The Legacy of Hugh Hefner: Media and Cultural Pioneer – or Merchant of Death?
Hugh Hefner, founder of Playboy Magazine died September 27 2017. The Playboy brand, beginning with the magazine’s premier issue in 1953, promoted a wealthy Gentleman’s Club vibe. The pages were filled with cultured and enlightened urban bachelors enjoying the finer things in life; jazz, the best food and drink, exotic travel, trendy fashion…and of course, beautiful women. Yet while Hefner filled his clubs and magazine with scantily glad women dressed in ridiculous and demeaning bunny outfits, he also set out to be a key player in the unfolding cultural…