Since its first issue, Playboy magazine has featured models in all their natural naked glory. However, after 62 years worth of publication, Playboy magazine has announced their decision to drop the nude photos of women; stating part of that reason is due to our society’s ability to express ourselves more freely.
In recent years, the well-known publication has drastically dropped circulation losing millions of dollars per year. This is partially due to the abundant ability of finding sexual images online; or as Playboy Chief Executive Scott Flanders stated,
“That battle has been fought and won. You’re now one click away from every sex act imaginable for free. And so it’s just passé at this juncture.”
When you think about it, he’s right; and he has the numbers to prove it. Over the years, the publication has gone from about 6 million sold in the late 1970’s to around 800,000 today. Whether or not the new revamp will work is hard to say; many other adult publications have tried to change up their formats because of the digital pornography threat, but most have never recovered.
The new redesign for Playboy will begin in March 2016. While the publication will still feature its famous Playmate of the Month, other areas will change. For instance, there will be more liquor coverage and visual artistry. Although the nudity will be gone, the new issues will still feature women in various provocative poses, with the images in a more PG-13 styled design; but even with the new changes, executives are still not too concerned about the future of the Playboy Company. After all, like Nike or Apple, the Playboy logo is one of the most recognizable logos in the world; and most of the company’s profits come from licensing brand and logo for various merchandise, rather than the magazine.
