The excessive access to pornography since the Internet revolution has changed the image and importance of Playboy magazine, CEO Scott Flanders and founder Hugh Hefner have agreed to stop publishing fully nude photos in their infamous magazine. This announcement was made October 13, but the major change will not be effective until March of next year. The magazine is no longer profitable in the United States, but it is used a marketing tool for international editions.
The decision to give up publishing images that bare all has a lot to do with the audience Playboy is targeting. With all fantasies imaginable only a click away for the millennial generation, Playboy is steering away from nudity being the reader’s reason to pick up the magazine. Content creators say it will make the magazine more accessible and intimate. The women will still be in provocative poses, but the photos will now suitable for ages 13 and older. Playboy’s social media accounts and online sites have slowly been steering away from nudity.
There is a fear that this may risk losing even more readers, as the magazine has only sold 800,000 issues this year, compared to the 5.6 million copies sold 40 years ago. Some fans have turned to twitter to argue that the change defeats the purpose of the magazine. In households where Playboy once was a rite a passage for young men, the sensation the magazine once had is now lost. The days of finding hidden Playboys under the mattress will be over, and it will be believable that they were picked up for the articles.