s circulation had dropped from 5.6m in 1975 to about 800,000 currently. | The question now is whether the non-nude version of the magazine can increase sales, or even maintain the same level. The New York Times reported that Playboy’s circulation had dropped from 5.6m in 1975 to about 800,000 currently. |
| “I have my doubts,” said Dr Samir Husni, director of the University of Mississippi’s magazine innovation center. “Mainly because of the name Playboy. Playboy is as old as I am. I was born in 1953. So your perception of what Playboy is is not going to change.” | “I have my doubts,” said Dr Samir Husni, director of the University of Mississippi’s magazine innovation center. “Mainly because of the name Playboy. Playboy is as old as I am. I was born in 1953. So your perception of what Playboy is is not going to change.” |
| Husni, who is also known as “Mr Magazine”, said Playboy had been claiming for years that people bought the magazine for its in-depth articles, interviews and reviews, “and that the pictures were just like the icing on the cake”. | Husni, who is also known as “Mr Magazine”, said Playboy had been claiming for years that people bought the magazine for its in-depth articles, interviews and reviews, “and that the pictures were just like the icing on the cake”. |
| The problem with that, he said, is that “if the cake is not good, which Playboy has not been for some time”, then the magazine will continue to struggle. | The problem with that, he said, is that “if the cake is not good, which Playboy has not been for some time”, then the magazine will continue to struggle. |
| “When was the last time you heard anyone talking about Playboy content, about an interview on Playboy?” he said. | “When was the last time you heard anyone talking about Playboy content, about an interview on Playboy?” he said. |
| In its heyday, Playboy featured interviews with Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and Jimmy Carter. A famous interview with John Lennon, published just before his death, saw him defend his relationship with Yoko Ono. | In its heyday, Playboy featured interviews with Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and Jimmy Carter. A famous interview with John Lennon, published just before his death, saw him defend his relationship with Yoko Ono. |
| Husni predicted there would be an uplift in sales for the last nude issue and the first non-nude issue. But he said the magazine was still unlikely to be sold in mainstream retailers, and would this continue to struggle with sales, given its reputation. | Husni predicted there would be an uplift in sales for the last nude issue and the first non-nude issue. But he said the magazine was still unlikely to be sold in mainstream retailers, and would this continue to struggle with sales, given its reputation. |
| “Will I ever see Playboy at my Walmart?” he asked. “No, because the name, the perception, is much bigger, no matter what’s in it.” | “Will I ever see Playboy at my Walmart?” he asked. “No, because the name, the perception, is much bigger, no matter what’s in it.” |