Playboy magazine is in an “it’s complicated” relationship with nudity (a headline you never thought you would see).
In October 2015, Playboy announced its decision to no longer publish fully nude photographs of women. Said decision was put into effect five months later in March 2016, when its first no-nudity monthly edition was published, featuring only shots that were deemed “semi-revealing.”
Now, less than one year later, the magazine has made public its return to the classic topless-blonde-with-bunny-ears-and-double Ds photographs its subscribers have come to know and love.
Surprised? Probably not.
The announcement comes after Hugh Hefner’s son, Cooper, took over as Chief Creative Officer in October. Cooper, who did not approve of the no-nudity transformation, tweeted his response to the magazine’s decision, stating, “Nudity was never the problem, because nudity isn’t a problem. Today, we’re taking our identity back and rediscovering who we are.”
Playboy previously believed that with the rise of easily accessible internet porn – thousands of naked women available at the click of a Google search button – the magazine had lost its edgy and scandalous appeal. The elimination of nudity would increase its newsstand presence and, therefore, increase sales, or so they hypothesized (the current re-implementation of nudity would suggest otherwise).
The upcoming March/April issue will feature model Elizabeth Elam, with the headline, “Naked is normal” so resourcefully covering her nipple.
The 63-year-old “Entertainment for Men” magazine is also considering a new tagline: “Playboy, Entertainment for Men Who Can’t Figure Out How to Access Free Photos of Naked Women So Continue To Pay For Them.”
Just kidding.
Top photo: Playboy
More from BUST
Leslie Jones, Why You Gotta Tease Like That?
13 Important Moments From The Grammys
Pro-Life Planned Parenthood Protests Silenced By Groups Of Pro-Choice Nasty Women
