Hugh Hefner died when Playboy Enterprises, Inc. was a global media and entertainment organization with magazines, TV networks, and several websites. In 1953, however, Playboy was only a magazine that the mogul created in his kitchen. And so believe it or not, you can do the same provided you have a good kitchen and a passion for, well, hot stuff (that is apart from cooking).
But of course, this fave magazine of ours isn’t without its controversies. But hey, controversies are also good publicity and can make anything quite memorable. And so with out further ado, friends…
Here are the most controversial Playboy covers ever.
December 1953 – Marilyn Monroe
This was the first Playboy magazine, published in Hugh Hefner’s kitchen. The issue, which created quite a stir in the 1950s, included previously released images of Marilyn Monroe on the cover and inside spread. Marilyn did not agree to the publication.
This issue was not dated, and Hefner was unsure if there would be a sequel. He outlined in his introduction: “If you’re a man between the ages of 18 and 80, PLAYBOY is meant for you… We want to make clear from the very start, we aren’t a family magazine.”
Playboy was founded when 50,000 copies were sold for 50¢ each. Hefner credited the inaugural issue’s popularity to the inclusion of a single photograph. Hefner positioned his unseen nude in the center, another image of Monroe on the cover, and dubbed her “Sweetheart of the Month” (a predecessor to Playmate).
Monroe received the normal $50 modeling fee for the ‘Red Velvet’ series. When the issue was released, the actress had to purchase her own copy to view the centerfold.
June 1962 – A Toast to Bikinis
While this cover was scandalous on its own in the 1960s, it was also contentious due to the optical illusion created when you cover half of the shot with your hand, fully concealing the model’s navel.
There’s always a rabbit head buried someplace on the Playboy cover, but this one is notable for a new type of visual trick. Place your hand over the image, covering the upper portion, including the model’s navel. What does it look like to you?
They say it resembles a view of a woman’s crotch with her legs splayed—very splayed. That is what they say. But who exactly are “they”?
April 1969 – Loran Hopper
Playboy’s 1969 cover addressed gender stereotypes. It seems strange that adding clothing might make a naked woman’s image more subversive, but that’s exactly what Playboy did with model Loran Hopper. With a plain men’s tie, Hopper’s image becomes an edgy take on gender norms.
October 1971 – Darine Stern
Darine Stern made history as the first black model to appear on the cover of Playboy. The American Society of Magazine Editors remembered the revolutionary image, which Playboy reproduced with a Marge Simpson homage in 2010.
Darine began her profession in the late 1960s as a bank teller and hostess at the Top of the Hancock Building Restaurant. Following her Playboy cover, Stern rose to prominence as a model, being represented by Ford Models, Nina Blanchard, Ellen Harth, and Shirley Hamilton Models in Chicago and New York, as well as appearing on European runways. Following a brief stay in Los Angeles, she returned to Chicago to work as a fashion director, image consultant, and costume designer. She founded the Darine Stern Agency to promote the careers of budding models.
November 1975 – More Sex in Cinema
Patricia Margot McClain’s pose in the November 1975 issue of Playboy was a response to the rise of the magazine’s competitor Penthouse.
Even Hefner had his limits. T his issue came out as Playboy was throwing down against raunchy upstart Hustler, and before it even hit newsstands, Hef declared that the magazine would never go so risque again.
September 1979 – Girls of the Ivy League
Pictorials of college hotties are now a frequent fixture in Playboy and are scarcely contentious, but the franchise was new in 1979. While 1977’s “Girls of the Big 10” wasn’t a big concern, feminists lashed out in 1979 about the “Girls of the Ivy League” feature, despite the fact that college ladies had been appearing on Playboy covers for years prior.
This cover, modeled after a student newspaper, was one of the first examples of the “college girls” type, which became a Playboy fixture. It also provoked a lot of controversy, far more than “Girls of the Big 10” did in 1977.
November 1980 – The Women of the US Government
Playboy released a 10-page spread showing actual government officials. After appearing for the magazine, two US Navy personnel were honorably discharged.
In a 10-page spread in this edition, real-life government personnel appeared semi-naked. It’s one of the magazine’s most contentious issues, published just days before Ronald Reagan won the presidency.
August 1989 – The Women of Wall Street
This cover, modeled after a student newspaper, was one of the first examples of the “college girls” type, which became a Playboy fixture. It also provoked much controversy, far more than “Girls of the Big 10” did in 1977.
Two years after Gordon Gekko celebrated the virtues of greed on Wall Street, nine women posed for the “Women of Wall Street” issue. Time magazine looked them up shortly after the issue was released; seven of the nine were soon out of work.
September 1996 – Uma Thurman
Playboy has always taken pride in reaching their current level of success. These females understand what the magazine is about, willingly pose for it, and are compensated. That distinguishes Playboy from other periodicals, except when they forget.
of a tremendous error of judgment, Playboy purchased photos of a topless Uma Thurman at the beach and used them as a cover pictorial, even resurrecting the fuzzy Playboy mascot from the 1960s and 1970s to give a hint of peeping-tom creepiness.
Thurman never opposed nudity. Based on her earlier films, she appears to be the type of art enthusiast who might have posed for the magazine at some point. However, as a result of this difficulty, “sooner or later” has become more synonymous with never.
June 2003 – Sarah Kozer
This cover was controversial not because of who appeared on it—Sarah Kozer, the woman from the forgettable reality show Joe Millionaire—but because of who did not. The June issue’s cover was traditionally reserved for the Playmate of the Year, a tradition that felt significant to die-hard Playboy fans who see the Playmates as celebrities.
However, to those unfamiliar with the Playboy universe, a Playmate, including the Playmate of the Year, is simply a naked woman. The industry believes that celebrities sell magazines—whether it’s Vogue, GQ, or Cigar Aficionado—so 2003 PMOY Christina Santiago lost her cover shot to whats-her-name from Joe Millionaire.
Playboy fans were upset, adding another item to their ever-expanding list of complaints about what’s wrong with Playboy today. Since 2003, a few PMOYs have made the cover, but it is no longer an automatic reward. It’s more likely a hint that the magazine was unable to get a suitable star that month.
March 2006 – Jessica Alba
In March 2006, Jessica Alba had a legitimate claim to the title of “Sexiest Celebrity” and surely belonged on the cover of a magazine commemorating the top 25. Unfortunately, she did not wish to appear on Playboy’s cover. So the magazine used a photograph of her from the billboard for Into the Blue and ran with it. There was nothing unlawful about this, and other publications have done similar things, but some people believe that being on the cover of Playboy means that you’re naked inside.
That was Alba’s perspective, and she filed a lawsuit against Playboy Enterprises, alleging that the magazine had caused “immeasurable harm” to her reputation and career.
Alba was pacified when Hef apologized and donated money to her two favorite charities.
February 2008 – Wonder Woman
Feminist comic book enthusiasts chastised the February 2008 cover of Playmate of the Year Tiffany Fallon, whose body was painted in Wonder Woman’s costume.
Wonder Woman was featured on the first cover of Gloria Steinem’s Ms. magazine in 1972, so some feminists interpreted the Playboy cover as an attack on 30 years of feminism.
January/February 2012 – Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan’s daring cover was inspired by Marilyn Monroe’s appearance in Playboy’s debut issue.
Lindsay Lohan was once a seemingly innocent child star, and her controversial Marilyn Monroe-inspired pictorial in Playboy signaled a sharp departure from her Disney past.
We hope you enjoyed this one, friends.