The Secret Life of Hugh Hefner
How Hefner used feminism as a mask to cover up decades of abuse.
On Sept 27, 2017, Playboy Magazine editor-in-chief Hugh Hefner was declared dead at age 91 due to cardiac arrest.
Playboy Magazine was founded by Hefner in 1953. Playboy is credited as playing an important role in helping the sexual revolution with their spreads of semi-nude and nude women.
Hefner was notorious for living in his Playboy Mansion with hundreds of beautiful playboy bunnies surrounding him at all times.
After Hefner’s death social media was flooded with memorial posts praising Hefner for being a “legend” and for essentially pioneering a sexual revolution and advocating for women empowerment.
It was also rumored that Hefner will be buried by the famous Marilyn Monroe, the first nude model for Playboy Magazine, or was she?
It has been reported that Marilyn Monroe had taken those photos in a time before she was famous and needed money.
Once Monroe gained popularity, Hefner bought those images and displayed them without the consent of Monroe. Many people argue that this is not true, but there is now more recent accounts.
Vanna White, most famous for her small role in the game show Wheel of Fortune, did an interview on the Wendy Williams show on Feb 10, 2016 speaking about her career, tabloids, rumors, and even Hefner.
Much like Monroe, White was low on money and decided to take risqué photos. White and Hefner became friends when Hefner found these photos and purchased them for $500.
“Well, I wasn’t on there because I wanted to be.” Says White
“I said, Hef, if you put these photos on the cover, my career could be ruined!” she goes on to say.
White tells Wendy that she told Hefner that she would like him to not publish the photos but Hefner refused.
So, if posting naked photos of women without their consent is not enough to sway you away from idolizing, maybe some more evidence will.
An ex-butler of Hefner has gone under a false name to document what he saw in his time working with Hefner.
He talks about how Hefner would kick the girls out on the streets if they refused to have sex with any of his friends, and the “bunnies” would regularly have to have sex in exchange for drugs.
With these two major pieces of evidence, it becomes clear that Hefner was a real enemy for women and the feminist movement.
Hefner sold, used, and manipulated women for his own personal gain. According to ex bunny, Holly Madison, Hefner gave the bunnies a one thousand dollar allowance every Friday, but this allowance was easily manipulated and taken away.
While Playboy started gaining popularity in a time where women were shamed for being sexy and provocative, Hefner seemingly gave women a place in the media that broke the stigma that a woman cannot love her body and show it off.
Any person today, however, with any sort of education on the feminist movement and the Playboy franchise can see that Hefner did the exact opposite of empowering women.
With Hefner’s net worth being 43 million dollars according to the most recent data published about one week ago, it is easy to see that Hefner simply used these women for his own capitalist gain and to build up his brand.
So, please, tell me again how a rich, straight, white, male, exploiting women for his own personal gain while not paying them is helping women in anyway?
When readers pick up a Playboy magazine, they are not thinking about how amazing it is that a woman can celebrate her body. They are using the photos for their own personal pleasure and then tossing it to the side.
Hefner’s death also brought to light the sexism and double standards in the sex work industry.
While Hefner was praised in the media before and after death as a playboy, sex god, and legend, for sleeping with hundreds or women, female sex workers, including his famous bunnies, were not so lucky.
Even in 2017, female sex workers, ranging from cam girls to prostitutes, are often slut shamed, disrespected, and in the most extreme cases, targets for violence.
Hefner made very little statements regarding women empowerment and never showed actual support for the feminist movement beyond his magazines.
He also used the mask of feminism, but behind closed doors, he had very strict and controlling rules for his bunnies.
Ex-playmate Holly Madison, wrote a book speaking on her experience in the mansion titled Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny.
In her book, Madison describes the strict rules Hefner placed on them such as a strict 9pm curfew, controlling social media posts, and being punished for not making it to date nights or not participating in Hefner’s sex parties in his bedroom.
“Like Beauty locked up in the Beast’s castle, I developed my own brand of Stockholm syndrome, identifying with my captor.” Madison writes.
Hugh Hefner may have founded an entire brand for himself, but that is exactly who that brand is for, himself.
His brand was not for women, the feminist movement, or the sexual revolution. It was strictly for him to build up his fortune, his brand, and his legacy.
It was a way for a crusty, old, abuser, to be idolized by many across the globe for being a womanizer, while women today, still have a never ending battle against sexism, discrimination, and slut shaming.
So, Mr. Hefner, I will not be mourning you. Women will not be mourning you, for you did nothing but hurt our movement even more. We do not need you exploiting us and the movement we have worked so hard to for.
We will better society, we will make a name for ourselves, we will empower ourselves, and we will happily do it without your help.
