It took a year, but Playboy finally figured out that its decision to eschew featuring nude models was a financial mistake.
In October 2015, The New York Times reported the month before, Cory Jones, a top editor at Playboy, suggested to Playboy founder Hugh Hefner that the magazine should stop publishing images of naked women. Hefner, the editor in chief, agreed. Scott Flanders, the company’s chief executive, echoed, “That battle has been fought and won. You’re now one click away from every sex act imaginable for free. And so it’s just passé at this juncture.”
With the advent of easy porn in the Internet, Playboy’s circulation had plunged from 5.6 million in 1975 to about 800,000 in late 2015, as the Alliance for Audited Media reported. The magazine figured that it could increase its circulation if it muted its content so it could appear on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
At the time Playboy announced it would no longer feature nude models, Dian Hanson, an editor for Taschen, commented, “Taking the nudity out of Playboy is going to leave what?”
But Playboy will return to nudity for March’s issue, shich will feature topless “Playmate” Elizabeth Elam as Miss March 2017 alongside the headline: “Naked is normal.”
Playboy has been undergoing some internal changes, as The New York Post reported:
Hugh Garvey, who took over as editorial director from Jason Buhrmeister only five months ago, resigned late last month. Garvey had been the deputy editor. Creative director Mac Lewis also resigned around that time and was replaced by his assistant creative director, Chris Deacon. Rizvi Traverse, the investment company that took over majority control in 2011, had been scrambling recently to sell the company or attract new investors, sources said — efforts that so far have been fruitless.
Cooper Hefner, Hugh Hefner’ son, who became the chief creative officer at Playboy last October, reportedly opposed the decision to stop featuring naked models. He stated:
I’ll be the first to admit the way in which the magazine portrayed nudity was dated, but removing it entirely was a mistake. Nudity was never the problem, because nudity isn’t a problem. Today, we’re taking our identity back and rediscovering who we are. This is a remarkably special moment personally and professionally that I get to share this issue of Playboy magazine with my Dad, as well as with readers. It is a reflection of how the brand can best connect with my generation and generations to come.