Short Resume:

Once upon a time, in conservative America, there lived a young man who wanted to be a cartoonist. While doing his research to see what kind of money he could make from drawing comic strips, that young man realized that what the public (both male and female, but especially the first) really needed was a change in attitude, style, lifestyle and outlook on sex. His name was Hugh Hefner and the materialization of his dream was called 'Playboy'.

Despite what we may think today of the 'ultimate lifestyle entrepreneur', Hugh was not always the bohemian, nonchalant, hedonist guy that we know. In fact, he was raised in a family of Methodists who clearly made a point of showing no signs of affection towards him. Accordingly, his childhood was what one might call 'normal': he went to school, then to high school and then enrolled in the army. When he was liberated, he enlisted at the University of Illinois, from where he graduated in half the time than the rest of his fellow students. Hugh had the IQ of a genius but he never cared that much as to fully explore his intellectual potential. Instead, he focused more on his creative side, working for the school magazine and, later, for other media outlets.

After graduating, with a major in psychology and a double minor in creative writing, Hugh got married to his sweetheart. A couple of years later, he realized that what was traditionally understood by the phrase 'American dream' (a stable job and a family life) was not for him: the sexual revolution was calling to him and he, as its 'prophet', had to oblige. In 1953, after obtaining a bank loan and borrowing money from his friends, Hugh released the first number of 'Playboy', featuring the now famous centerfold, with none other than Marilyn Monroe, 'wearing nothing but a radio'.

In the interval from the '50s to the '80s, Hugh Hefner worked hard at establishing his own empire: the magazine soon expanded and began to sell in millions of copies worldwide, he founded Playboy Enterprises, bought casinos and clubs, made movies and television shows. But, more important, he built that image of 'Playboy' as an American cultural icon, which was then to be sold at the newsstand around the corner of the street. He created, out of nothing, the myth of the 'girl next door', who also happened to have a killer body, liked to strip off her clothes and loved to have sex... a lot!

With 'Playboy', men were shown that there were other options available to them, other than that of marriage. Hugh became the epitome of the bachelor, who prefers to sit by the fire, smoke a good pipe, have a glass of cognac and a beautiful girl on his lap. Women were offered the chance to fully explore their sexuality, by doing something that was neither straight-up porn nor art. They were objectified (as most 'Playboy' critics have it) but also beautified and idealized to the max. But, above all, they were given the chance, for the first time ever, to feel free and to enjoy being sensual and provocative.

To this day, Hugh Hefner hasn't changed that much. In fact, he's the same man of 20 years ago... or 30, or more. The only thing that was subject to modifications is the company he keeps. While he grows older, the girls around him remain the same age (of course, they are switched periodically). But 'Playboy' will always remain an emblem of modern sexuality, even if, right now, we don't quite see it as such. Hefner's legacy doesn't consist of having put out there just a soft porn/erotic magazine, but of shaping the American mentality to suit the sexual revolution he unleashed. We, who can't even begin to understand how important his contribution is to our cultural heritage, salute him!

Biography:

First things first: when we talk about Hugh Hefner and 'Playboy', we must leave aside all prejudices - gender or age related. Sure, many are those who criticized both (and who still do, by the way) and they do make a strong point, but looking at Hef (or Hefty) and his accomplishments from this perspective we get only this: he is a man who made millions and millions out of exploiting women as if they were cattle. Then again, that would mean he did it all for money, which is definitely not the case. Without trying to make a martyr out of him, we must specify that Hugh was never in it for the money - he 'had a dream' and he did what any other person would do to turn it into reality. As it happens, that reality took the form of a magazine in which buxom beauties show their stuff for the camera. But 'Playboy' is so much more than that, as we shall see next.

Born and raised in Chicago, Hugh was never a very extrovert person, quite on the contrary. When in high school, he fell in love for the first time and it was also then that the unimaginable happened: he was rejected. Instead of moping around or, even worse, go crawling like a puppy, Hugh learned how to manipulate people into giving him all the attention he could ever want. This was the time of his first reinvention: over a period of less than a week, he went through a drastic makeover which also included a change of name - from now on, his friends were to address him only by the name of 'Hef'. In no time, he became that cool dude from the senior year with whom all the girls wanted to hang out.

