The end of an era.  No, I am not talking about sentient beings in politics.  Although…

For most of my life, there was a monthly event that titillated young boys.  And, I am sure it excited  some that failed to grow up.  Starting with its “inventor” – Hugh Hefner.

Anyone over the age of 30 will recall the hedonistic parties that “Hef” provided.  Replete with nubile young women.  Supposedly, his goal was to promote his magazine- Playboy. But, he certainly managed to live the lifestyle he desired.

Each month, three pictorial “essays” were published revolving about voluptuous women.  Oh, and let’s not forget the “important” interview that was the center of each issue.  You know, to justify the fact that men were “educating” themselves.  Yup.  Education was the goal.

From its debut in 1953 for 20 years, Playboy was the undisputed young boy (and men) titillation. Many a parent had to admonish their young boys when they found the magazine hidden under the bed, hidden between the frame and the mattress, or jammed into the back of a drawer.  Because the photos were considered unseemly.

(I admit to having seen a few issues.  But, to be honest, I found it far more interesting to read the anatomy and biology texts that were kept in boxes in the basement of our house.  You know, the place where my chem lab was “headquartered”.  [Actually, these were kept on the other side of the basement, near the Lionel train set that provided me hours of enjoyment.].

And, while I’m at it.  My fraternity induction was held at the Manhattan Playboy club.  I obviously missed the idea, since I brought my girlfriend to the event- and my fraternity brothers thought that was the funniest move of all.)

And, once the sexual revolution reached the hinterlands, Hefner had some real competition.  Bob Guccione began publishing Penthouse.  A far more lurid (at least to those who set the “proper” sexual standards for middle America) magazine, where full nudity reigned supreme.  Which, of course, meant that Hef was going to have to compete in a similar fashion.

And, there were other games as well.  To the best of my recollection, there were letters both contiguous to and inside the P of Playboy.  Which supposedly connoted the sexual encounters for the various ladies depicted within.  Who knows?  Actually, who cares…

But besides the unknowns, the women dying to have their instance of fame, many celebrities graced the pages of Playboy.  From Marilyn Monroe (who didn’t really pose for the magazine) and Jayne Mansfield (who did) to  Kim Basinger, from Bo Derek to Drew Barrymore.  And, Lindsay Lohan, Farrah Fawcett, Madonna, Daryll Hannah, Sharon Stone, Denise Richards, Katarina Witt, Ursula Andress, Pamela Anderson, Raquel Welch… and, of course, Kim Kardashian.   But over 62+ years, there were a slew of folks- including many young ones from the colleges around the US.  Back when the monthly circulation was around 7 million.

But, now with soft (and hard) porn on TV’s cable channels (the soft stuff is visiting many a broadcast network, too), Playboy has fallen on hard times.  Circulation now is down to about 800,000!

(By the way, a secret that most feminists don’t want to divulge.  Cable porn is vastly different from the sort that found its way to “artsy” theaters of the 70s, 80s, and 90s.  It is now aimed at women.  I guess some folks can’t get enough “romance” in their romance novels- or feel left out of the ‘fifty shades’…)

But, don’t worry.  Now, nudity has left the station.  No more will it grace he pages of Playboy.  Nope.  There’ll be more nudity in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue or those lurid Victoria Secret catalogues that bombard our homes.

Oh, and Rachel Maddow (of MSNBC fame) will be both depicted and interviewed in next month’s issue.

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