In the final months of college, Hugh fell in love again and this time it was reciprocated. He married Mildred Williams in 1949 and had two children with her (Christie and David Paul) but he soon came to terms with the fact that family life certainly wasn't the thing to make him tick. On the side, Mildred soon grew tired of her husband's lifestyle and his way too long absences from home ('Playboy' was then only at the beginning) and they separated amicably ten years after their 'I Do's. The end of his marriage was the onset of Hugh's new life: now that he was free, he was also ready to get more and more involved into liberating America from its suffocating corset of prejudices.

In 1953, Hugh launched the first issue of the magazine to which his name will be tied until his death and beyond. He got his hands on a couple of photos of Marilyn Monroe that no one dared to publish until that moment and spent nights and nights on the kitchen table personally taking care of how the first issue would look like. But, first, he called on all his friends (including his mother) and asked them for money, he got a bank loan (for which he offered his furniture as collateral) and, together with what little he had saved up, raised $8,000 - exactly how much it took to have the magazine printed and distributed. The Marilyn issue sold in 50,000 copies. And the rest is history, as they say.

Until the '80s, the empire he built out of nothing (save his drive to become someone) had reached gigantic proportions: 'Playboy' was selling in more than 7 million copies per month (only in the US!) and, as Hefner himself once said, teenagers from all over the world were growing up with the 'one-handed magazine'. But 'Playboy' meant more than just 'anatomic material', even if its deeper significations were lost on its readers: Hugh and his staff were permanently trying to get all the big names in the media to come and write for the mag (assuming that at least some of the readers were concerned with the articles) and the content itself (save the photos) was as diverse as to include as many topics possible.

Once porn (the hardcore one, not the kind of mild eroticism 'Playboy' was selling) made it into mainstream culture, becoming more and more accepted, 'Playboy' plunged and, with it, also went the Bunny philosophy Hefner was promoting. The whole franchise that took so much time to construct is now more and more viewed from the point of view of how it was, instead of what it is presently. For instance (and merely for the sake of argument), the magazine doesn't sell more than 3 million copies per month worldwide today, which is basically a lame number if compared to how great it used to do years ago. But it continues to be successful, even if reduced to a mere 'shadow', to a replica of the greatest men's magazine in the history of humanity.

The one thing that hasn't changed at all is Hugh Hefner: he is still living in his Playboy Mansion (which he bought in the '70s and later transformed in the new Mecca for celebrities) with his three girlfriends (there was also another wife along the way, succeeded by other four girlfriends) and the rest of the Playmates. He's 80 years old, has discovered the benefits of Viagra and still likes to have a lot of sex. Also, he can be seen wearing his silk pajamas and robe and smoking a pipe during press conferences, just like back in the days when he was the Casanova of Hollywood.

Were he not such a lovable figure, he would be ridiculous and despicable, and people wouldn't hesitate for a second to make fun of him. But Hugh Hefner is just playing his character, the one he worked so hard to define and impose, so that kind of makes his behavior excusable, though the world wouldn't do the same for any other man (or woman). And I say this because, while many still see Hef as the ultimate womanizer who not only indulges in polygamous relationships but also exploits the women he has sex with, culture will always acknowledge his contribution and importance. Hugh Hefner was the first to realize that 'the major civilizing force in the world is sex, not religion' (extracted from his 'Playboy Philosophy') and that this would be precisely the means for a new revolution. Hefner's life and work were, back in the '50s-'60s, so groundbreaking, shocking and unheard of that he was even hunted down by the FBI because of it. Or, at least, that's what he claims.

Good or bad, the change he militated for (and eventually made) paved the way for a more open attitude towards sex and nudity. Without Hefty and 'Playboy', other magazines and television programs specialized in 'selling flesh' (to quote from his critics) wouldn't have existed today and we would probably be still having sex only during the night, covered by blankets and without ever talking about it. Male fashion would probably be still as boring as hell and women would not be aware of their beauty and of their sexual power. Overall, life would suck big time. Of course, no one says that Hefner is perfect and he's the first one to admit to his own flaws. But a man can be a brilliant part of history without even trying and he certainly qualifies for that.

Love him or hate him, this aged 'Playboy' Bunny is one of those figures one must always remember when discussing the shaping of time. On second thought, Hugh Hefner, the womanizer and the dreamer, is definitely one of them. Without getting into a debate over how right or wrong he was (although he would positively love that!) when he founded 'Playboy', we'll indulge him with one of his favorite things by paying attention to him. Happy Birthday, Hugh Hefner, aka Hef, aka Hefty! May Viagra and women keep you around for years to come!

Now let's hear it from you: agree with all of the above or not? IN or OUT for Hugh Hefner?